"I took a workshop of yours at the library awhile back, and was in total awe! You made me want to know more about the developing brain in young children, and how dance/movement influences that development. I am no dancer myself, but I have recently completed my degree in early childhood education, and am excited about incorporating some of your work into my own curriculum development ideas." - Leah, classroom teacher, and mom of two.
“Look at me, I’m becoming neurologically hardwired!” Human Movement Patterning and Brain Development
Learn how movement impacts the developing brain and how we can use current brain research to help us to stimulate and nurture our children. Examine the connection between movement and correlated physical and cognitive skills. Explore creative movement activities that focus on the social and emotional intelligence. This mini-course will be a mixture of dance and discussion. Come prepared to move, learn and have fun!
Creative Movement as a Learning Tool in Early Childhood Education
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll take a concept-based creative movement approach to math, science, language arts, social studies and classroom dynamics. We’ll actively explore the theory of the multiple intelligences. We’ll play with new movement vocabulary as it relates to academic learning, and we’ll share some concrete applications that teachers and caregivers can bring to their classrooms on Monday morning. Throughout the class, we’ll emphasize opportunities for inclusion and engagement for children of all abilities, the ways in which movement enhances brain growth and development, and how and why to bring movement play into kids’ lives and learning every day. You don’t have to be a ‘dancer’ to enjoy this class: Please wear comfy clothes and come prepared to move!
“But I have two left feet!” Dance education for teachers who don’t think they can dance!
Teachers in traditional classrooms are bearing more of the weight of budget cuts and growing class sizes, and many are frustrated that dance and other art forms are falling into their laps to teach as well as other subjects. Kids need to move, but who is teaching teachers some fun ways to making movement educational? In this introductory workshop, we will explore some of the many ways we can use movement to teach and learn about a wide array of academic pursuits, from math to reading, history to science. Have fun, let your kids move and relate as they learn, and get those PE requirements done all at the same time! With the concept-based, brain-compatible approach, every child can learn.
From "Special needs" to "Talented and Gifted," Bending the spectrum to encircle all learners
Bringing together the work of professionals, practitioners, and advocates from the fields of arts and culture, education, and disability services, this hands-on workshop and training session focuses on an introduction to the principles and practices of inclusive programming in developmental movement/ creative dance. Participants from a variety of learning communities learn to utilize the social intelligence, especially rich in modalities such as creative dance, music, drama, creative writing and visual art, to foster a sense of emotional belonging, to create participatory possibilities and to encourage physical and cognitive growth and development for all students.
What is Arts Integration?
Using lively experiences from residency work in the public schools, participants receive guidance in carving new curricular territory between the arts and academics. How do you satisfy content standards in both? How do you leap from idea to real lessons that kids understand and engage with? How do you go about assessing the efficacy of your approach? In this workshop, we'll explore arts integration across grade levels, from PreK-12, to discover some of the common threads in the most innovative, and effective, programs.
The Business of Creativity: How arts-learning encourages innovation and competition
Citing examples throughout history and across disciplines, this workshop addresses the economic motivators behind comprehensive, sequential and rigorous arts learning. What does it take to thrive in the new global economy? Our students must be adept at conceptualizing, analyzing, activating and affiliating: The arts can help them get here. Through hands-on contact with the process of defining, exploring, gaining necessary skill, synthesizing ideas, and reflecting, participants experience arts education as a cornerstone of 21st century success.
Multiple Intelligences in Motion: A teacher training in brain-based learning for all children
Using the latest findings in brain research, this dynamic teaching intensive challenges participants to approach creative movement as an essential tool for cognitive, social and emotional learning for children of all abilities. With a focus on sequential, comprehensive and integrative curriculum, this workshop bridges the gap between arts and academia. In daily hands-on brain-compatible concept-based dance activities, participants define, explore and create best practices in education for every child. No prior dance experience necessary.
Includes all theoretical and concrete information covered in above workshops, plus training in sequential Sparkplug Dance Educational Resources curriculum, community strategic planning & assessment, and access to evaluation and implementation consults.
Teen Parent Program: Finding Balance
The Finding Balance Program provides new and expecting parents with positive tools for enhancing their children's physical, emotional and cognitive experience, while giving caregivers an opportunity to share with each other strategies for parenting success.
Using lively discussion and a relaxed, informal tone, the group discussion in Finding Balance opens the door for an exploration of the needs of our babies, toddlers and preschoolers at different phases of their physical, emotional and social growth.
Driven by student participation, the Finding Balance workshop addresses the physical and cognitive needs of babies, toddlers and preschoolers; and how movement patterning in early life can enhance the natural learning process. Teens participate in a discussion, led by the Finding Balance instructor, discussing the role that they play as parents in their children's development; how movement is a key component of natural learning and play and what their goals are as parents to encourage their babies, toddlers and preschoolers to reach their potential. Subsequent Finding Balance meetings involve Developmental Movement classes with their children, where academic ideas are reinforced through play and nurturance of their own Little Ones. Teens and their Little Ones 'light up' as they sway, swing, skip and play. In this safe environment, teen parents can let down a little bit their inhibitions, and experience one of the great joys that comes from caring for a young one: play.
For information on how to schedule teacher training in your area, please click here: GROW YOUR OWN
Learn more: Music, books, videos, websites for your reference on our Teacher Resources Guide