Minute Masterclass Episode 63

Welcome to your one-minute masterclass. I’m Andrea Trench, founder of DiscoverDance. Today we are discussing the brain-based principle: Present a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum. Anne Green Gilbert writes in her Brain-Compatible Dance Education book, “Inappropriate classroom behavior is often the result of a developmentally inappropriate curriculum. The curriculum must be genuinely challenging to get the brain’s attention, but achievable so that students are not frustrated.” There are many resources you can reference to ensure you are offering a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate. Anne’s work is a great place to start. 

The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) has the Standards for Dance in Early Childhood that you can purchase at NDEO.org. I would also encourage you to study child development. Some of my favorite resources are not dance related, but child development related. They are Rae Pica, Robyn Papworth, Cheryl McCarthy, and Gill Conell. And of course, DiscoverDance is here for you along this journey and you can rest assured our resources are always developmentally appropriate. For more information, visit DiscoverDance.com.