Utilizing Creative Dance/Movement Pedagogy and Concepts in a Second Grade English

Classroom in Bali, Indonesia

A Research Paper
Submitted
for fulfillment of an Honors Thesis, Department of Dance

By
Riley Lathrop, Department of Dance

Bridgewater State University

Project Mentor
Dr. Donna A. Dragon, Department of Dance
 ABSTRACT

Riley Lathrop
Department of Dance
Bridgewater State University
Project Mentor: Dr. Donna A. Dragon

English language teaching through volunteer tourism is growing along with the

expectation for English acquisition. Since English teachers abroad are most often not required to

have teacher training, this can lead to teacher-centered classrooms, passive learning for students,

and a lack of use of creative processes. Research indicates that movement/dance pedagogy and

concepts as teaching methodology can aid English acquisition and build self-identity. This action

research case study (IRB approved) analyzes and evaluates the use of movement/dance pedagogy

and concepts as creative processes in a second grade English classroom in Bali, Indonesia over

the course of five weeks (2019). How does teaching and learning through dance concepts impact

Balinese children’s (ages 7-8) learning English as a foreign language in Ubud, Bali? Quantitative

and qualitative data was collected from student assessments; video of students’ creative

processes; and rigorous reflective practices of pedagogic choices and the impact on student

learning. This teaching poster will include safe and developmentally appropriate practices,

photos, student responses and drawings, a critical reflection on teaching and discussion of

students’ creative processes. Scant research exists connecting dance to foreign language teaching

abroad. This research can provide a new place for application of educational dance.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my mentor and professor Dr. Dragon for

guiding me through this process. Dr. Dragon has provided me with a depth and breadth of

feedback throughout the research process including my teaching practices, my self-reflection

practices, my writing process, and my presentation process. Dr. Dragon has helped me develop

my ideas exponentially and has consistently inspired me to adapt to challenges with creativity

and positivity. Dr. Dragon has extended time, energy, and effort to review and analyze both my

process and products to develop ways I can move forward most productively.

I am grateful and appreciative of the undergraduate research program at Bridgewater

State University for being altruistic, open, and supportive of undergraduate students who are

inspired to pursue research expanded further than within a designated course. The Adrian Tinsley

Program at Bridgewater State University has been developed to provide students with resources

they may never had the opportunity to engage with otherwise. Dr. Shanahan, Dr. Thaya, Dr. Tan,

Dr. Adrian Tinsley, and many others from the Adrian Tinsley Program have, through tireless

engagements and effort, provided students the opportunity to enhance their educational

experience as an undergraduate student. They have also provided the positive support and

inspiration to motivate myself and many others to complete a challenging and rewarding project.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES v

SECTION

1. INTRODUCTION 1

Context for Research 6

Problem/Background 6

Rationale 8

Significance 12

Statement of Purpose 13

Research Questions 14

Methodology 15

Delimitations 18

Limitations 19

2. RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS

A Review of Literature 20

Field Data/Research Analysis 47

3. CONCLUSIONS 130

4. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE 133

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Daily Lesson Plan Example (Lesson 1) 134

Appendix B: Daily Self-Reflection (Lesson 1) 140

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 Appendix C: Classroom Context 148

Appendix D: Over/Under Drawings 149

Appendix E: Daily Student Reflections Template 150

Appendix F: Student Emotion Reflections 151

Appendix G: Daily Student Reflection Responses 160

BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES 174

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1. Daily Critical Self-Reflection Questions 17

2. Daily Student Reflection: Diversity in Answers Developing 57

3. Number of Words Written Over Time (What was your favorite part of today?) 59

4. Number of Words Written Over Time (What was difficult about today?) 61

5. Number of Words Written Over Time (I am happy in class when__) 63

6. Number of Words Written Over Time (I am special because___) 65

7. Spelling Body Parts Assessment 77

8. Excited Expressions 97

9. Proud Expressions 98

10. 1,2,3 Rhythmic Movement Expressions 107

11. 1,2,3,4 Rhythmic Movement Expressions 108

12. Rhythmic Movement Expressions in front of class 108

13. Why is personal space important? 131

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 SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

Action Research Context

This action research took place in a second grade (ages 7-8) English language learning

classroom over the course of five weeks in the village of Suwat in Bali, Indonesia. I taught

through International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ), a volunteer tourism company which

offers a variety of projects abroad, one of which is their English teaching program of Ubud, Bali.

