Behaviour management in dance class

before so have experience of working with children. Last week I had my first experience of teaching kids in the dance studio and it really didn't go well. I only had a small group but the behaviour was wild, they kept messing about and not listening to me, and were also causing disruption to the rest of the studio. I did my best to make them listen but it took other teachers stepping in for them to actually to do it! I've felt like a bit of a failure ever since, like my experience of schools should have helped me. Behaviour management has never been my strong suit but it's more difficult in an environment such as a dance class where there isn't a 'warning/punishment' system as there is in a school. Now my confidence has taken a bit of a knock! What are some things I can try going forwards?

Reply 1

Phoenix5680

It depends on the age, as to what techniques might be best. You’re right that it could be harder to discipline in class but there are still small things you could do such as asking the child if they need to step out the room or sit out if they can’t behave. You can utilise reward schemes in dance classes if they are young enough. Sometimes explaining to the children why they are expected to do certain things can help. It’s a different environment to a classroom and kids can often be a bit more hyper. I definitely recommend searching into google/whatever search engine you use as a load of articles and other posts by dance teachers are around sharing their thoughts on the matter (there was a reddit post that seemed very good).

And don’t let it hinder your confidence, kids can be tricky and especially if they don’t know you and know the other teachers well, they may be more inclined to listen to them. Sometimes there are good days and bad days too. Don’t beat yourself up over it, maybe just reflect and see if there’s anything you could have done differently to take forwards with you. Good luck!