Workshop Descriptions
The Basics
Dance Literacy This workshop is open to anyone wishing to examine dance literacy for teaching practice or program planning and may be taken at any time to meet certification requirements. School and organization administrators and decision-makers, as well as teachers and dance specialists, are encouraged to take this workshop to deepen their understanding of what is known to be appropriate expectations for student learning in dance. No pre-requisite. $100.
Dance in Early Childhood Explore the child’s natural ability to learn through movement. Examine how dance activities may further the creative, social, language and cognitive capacities of young children, as they illuminate developmental milestones of the very young child. Brain research and somatic systems are introduced. No pre-requisite. $100.
Foundation for Dance Teaching
Students who complete the entire Foundation course of study (with additional requirements of student/professional teaching, curriculum design, interview/paper report or exam) may be eligible for LDI certification.
Developing & Implementing Dance Curricula-A (also named Curriculum & Instruction preK-12 Dance-A) This course is designed to offer a comprehensive overview of standards-based dance education and its function across age levels, as well as establishing a conducive environment for dance. The contents of this course include: structuring discrete standards-based dance lessons as well as integrating dance into comprehensive curricula across subject matter, understanding the elements of dance, child development theory vis-à-vis dance and creativity, and the role of the teacher and basic instructional methods. This course is mandatory for LDI certification. No prerequisite. $450 Fee required. Meets college/university professional standards. DIDC-A may be offered as a semester-length course, a weekly seminar, a 3-day weekend or a summer intensive.
Developing & Implementing Creative Dance Curricula-B (also named Curriculum & Instruction preK-12 Dance-B) Continuing where DIDC-A leaves off, this course investigates the role of the teacher in creating, implementing and sequencing standards-based dance curricula in relevant and authentic ways. Participants learn a process for moving students from exploration through improvisation to composition in a manner that allows for maximum exploration, problem posing and solving, and choice making. In the process, they deepen their understanding of the elements of dance and forming. Course content includes choreographic devices, the principles of design, forms, contemporary learning theories, including constructivism. This course is mandatory for LDI certification. Prerequisite DIDC-A. $450 Fee required. Meets college/university professional standards. DIDC-B may be offered as a semester-length course, a weekly seminar, a 3-day weekend, or a summer intensive.
Curricular Progressions The most advanced curriculum course offered in arts education, Curricular Progressions explores the meaning of full scope and sequence in dance learning. Participants will investigate the progression of dance learning from unit to unit and year to year. They will study regional, state and national benchmarks for dance learning and develop their own curricular sequence that takes into account student growth and development as well as cross-curricular topic curriculum design. Students deepen their skills of observation, reflection and assessment as they explore issues such as teaching students with multilevel experience and preparation, school “performance” pressures, teaching expertise and competition for time and space. This course is mandatory for LDI certification. Prerequisite DICDC-B. Fee $45-. Meets college/university professional standards. Curricular Progressions may be offered as a semester-length course, a weekly seminar, a 3-day weekend, a summer intensive or as a full-day, four times per year course.
Reflective Teacher-Reflective Student This workshop may be taken at any point in the course of study for those wishing to complete LDI certification. It is also open to anyone who wishes to become a more reflective dance teaching practitioner. In Reflective Teacher-Reflective Student, we explore how observation, inquiry and an action researcher’s approach can enhance dance learning for our students and our teaching selves. Typically offered as two half-day workshops, the content of this workshop includes evoking responses from students through multiple modalities, the art of question asking, and how to encourage critical thinking. Teachers are encouraged to reflect on how their curricular choices and teaching methods reflect the goals and values they hold for their students, even as they name and examine their personal assumptions about teaching, learning and dance. Prerequisite DIDC-A or equivalent. Fee $100. Meets college/university professional standards. Reflective Teacher-Reflective Student is typically offered as 2 half-day topic workshops.
Students completing the Foundations course of study are eligible for LDI certification once they have completed the observation, teaching practice and assessment requirements. See Certification for more information.
Teaching As Inquiry: Continuing education at Luna
Continuing education is offered at Luna through Professional Learning Community activities such as Lesson Study and Issues of Practice as well as through topic seminars listed by subject matter under the umbrella of Beyond Space, Force & Time. These half- and full-day workshops are taught by Luna Professional Learning faculty and/or guest experts and are open to those who have studied at Luna and those who are new to us. Prerequisites and cost vary depending on nature of inquiry. Continuing education credit is available for all BSF&T seminars.
Observing & Assessing Dance This workshop considers observation, reflection, assessment and dance. We look at what is being assessed, why we assess and how to assess in a way that improves teaching practice. Pre-registration required. $150.
Element of TIME This workshop explores using Internal and External TIME to create exciting, movement-oriented standards-based lessons. Teacher knowledge of time will deepen. Their students will learn to use time too broaden expressive range and develop and authentic and compositional relationship to music. Pre-requisite DIDC-A or equivalent. Pre-registration required. $150.
American Sign Language & Dance This workshop will serve as an introduction to American Sign Language for dance teaching professionals. We will explore the relationship between ASL and dance as well as how to improve inclusive practices for working with students with communicative disabilities. Guest facilitator-Antoine Hunter. No pre-requisite. Pre-registration required. $150.
Teaching parent-child dance This workshop is an introduction to teaching relationship-based dance curricula to families of all compositions in varied community settings. It has been popular with ECE educators, therapists, social and cultural workers and dance teachers seeking to use dance as a tool for community building. No pre-requisite. Pre-registration required. $100.
Dance in Early Childhood LEVEL 2 This workshop delves into the various way dance is delivered in ECE centers–from setting a conducive environment to dance, to enlivening “circle time,” to stand-alone dance classes to working with parents. Attachment theory and early developmental movement patterns also address. Pre-requisite: Dance in ECE first level. Pre-registration required.
This year, Luna also addressed Dance Performances, Dance in Adaptive Physical Education and Documenting Dance Learning as Tuesday activities of our Professional Learning Communities. Learn more
Past BSFT topics have included:
- Action Research and the Dance Practitioner
- Attachment theory (guest facilitators)
- Authentic Assessment
- Bloom’s taxonomy
- Creative dance for the child with autism (guest facilitator)
- Critical pedagogy and dance
- Dance for Children w/ Autism
- Evoking Creativity
- Strategic planning for arts education
- Teaching parent-child dance classes
- The element of TIME in depth
- The relationship between technique and creative dance
Class size is limited for all classes and students are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Register on-line. Fees are payable in advance. Financial assistance may be provided through employer schools and organizations, community foundations who support teacher learning (Google “professional development scholarships for teachers”), or through alliance with Luna’s program models.