Volunteers can choose to teach between one to 12 weeks. I taught the class Monday through

Friday and the class duration each day was between 1-2 hours long. I taught June 3rd through

July 5th, 2019. There was an average of 22 students per day, and a total of 45 students were

members of my class. The school is a primary school ranging from grade one to grade six.

Background/Problem

The expectation of mastery in the English language is intensifying internationally.

English teaching as a form of volunteer tourism is a primary exchange the U.S has with other

countries. Since most volunteering does not require educator credentials or teaching experience,

children can be taught English at school in a culturally insensitive, submissive ways (Jakubiak

2016, 245). Paulo Freire articulated passive learning in The Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970)

through explaining the “banking concept” of education in which students learn passively through

a teacher-centered classroom. [DD1] .

In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who

consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing.
Projecting an absolute ignorance onto others, a characteristic of the ideology) of
oppression, negates education and knowledge as processes of inquiry. (ibid., 72)

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In this way, education becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the receptacles for

depositing knowledge and the teacher is the depositor (ibid.) Through the “banking concept,”

students retain less information and learn fewer skills in comparison to when students learn

through the “problem-posing” method in which students learn to solve problems.

IVHQ has no requirements for volunteer teachers on what to teach, besides “fluency” in

the English language, which is not assessed. Volunteers can even be under 18 if additional

paperwork is submitted. The IVHQ website reads:

You do not need to be a qualified or experienced teacher to participate on this project.

However, we encourage volunteers to come prepared by completing some relevant
training, like a teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) course. (IVHQ.com)

The TEFL course costs the volunteer $399 and consists of 100 hours of training online. The on-

line training is presented as an option and the blatant statement that, “you do not need to be a

qualified teacher” (IVHQ.com) generally defers the volunteer population from completing the

training.

The purpose statement of the IVHQ teaching program I engaged with in Ubud, Bali is:

This is a free education for them [students in Bali schools], and with tourism
being the biggest economy in Bali, we really hope we’re giving the students a
head start in life by teaching them English. (IVHQ.com)

Here, the complete transparency for the need to speak English for success in life is displayed.

The volunteer tourism companies see any English speaker has a prime candidate to teach

English. The “native speaker fallacy” says that any English speaker is an effective English

teacher (Jakubiak 2016). Since many will teach as they were taught because of lack of teacher-

training, an endless cycle of teacher-centered classrooms can emerge.

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 A teacher-centered classroom is one where the teacher holds all knowledge, and students

are empty containers where teachers put information (Freire 1970). Historically, pedagogy in the

colonial context of imperialism was tied to lessons in submission. Recitation and repetition seen

in a teacher-centered classroom can be a strategy for control (Jakubiak 2016, 254). Teachers

often utilize methods in which the teacher has total authority, neglecting to provide the

opportunity for critical thinking, problem-solving, or the exploration of individuality. English

language volunteer tourism has ambiguous goals for student learning (Jakubiak 2016, 245).

Often, the Balinese students’ only form of English education is through the free education they

receive from volunteer English teachers, most of who have had no training in teaching

methodologies or the cultural context of the students. All students need to be actively engaged in

their own learning to build strong self-identities (Greenfader 2013) and,

The more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop
the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as
transformers of that world. The more completely they accept the passive role imposed on
them, the more they tend simply to adapt to the world as it is and to the fragmented view
of reality deposited in them. (Freire 1970, 73)

Rationale

Volunteer tourism as a form of English teaching has become particularly intriguing to me

because it is often overlooked by both sides. English speakers often fail to conceptualize the

potential harm and ethics of linguistic imperialism and passive learning, while many students

who are being taught English have been so conditioned into thinking that mastering the English

language is the key to success and that English speakers are always educated that they do not

question the teacher’s methodology. Changing pedagogic goals can empower student

individuality and learning and clarify the aim of English teaching through volunteer tourism.

