Literature Review 7

Merle Hunt

Physical development: Meeting the needs of young children,

Early years educator magazine 2001

I came across this article by chance as it was reprinted as part of a booklet I was given to do with dance teaching. There was a section about children as learners that really stood out to me and links in with the work I have been doing as part of my inquiry.

The writer is talking about children in the foundation phase of the curriculum but I would argue that a lot of what she says would apply to children or learners of any age. The article talks about children having a positive attitude to both yourself and your learning which is very true as if you feel positive about something you are more likely to want to it, feel good about doing it and feel motivated to do it.

The article also talks about the responsibility you have as a teacher which has been highlighted in a number of my previous reviews including Geoff Petty on differentiation and Teaching theDance Class. The writer states that dance education should be something that “…both challenges and supports each child”, and to achieve this there should be a focus on developing childrens “…self-esteem, self-confidence, independence, self-management, motivation and respect for others”. Being aware as a teacher (especially of younger children) that you are not only teaching a subject, be it dance or something else, but you are also developing each individual as a person also is very inportant.