Term 3:

5 Lesson Plans for Unit on Performance Skills (included in Assessment Commentary)

Term 1: Mini-Lesson Design and Planning Evaluation

II. Design: Instructional Outcomes/Learning Objectives

A. What are the instructional outcomes (Learning Objectives) of the unit? Make sure they represent “high-level learning in the discipline,” are clear, standards-based, written in the form of student learning, and permit viable methods of assessment. Explain what students will know and be able to do if they understand the central idea. Also include a set of differentiated outcomes, in whatever way is needed, for individual students.

SWBAT:

1. Record observations in writing about a brief recorded dance performance using the Elements of Dance as a reference.
2. Describe factual Observations and subjective Impressions.
3. Understand the difference between Fact and Interpretation, analyze/distinguish which observations fall into each category.
4. Develop open-minded curiosity about others via dance, growing the capacity to respectfully communicate ideas and beliefs, avoid jumping to conclusions or judgements based on bias.
5. Make connections beyond the classroom about how distinguishing fact from interpretation will help deepen insight.

It took a few iterations, but I believe my final instructional outcomes are clear. They build logically from one to the next and are scaffolded appropriately for a variety of learners. I ensured that the objectives are standards-based by building them from the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards (Diversity DI.8. “Respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.”) and National Core Arts Standards in Dance (RESPOND NAEP definition: “Responding varies from that of an audience member to the interactive response between a student and a particular medium.” RESPONDING NCCAS definition: “Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning.”)

“Record,” “Describe,” “Understand,” “Develop Curiosity,” “Make Connections:” these are the ways I wrote the objectives in the form of student learning, sharing up-front about what students will practice and be able to do in the lesson. If students understand the central idea of the lesson, they will also be able to apply this lesson to their personal, academic, and professional lives. Writing objectives based on student learning and assessment was possibly the most challenging aspect of the design process for me, and I referred to Bloom’s Taxonomy while crafting my learning objectives.

The instructional outcomes permit viable methods of assessment, such as written notes, observation of oral communication with partners, and sharing out learnings with the larger group. I don’t feel that differentiated outcomes for individual students are required in this case, as multiple modalities of learning are used and properly scaffolded.

V. Design: Coherent Instruction

A. Where does this unit fit into the scope and sequence of the entire course you are teaching? What did students learn about before this unit, and what are you planning to have them learn after it? What knowledge must one have to access the facts, concepts, and tools addressed in this unit?

This lesson could be taught early on in the course just as students are becoming familiar with the Elements of Dance to aid in their observations of historical dances, building up to the full Criticism Model, then later applied to live performances, their own compositions and showings.

This lesson is a part of a series of lessons on observing and analyzing dance. This particular lesson focuses on the social justice standard Diversity DI.8. “Respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.” Students need to have some basic understanding of the elements of dance to think about objective ways of describing what they see.  When observing dance, both facts (objective truths: what is seen/heard) and interpretations (subjective impressions, what is thought and felt, what is seen through our own lenses and bias) come up in our minds.

When we are able to distinguish fact and interpretation, it opens us to alternative interpretations and frees us to see the dance as it is before jumping to conclusions about what it means or to judge the choreography/performance’s effectiveness or quality. This has wider implications for dance appreciation and criticism as well as personal development and social justice action. In a course or unit, this lesson would be preceded by basic experiences in dance technique and exposure to the Elements of Dance concepts and their application to creating choreographic sketches. We would then also learn the rest of the critical process, apply it to well-known choreographies on video, live performances in the community, and our own work as well. Students would practice making observations and distinctions in viewing logs, evaluative logs, critiques in written, oral, or other media.

The application of the fact/interpretation distinction to personal growth and empowerment, and also social justice issues to would be reinforced through further practice and reflection. And of course in a dance technique class, skills would be practiced in alignment with choreographic goals and the development of expressive versatility.

VII. Action: Social Justice Education

A. How do your planning and preparation for instruction align to the goals of social justice educators as they are described in Teaching Tolerance’s Social Justice Standards?

This lesson (and the larger unit and course) is designed to develop keen observation skills, critical thinking, open-mindedness, awareness of bias and the limitations of objective factual observation vs. subjective interpretations. We all have different lenses, lived experiences, cultures, and areas of expertise and those impact what we are able to see or understand about the experiences in our lives. Learning to appreciate dance (or any art form) helps expand our vision and perspectives.

Identifying and discussing

My lesson was designed to align with the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards  standard Diversity DI.8., “Respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.” In order to communicate in an open-minded way, we must be able to present our views objectively, be aware of our biases, and avoid prejudice. It was exciting to see that my questioning sparked critical conversations among the class and thoughtful inquiry into our observations and impressions. This respectful curiosity and sharing builds a safe intellectual community and is a first step towards the kind of sensitivity and awareness that can build bridges of communication between people and communities.