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Student-centered teaching can transfer the power from the teacher to the student. In this way, the

students gain agency in their own learning. In a student-centered approach to teaching, the

teacher adapts to the students’ needs. The students are able to make decisions, learn in a variety

of ways, engage in problem-solving, and incorporate their own self-identities in the classroom.

I chose to engage in action research by teaching through a volunteer tourism company in

Bali, Indonesia to discover information about the program’s structure, the class curriculums, and

the other volunteers’ approaches. I also engaged in this action research to experience teaching

and self-reflect on my own teaching and reflect on the program’s structure. This could

potentially enrich the structure and curriculum of the IVHQ teaching program as I adapt my

ideas into action. Teachers, within the numerous school systems around the world which base the

entirety of their English education on volunteers, are rarely trained in teaching methodologies.

Because all English speakers are deemed as effective English teachers by most tourism

companies, many volunteer tourism teachers are teaching without any background in education.

Based on my observations of the program through IVHQ, I assumed that the constant turnover of

teachers would lead to a lack of developmental progression throughout the school year and over

grade levels for students. Student-centered pedagogy can be offered to volunteer tourists who

teach English to advance the teaching program of IVHQ Bali. Cultural sensitivity can be an

addition into the volunteer’s training, as knowledge of cultural context is also not currently a

requirement of knowledge for teachers. With knowledge of the host community, the teacher can

include culturally appropriate and sensitive content and methodology for students.

The ambiguity of the curriculum from the volunteer teaching program (IVHQ) makes this

a crucial population for action research, as I could offer clearer goals for the students and the

company. I engaged in teaching to address my research question of, “How does teaching and

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learning through dance concepts impact Balinese children’s (ages 7-8) learning English as a

foreign language in Ubud, Bali?” I wanted to see the outcome of engaging students in student-

centered learning, and unlike the current tendency in teacher-centered or authoritarian teaching

methods, I wanted to help students have autonomy and active engagement in their learning.

Active engagement and autonomy in learning can grow students’ problem-solving skills,

independence, and ability to comprehend information.

Teaching the class with an emphasis on the creative process and movement concepts and

additionally engaging in a reflective practice of my own pedagogical choices and the impact on

student learning and engagement provides a foundation to analyze the effects movement/dance

pedagogy and concepts has on learning English as a foreign language abroad. Through dance

concepts, English speakers can teach English in ways that can enhance cognition by engaging the

self holistically. Movement can aid memory and understanding of a language. Based in Rene

Descartes’ idea called Cartesian duality, educators and humans often see the brain and body as

dichotic (Giguere 2011, 6). An overwhelming contradiction to this is shown through research in

movement and dance. Biologically, the parts of the brain that control gesture and speech develop

alongside one another (Hanna 2008, 494). With this, the “enactment effect” was created in the

1980s through laboratory evidence proving that if verbal phrases are encoded by self-performed

actions, their retrieval is faster and more accurate than if those same phrases were only heard or

read (Macedonia et. al. 2011, 196).

Listening and reading words induces activity in the brain’s motor area. To fulfill this

stimulus, students can translate English words and concepts both literally and abstractly.

Students can embody the word “monkey,” and also embody their feelings or associations with a

“monkey,” which furthers their understanding because the self is engaging holistically, and the

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personal associations being performed by the individual can help build a strong basis for the

comprehension of the word. This abstract translation gives the power to the students to build

their own individual meaning and problem-solving skills.

I chose movement as the base to my pedagogy also because of the meaning movement

has within Bali. Traditional Balinese dance still plays a prevalent role within Balinese culture.

Improvisation is valued through Balinese dance as it gives the dancer control over the delivery of

the dance (Strawson 2014). Based on this information, I can align this with my student-centered

methodology of student creation of movement spontaneously. Dance concepts I have learned

through the department of dance at Bridgewater State University parallel some of the ideas

within Balinese culture and movement. One example is in the use of space, and how within the

directional use of space, each direction and use of the stage space is in respect to a different God

(Strawson 2014).

Since the dichotomy within creation myth does not place the human, the human becomes

a part of the system through living in the middle world between the upper and lower world.

