Pacing for various levels of dancers (not moving too fast or too slow)

All learners are different. Even in a leveled class, there will always be some variation in ability between students. Moreover, some learners will learn much faster than others. Some students will practice material outside of class and others will expect to walk out of the class feeling confident in the material. As a dance teacher, you must do your best to balance the needs of your students. It is impossible to reach all students at once, but sometime during the class or series the material should fit the needs of each student in the class. Here are some things to consider:

  1. Try teaching towards the mid-level of the class. Then, provide modifications for less advanced students and enrichment for more advanced students. Everyone should get at least one thing out of the class.
  2. Do not talk too much in class. You need to keep students dancing. This gives students more time to practice the material, is more engaging for students, and gives you a better assessment of student understanding. Give one tip to leaders and one tip to follows. Then, have the class rotate 2-3 times to try the idea with different partners before moving on to the next idea.
  3. Increase your pace as students become more advanced. Beginners do not have enough muscle memory to make a lot of progress outside of class. Likely, they will not practice at home. Novice dancers need to feel confident and need to have new material solidly before leaving class. Advanced dancers do practice at home and need encouragement to become more self-directed. Move more quickly in advanced classes and give students an opportunity to finish practicing outside of class.
  4. Observe students. Look at students faces to assess whether they are overwhelmed. Constantly assess during class. Make adjustments based on students feelings and success with previous concepts. Ask them questions while rotating in the circle to determine if you need to change pacing.
  5. Ask students. Have students give you a thumbs up, thumbs sideways, or thumbs down to decide if they need more practice or if you should move onward. Give the class choices about when to move on or add complexity.