Age-Appropriate Coaching: A Dance Perspective.
There are many factors to keep in mind when coaching any type of sport. A specific factor that absolutely must be adhered to is age, which influences many performance capabilities both physically and psychologically (Crocker, 2011). In consequence, all coaches must adjust their instruction in order to maximize success of athletes. I have had the opportunity to work with youth from ages three to fifteen in a dance setting, which, after many failures, has taught me how to teach in accordance to age category. Throughout my experiences working with youth, I have noticed that in order to create an age-appropriate setting a coach must not only modify the content of the class, but also the environment …show more content…
The way a coach can go about creating a comfortable environment depends largely on the age category. The easiest way to do so with children is to physically be on their level. Sitting on the floor with young students will help them to feel more comfortable than say, sitting on a stool at the front of the studio (Woolfolk & Brooks, 1983). Another way that a coach can create a comfortable learning environment is by actively participating in the activity. This is especially important for adolescents. During their teenage years students are in constant pursuit of peer approval and may be unwilling to participate (McElhaney, Antonishak & Allen, 2008), especially since certain dance movements can be considered vulnerable or odd. If they see that someone either than them is executing the movement, they will feel more comfortable doing so as …show more content…
This is surprising considering the incredible spectrum of ages that participate in the art of dance. Understandably though, there is extensive research regarding age-appropriate teaching in academic education. My recommendation for future research would be to do a longitudinal study applying research founded in a school setting to a dance context. Comparing the way students learn in various settings would establish whether or not age-appropriate academic teaching is applicable in more than just scholastic environments. I believe that the findings, whether there be similarities or differences in the way students learn, would revolutionize how coaches teach the art of
There are many factors to keep in mind when coaching any type of sport. A specific factor that absolutely must be adhered to is age, which influences many performance capabilities both physically and psychologically (Crocker, 2011). In consequence, all coaches must adjust their instruction in order to maximize success of athletes. I have had the opportunity to work with youth from ages three to fifteen in a dance setting, which, after many failures, has taught me how to teach in accordance to age category. Throughout my experiences working with youth, I have noticed that in order to create an age-appropriate setting a coach must not only modify the content of the class, but also the environment …show more content…
The way a coach can go about creating a comfortable environment depends largely on the age category. The easiest way to do so with children is to physically be on their level. Sitting on the floor with young students will help them to feel more comfortable than say, sitting on a stool at the front of the studio (Woolfolk & Brooks, 1983). Another way that a coach can create a comfortable learning environment is by actively participating in the activity. This is especially important for adolescents. During their teenage years students are in constant pursuit of peer approval and may be unwilling to participate (McElhaney, Antonishak & Allen, 2008), especially since certain dance movements can be considered vulnerable or odd. If they see that someone either than them is executing the movement, they will feel more comfortable doing so as …show more content…
This is surprising considering the incredible spectrum of ages that participate in the art of dance. Understandably though, there is extensive research regarding age-appropriate teaching in academic education. My recommendation for future research would be to do a longitudinal study applying research founded in a school setting to a dance context. Comparing the way students learn in various settings would establish whether or not age-appropriate academic teaching is applicable in more than just scholastic environments. I believe that the findings, whether there be similarities or differences in the way students learn, would revolutionize how coaches teach the art of