Within both the world and the human being itself, there are three zones. Nista signifies things

that are low, madia means middle and is the torso of things, and utama is high and designated for

the head of things. The high spot is holy and reserved for ancestors and gods, while the low

space belongs to evil spirits. The human being participates in all three worlds (Hobart 1996).

The three levels in the Balinese beliefs parallel the three levels of space in dance education.

The movement elements of space and time can be explored through the space and time

orientation the Balinese have through their connection with nature. The dimension of verticality

is represented in the natural direction of the volcanoes on the island and this spatial direction is

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seen as the place from which all good things are expected. The information I have gathered

regarding the culture of Bali I have used in lesson planning and unit planning prior to teaching.

Significance

This research is significant to my student population because through learning in a

student-centered classroom, students are engaged actively in their own learning. Students learned

through teaching methodologies new to many students such as singing and movement as

simultaneous, critical-self-reflection, creative movement problem solving, and experiences in

which the student taught the class movement. Students also learned new content such as

kinesphere, levels in space, body and space relationships, tempo, rhythm, stillness vs. movement,

and gestures. Students within this population often learn passively, with a cultural hierarchy

present that prevents teaching and learning methods to be examined or challenged. This means

that the students in Bali have been conditioned to believe that the English speakers hold power in

decision making, so students see everything the English speakers choose to do in the classroom

as correct. This research is significant for the community of this specific population because

parents and families are exposed to new learning and teaching methods.

This research is also vital to the volunteer teaching program (IVHQ) because I have

gained information about the program, and I can offer suggestions to enhance and improve

curriculum and structure and thereby the quality of education for the students of Bali. This

research is important to people who are in positions of authority within the volunteer tourism

industry, as well as the actual participants or potential participants of volunteer tourism.

Participants in volunteer tourism often do not intentionally use teacher-centered methods in the

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classroom, rather they are not educated to be able to identify their classroom as one that is

teacher-centered.

This research brings awareness to the ethics of volunteer tourism which could benefit

potential participants because they may enter this program with a new perspective. Ultimately,

more people may enter English teaching through volunteer tourism with a more educated lens.

This research can offer a light to issues in educational programming and methods that many may

not recognize as problems and can provide teaching methodology that can change the way

English is taught as a foreign language abroad. This research could provide vital curricular

information to volunteer tourism companies.

This topic is important to the field of dance education because there is little research that

exists connecting educational dance to teaching and learning English as a foreign language. This

research can help expand the diversity of groups creative dance can reach. The research results

connect dance to verbal communication, cognition, and self-identity.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this action research is to:

1. Provide student-centered pedagogy to students in a second-grade classroom in

Bali, Indonesia

2. Utilize dance/movement pedagogy and concepts within the second-grade

classroom in Bali, Indonesia

3. Implement lesson plans created for second grade students in Bali, Indonesia

4. Examine the impact of teaching and learning English through dance concepts

and creative process in the context of students ages 8-12 in Ubud, Bali

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 5. Collect data, both qualitative and quantitative, from students in a second-grade

classroom in Bali, Indonesia

6. Employ action research as a way to discover information about my own

teaching methodologies and the student learning impacts

The purpose of this research is to:

1. Identify dance/movement methodologies and pedagogy for teaching English as a foreign

language.

Research Questions

1. How does teaching and learning through dance concepts impact Balinese children’s

(ages 7-8) learning English as a foreign language in Ubud, Bali?

Research Sub Questions

1. How can the creative process be implemented in a second grade English

learning classroom in Bali, Indonesia?

1. What are the impacts?

2. What is the impact of providing daily reflection questions to students over

the course of five weeks?

3. How does action research inform my teaching?

4. What is the impact of the volunteer tourism structure on English teaching

and learning?

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 Methodology

I employed action research while teaching for five weeks in a second grade English

classroom in Bali, Indonesia and collected quantitative and qualitative data. I gathered data from

student learning assessments in both English and dance. I implemented my lesson plans and

analyzed teaching effectiveness through daily critical reflective practice. I also examined

literature in the fields of dance and education to affect my pedagogic decisions.

