Multi-Modal Portfolio

Dance

1. STEM INTEGRATION

Teacher Candidates create a dance about Pulleys & Gears.

Dance can be used to allow students to express their learning in a variety of subjects beyond the arts. Usually people tend to think of Dance as directly related to artistic subjects like Drama and Music, but it can be effectively integrated with STEM field subjects. In the above images, my group of teacher candidates experimented with using Dance to express learning from the Grade 4 Science curriculum. Using different movements, we used our bodies to rhythmically illustrate the ways in which simple machines, like Pulleys and Gears work together to exert force on objects. These science-integrated dances allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of the working parts in simple machines by artistically inhabiting their motions, rather than using the traditional written description or diagram. This can be especially helpful to students who feel as though written communication is not their greatest strength.

2. PHYSICAL EDUCATION THROUGH DANCE

Teacher Candidates perform a dance in various levels and shapes.

In all Junior and Intermediate Physical Education curriculum expectations, the use of space and levels is specified. This coordinates well with Dance, which also focuses on teaching students to use space (both positive and negative) and levels. Thanks to these common themes, Dance can be used to reinforce further learning of these concepts, and vice versa. Dance allows students to learn to control their bodies and movements, as well as increase their ability to balance and hold a shape. This can be accomplished by asking students to create a dance that involves various pathways, body shapes held in different levels (ex: catching scarves using one's body and holding the pose), and daily Dance-based DPA. 

3. MATHEMATICS THROUGH DANCE

Mathematics is often viewed by students as the most intimidating aspect of the curriculum. Although it may appeal to logical learners, it does not always provide kinaesthetic and visual learners the chance to learn in ways that appeal to their types of intelligence. There are 8 types of learners which can possess Multiple Intelligences. A dedicated teacher will try to appeal to the Multiple Intelligences of students, and one way this can be achieved is through integrating Mathematics with Dance. For example, when learning about Probability, students could be asked to roll dice and make predictions about the outcomes of their rolls. Students could then be asked to create a dance that reveals the numbers rolled through their movements. Alternatively, each number on the die could represent an assigned movement (such as "slice, "soar" or "melt") and then be asked to incorporate the movements rolled into a dance. When teaching Symmetry, students could dance by tossing scarves into the air and catching them with their bodies, while only allowing their bodies to freeze into symmetrical shapes. Student could also perform dances in unison, working to ensure that the positioning of each group member formed a symmetrical shape during the dance. Providing students with these "hands-on" approaches to Math will help teachers to appeal to the different types of learners in their classrooms.

4. LANGUAGE ARTS THROUGH DANCE

Teacher Candidates perform a dance to illustrate their original poem, "What Is Fatigue?".

Dance, by nature, is illustrative and artistic, much in the way that poetry is in terms of Language Writing. Often students can feel intimidated when they are asked to write poetry or use descriptive language. A familiar complaint that teachers may hear is, "I don't know where to start!". The open and interpretive nature of Dance can serve to give students a place to start and a means to find their inspiration. For example, the teacher can pose a question to students such as "What is happiness?". In groups of three or four students, pupils can create a dance with 3-4 movements that represent what happiness means to them. Before performing the dance, students will ask,  "What is happiness?" in unison, and complete the dance by stating, "that's happiness". Each of the movements in their original dance can then act as a starting point for different lines of poetry also mean to answer the same question.

5. GROUPING

It is important to make sure that your classroom promotes an inclusive and positive atmosphere. One way to ensure that all students have an opportunity to work with different peers is to use Random Group Generator. This tech-based resources ensures random selection of student groups and quick sorting. Often it can be advantageous to avoid allowing students to group themselves, as some students can be left out or "picked last". When the teacher facilitates group selection, students are not left feeling unwanted or rejected by their peers. Furthermore, students who do not normally associate with each other can get a chance to collaborate and form relationships during the judgement-free and inclusive atmosphere of Dance class. When working with students with exceptionalities, such as Social Anxiety, teachers can strategically create groups with preferred pairings. For example, if Student A is shy and withdrawn, the teacher can ensure that their group contains one of their "safe people".

Drama

1. ROLE ON THE WALL

If The Earth Treated Us The Way We Treat The Earth: students are asked to place Post-It Notes on an illustration of the Earth, describing how it would feel if it was personified.

Teacher Candidate Bianca interviews fellow Teacher Candidate Zach. Zach uses role-play to act in a role as the wind in human form.

One way to introduce students to dramatic role play is to use Role On The Wall. This activity involves a diagram of a character role with information written both inside and outside the character's body. In the first image above, students were asked to consider what it would be like to act as personified version of planet Earth. Before taking on the role, students place Post It Notes inside and outside the character. Outside Post It Notes describe how others view the Earth. The Post It Notes placed inside the Earth describe the way the Earth sees itself. This helps students to gain a fully formed perspective on the character that they will be personifying in their acting. Not only does this activity increase a student's ability to effectively take on a role play, but it can also help them to seek out and value multiple perspectives in life. Students will gain appreciation for the perspectives of others' which can help with developing compassion and conflict resolution. In terms of Language Arts, identifying different perspectives can be invaluable when tackling Persuasive Writing and Reading Comprehension. 

