As a clinician, choreographer, and instructor, it is my job to teach and offer tools for my students to take on challenges, and meet expectations. It is fascinating to look into the variables that can effect a person’s response to those challenges. How do I present my material? How do I effectively direct, coach, and motivate my learners while they undergo these challenges? Why do some learners have more grit, while others respond less enthusiastically? At what point do learners give up, and why? How can that be avoided? What is causing the reluctance, and how do I encourage those who are struggling to keep going in a positive and effective manner? In other words, how can I get more “buy in” from my students without feeling like I’m “pulling teeth”?
In regards to how individuals respond to stress, a stress study on rat pups by Infurna and Luther in 2016* concluded that “stress early in life seemed to make the animals more resilient to later stress.” Furthermore, the pups “benefited because their mothers comforted them after the stress.” Sighting evidence that humans who are exposed to stress in a supported atmosphere improves resiliency and grit.
As an educator, there are millions of variables that effect a learner’s ability to lean into learning and executing. Here are a few variables that we have more control of that I have brought me success, and that I’ve devoted the past decade of my life to improving:
1) Atmosphere and Culture
As a clinician I have served multiple ISDs in the state of Texas, I have been able to experience and feel several unique cultures that have been created in various theatre departments. Some are healthier than others. This variable deserves a blog of it’s own, but suffice it to say, my most successful workshops occur in those departments that have fostered a healthy learning atmosphere where students feel safe, valued, and included.
2) Language and Tone
The words we choose to communicate with cannot be understated. In my experience as a coach, choreographer, and clinician, I see more success when I use the 4 “i”s in my language: Invite, Include, Inquire, and Inspire. Motivating from a more intrinsic angle using more inquisitive language opens the door for learners to take more ownership and autonomy over their learning. If they feel like they have options, they are more likely to venture forward if they have been inspired with a “why” behind the invitation. Every challenge consists of multiple baby steps and can be taken on one bite at a time. Every time my students get something right, we can happily inquire and invite our students to try again, try differently, or try more.
3) Demeanor
Much of a leader’s outward appearance and body language is perceived and mimicked. When we dress, look, and stand like we care, we can make impact without saying anything. Stand up straight. Unfold your arms. Smile, and see what happens to your language, tone, and atmosphere of the room.
4) Preparation
Here are 4 areas as a choreographer and fitness coach that I come prepared with that sets my learning experiences apart from others. They’re quite fundamental, and anyone willing to do the work can do this regardless of talent. Know your choreography, practice clear technique, make a coaching game plan, and prepare to motivate! Not every group of kids are the same. Not everyone learns or is motivated the same way, but being prepared to cover a learner’s basic needs (autonomy, competency, and relatedness) frees us to look, see, and respond to the students in front of us.
5) Coaching
Theatre Fitness is a non stop cardio class that teaches non-dancers and dancers alike how to execute complex blocks of choreography. If someone were to walk by and watch the final product, it would look so INTIMIDATING. The final product is pretty awesome. It is very common for me to hear remarks like “I could never do that”, but clear coaching, and the breaking apart of choreography and movement is the key to making what seems impossible POSSIBLE! It introduces a “fight or flight” response into the brain, and an opportunity to build its students one layer at a time; breaking apart and creating smaller “fights” they can win. Through strategic layered coaching we build learners that choose to fight instead of fly.
6) Motivation
As class progresses, there is a clear shift in tone. The initial shock of jumping into something new and foreign dissolves, learning one layer at a time takes place, and BAM! It morphs into a finished product that learners are able to execute when they thought they never could. What makes all the difference is somebody to be the counter voice to all the limiting beliefs that our learners carry around all day. With every success, a student builds confidence, and we celebrate their success and effort, using it as momentum to keep them going forward and to BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES!
It is my mission to build resilient human beings through musical theatre and fitness. My program is specifically designed to do that at a neurological level. Rep by rep, layer by layer, cue by cue. Every class I teach forges stronger brain synapses and protein patterns of thought that transform and change the way students think. If I could sear an enduring message inside anyone’s brain, it would always be this: “I can do hard things.” It is my mission to spread this message to as many as I can, and change lives with it.
*Breedlove, S. M., & Watson, N. V. (2019). *Behavioral neuroscience* (10th ed.). Sinauer Associates.
Comments