DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Scott Evenbeck, our college's president, met Peter Kyle and suggested that he come to Guttman as one of our artists-in-residence. Peter has a busy schedule of both dancing, coordinating his own company, and teaching at many colleges and universities, but thankfully we were able to secure him for one week before his other semesters started.

 

I must admit, I wasn't sure how students would respond to a contemporary dance workshop. Having taught high school for 11 years before coming here, I thought they might resist or not take it seriously, but that has not been the case at all. In fact, I feel that the students are enjoying the kinesthetic component of a class filled standing, moving, and learning about anatomy. I have been beyond impressed by how open-minded our students are andhow willing they are to try anything. This is what college and education are all about and they are engaged in that experience. They are amazing.

 

But this class isn't awesome only because of our students, Peter has a great classroom presence and a strong sense of pedagogy. He alternates between teaching (direct instruction at the whiteboard of terms, vocabulary, concepts) and engaging the entire class in movement. He will teach until he senses the students' interest waning, and then he snaps them back to class by engaging them in movement activities. He is brilliant in the classroom. As a person very much interested in pedagogy, I have been impressed (and that's saying something!).

 

 

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.