2. FRACTURED FAIRYTALES

Students in my placement class perform their original Fractured Fairytale to illustrate the concept of perspective.

Teacher Candidates at Brock University use Fractured Fairytales to create a cross-curricular lesson concerning Drama, Language Arts and Mathematics.

For privacy reasons, I have decided not to post the Fractured Fairytale stories that my Grade 5/6 students wrote and performed during my placement, however I have included a screenshot from The Real Story of Goldilocks - one of the videos they recorded while we transformed the classroom into a Fractured Fairytale Theatre. This activity was one of my fondest memories from placement, and my students loved it too! While teaching Persuasive Writing I used Drama to help students understand the need for looking at ideas and opinions from multiple points of view. We talked about the need to give a silenced voices - those who are marginalized and do not always get an opportunity to express their views. In order to make this serious topic fun and relatable for students in Grade 5 and 6, I created a project that asked students to create plays that put minor Fairy Tale characters in the spotlight. Students loved taking on these unusual roles and creating elaborate storylines to shine a light on the perspectives of lesser Fairy Tale characters. The Real Story of Goldilocks stood out for its humorous take on Baby Bear, who, according to my students, was the negligent member of the Bear family responsible for the entire Goldilocks fiasco. Students thoroughly enjoyed working together and performing in front of their peers. 

Fractured Fairytales lend themselves very well to Language Arts integration, but they are not limited to this domain. As displayed in the video posted above, Mathematics can also be worked into Fairytales. In fact, students can create Drama-based games where heroes, like the prince from Rapunzel, can only succeed on their quest by solving Mathematical problems. This allows students to move around and work collaboratively in dramatic game, while exercising their Drama and Math skills.

3. TABLEAU

Teacher Candidates create a scene using Tableau to illustrate important historical events.

Tableau is a great Drama technique that can be easily used to form many different cross-curricular connections. One of my favourite ways to use Tableau is have students demonstrate a summary of what they've learned by creating 3-4 still images with their bodies. For example, when teaching History, teachers can ask students to collaborate in groups to recreate significant events pertaining to the historical topic being studied. If students are asked to read a text concerning First Contact between European settlers and Indigenous peoples, they might chose to summarize this reading by creating different still images which summarize important concepts covered in the reading, like the fur trade and the transfer of small pox viruses. The performance not only allows students to demonstrate their reading comprehension, but also to communicate important concepts to their classmates who will view their performance.

4. EMOTIONS

Teacher Candidates read a familiar poem using different emotions for each phrase.

One of the my favourite aspects of Drama is that it provides students with a safe space for expressing themselves in a multitude of ways. As young people tackle the challenges of growing up and navigating the social world, they will benefit greatly from any education that helps them learn to express themselves and understand emotions - not only their own, but the emotions of others too. Drama can provide students with a positive outlet for expressing and working through a wide range of emotions in a social setting. Teachers can allow students to take on different emotional roles in a way that is healthy and enjoyable. The above video illustrates how students can learn to identify and embody various states of being - bashfulness, anger, and surprise - by reading through a familiar nursery rhyme using different emotional voices. This kind of activity promotes Universal Design for Learning, as all students can benefit from and enjoy this Drama lesson, but it can especially helpful to students with exceptionalities (such as Autism) that make it difficult to read social cues. Exploring emotions will help students with Autism better understand how to recognize various emotions and how to respond to or safely express these feelings.

5. INTEGRATING INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

Teacher Candidates create personal Totem Poles in groups, and then act as their specific animal, using Tableau. 

Canadian educators have a responsibility to integrate an Instructional Lens that incorporates FNMI and Indigenous culture, heritage and education in their teaching. Performance is a valued aspect of artistic expression in many FNMI cultures, and therefore Drama is a fitting means for educators to touch on this valuable Instructional Lens. For example, when studying Haida culture from British Columbia, History, Visual Arts and Drama can be integrated in a rich activity. Firstly, students can learn about the history of the Haida. One of the most iconic images from Haida culture is that of the Totem Pole. Students can be asked to create their own Totem Poles, first through drawing (or even sculpture), and then as part of a performance piece using their bodies. As illustrated in the image above, teacher candidates first learn of the history and significance of Totem Poles, and then create a visual representation of their own unique totems. Once a visual has been created, it is presented to peers and brought to life through "human sculpture" via Tableau. The teacher can tap each member in the human sculpture so that he or she can present prepared lines which further describe the aspects of the Totem Pole. This kind of activity provides students with multiple points in the curriculum for demonstrating learning and appreciation for Indigenous Education, all tied together with Drama.