Careers in dance teaching can be some of the most rewarding and fulfilling. As many of our staff will agree, sharing your passion with those eager to know more, and seeing students grow in confidence brings a great deal of satisfaction, on a personal and professional level.
Our MA in Dance Teaching and Facilitating aims to put inclusivity and the individual learner at the core of a teacher’s approach. Moreover, students on this Master's course are able to focus their time and energy on areas of dance teaching and facilitating that are most important to them.
If you’re keen to know more about what an MA in Dance Teaching & Facilitating can do for you, read on.
Applications for September 2023 entry to this course close at midnight, Sunday 21 May 2023.
The course is designed for anyone with an interest in making dance teaching their focus.
We welcome students with varying backgrounds: whether you’ve just graduated and are looking to expand your dance teaching experience, currently working in a community outreach department or already practising as a dance teacher full-time.
Whatever your background and level of experience, this course will help you learn you how to best to teach and how to get the most out of your students.
Here at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, we understand and embrace different approaches to teaching.
With 93% of students saying that their time with us challenged them to achieve their best work, (National Student Survey 2022), NSCD is a great place to learn, teach, facilitate and reflect on areas for your own personal development. And the fact that Leeds is known as a ‘Hub for Dance’ is a bonus!
NSCD already works with a whole host of schools, colleges, arts organisations and professional companies across the city, Yorkshire region and further afield. There’s a huge amount of dance happening in the region and that needs great teachers, so the course has a direct connection to the profession from the outset.
All students have access to academic support and guidance from tutors who maintain an overview of students’ progress and development.
The five core modules include:
We’ll introduce you to the key theories and models of practice in relation to dance pedagogy within the broader context of how participants learn. Considering both teacher and learner perspectives enables you to enhance the effectiveness of your teaching practice, and to support that of others.
Learn how to design and plan your own effective workshops in response to participant profiles and set ambitious but realistic aims, objectives, and tasks to engage students.
Inclusivity and accessibility are vital when it comes to teaching. Students on this module will work to develop their awareness of a wide range of learner differences and (dis)abilities, and create a performance project with emphasis on inclusive practice.
Put all you’ve learnt into practice on a placement suited to your needs and wants. Through teaching, assisting, observation and mentoring, you’ll experience all aspects of teaching first-hand; invaluable experience for your future career. Your mentor for the course will offer feedback and ways to improve your teaching methods, and offer advice on how to adapt to the specific needs and requirements of your students.
Focus on one area within your teaching practice and dive deeper to develop your expertise. This module will enable you to challenge yourself in new ways through ongoing research and steer your work towards future prospects and opportunities.
Find out more about the course structure here.
This depends on your own areas of interest and where your final placement is. Independent Action Research Projects give students a chance to take a more in-depth approach to a particular aspect of their practice. Matt Slater, Curriculum Lead, MA Dance Teaching and Facilitating says:
“The possibilities are endless and the area of focus for the Independent Action Research Project depends entirely on the interests of the individual. It’s completely student-led and people can do their research project on anything they like as long as it involves learning and teaching in some way and is relevant for the context they are placed in.
Students might choose to focus on approaches to delivery of teaching and facilitating and topics might include: the use of imagery within technique teaching and assessment design; assessment within the learning process; verbal methods of feedback vs written, and different teaching styles/approaches.”
There are many different ways to approach this and many models have been designed to support the delivery of feedback which is valid, effective and developmental. Matt Slater commented:
“We often talk about ‘feeding forward’ instead of ‘feeding back’ as a way to ensure the focus is on future improvement rather than simply past achievement.
In that context the art of teaching is about how to frame and set tasks, how to nurture and mentor creative exploration, and how to offer challenging and inspiring ways into a creative process.”
Matt gives the example of the GOSPEL framework for feedback below:
With input from the Dance Teaching and Facilitating tutors, students have a say in which age group and context they would like to teach. In terms of working hours and a schedule for work placements whilst studying, there is a high degree of flexibility on the course. Matt Slater adds:
“Across all contexts, the placements might vary in terms of the hours and schedule, i.e. some might be 9-5, others weekends and evenings - so this offers flexibility for those wishing to work alongside studying on the course. There’s also the part-time option that might be better suited for some students who have other work or caring responsibilities etc.”
The MA Dance Teaching and Facilitating course will help you to gain a breadth of experience and knowledge at an advanced level, equipping you with the skills to either launch your teaching career, take on extra responsibility within your current teaching role or improve earning potential.
Here are just some of the settings graduates of this course could gain employment in:
Our course page has all the details you need.
Apply online by midnight, Sunday 21 May here.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our friendly Admissions staff are on hand to help.
Email admissions@nscd.ac.uk or call 0113 219 3050
Course page Apply now