Reflection is vital to growing as a professional and as a human. Through reflection, the

inquirer is both the observer and the observed. It is not until reflection occurs that a person is the

subject of his/her experience. In qualitative research, reflection is used to legitimate and validate

research findings, as bias can be present. A reflective researcher does not simply report the

findings of the research, but at the same time questions and explains how the findings were

generated. As one shapes themselves into a stronger researcher, the field is enhanced because

knowledge on how to research can enhance what is being researched.

Key factors to action research in dance include self-critique and privileging the voices of

the students; the research is about change and improvement (Giguere 2014, 18). The data sources

of action research will come from observations, work samples, and self-reflective comments

(Giguere 2014, 18). The types of action research I utilized are first-person and second-person

research.

First-person action research involves a deep, systematic examination of my practices

through critical self-reflection. Reflective practices are ethically necessary in research in dance

and education, in order to make the heuristic process accountable and valid (Mortari 2015, 2).

The teacher/observer/participant shapes all pedagogic choices (how and what is taught and

assessed) and is responsible for each inquiry act— “the mental experience of the researcher

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conditions the research” (ibid.). Therefore, the researcher must assume a self-reflective stance to

ascertain how her personal perspectives impact the research process (ibid.) Through reflection, I

discovered the effects of specific choices in methodology (for example, use of movement,

inquiry, and self-reflection practices in the classroom) to refine and modify my practice to

identify the impact on student learning experiences. For each class that I taught, I engaged in a

rigorous reflective practice and answered the questions:

1. What went well? why?

2. What was my best teaching moment? Why?

3. When were the students most engaged? why?

4. What were challenges that arose?

5. What did I do in the moment to adapt (or not) to the challenge?

6. What is a strategy that could help adapt to this challenge in the future?

7. When were students least engaged? Why?

8. How did students respond to each piece of the lesson? (verbally and nonverbally)

9. What is the relationship between the content and pedagogy of the original lesson plan

and what actually occurred? Why?

10. How was modifying the original lesson plan content and/or pedagogy effective (or

ineffective) and Why?

11. How did students progress towards their student learning outcome? What evidence do I

have?

12. Were there any moments that were a big surprise? (teaching methods or student

response)

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 13. How did I provide feedback to students?

14. How did I differentiate for students?

15. How effective or ineffective was the feedback?

16. How did I create or reinforce a safe learning environment for students?

17. What was my inner attitude and energy towards coming into class today? And, how

did/could it affect students and my teaching?

18. How did I apply what I learned in my previous class to today?

19. How will I use the information I learned in class today to guide tomorrow’s class?

Table 1: Daily Critical Self-Reflection

Second-person action research involves an examination of the student population in their

growth and skills. I utilized a variety of assessment and teaching methods to obtain quantitative

data. One way I gathered data is through formative embedded assessments given daily for

feedback on students’ learning and comprehension of English and dance concepts. For example,

I gave students a formative assessment in which I had groups of students move their body parts

based in reading each body part, and I had students verbalize one body part and move it to assess

recall. I utilized a variety of assessment and teaching methods using Howard Gardner’s multiple

intelligences of kinesthetic, musical, visual, naturalistic, linguistic, logical, interpersonal, and

intrapersonal (Gardner, 1993). I provided the students an opportunity to self-reflect at the end of

each class. See appendix E for the daily student reflections.

Action research has the goal of improving processes, especially in the areas of teaching

which need exploration as well as settings which focus on continual improvement. The

ambiguity of the volunteer teaching program’s curriculum makes it a crucial population for

action research, as offering clarifying goals and methods may be a result.

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 Delimitations

For this research, I created a delimitation for the data collection and analysis. While I

collected student responses and data on all students, I analyze responses and data from the

students who attended half or more of the classes. This means 29 students who attended class 12

or more times will be the population of focus for the research. Students who attended 11 or fewer

of the 24 classes are eliminated from the data pool. I created this delimitation for the purpose of

being able to view the progress of students over the course of the five weeks. Students who

attended class fewer than half of the classes showed little success in acquisition of concepts.

Limitations

1. Attendance of students was different each day. The highest number of attendances in

class was 29, and the lowest 15.

2. The total number of students I taught was 45 students.

3. There was inconsistency in attendance, and therefore inconsistency in group

participants and group dynamics.

4. The teaching was a duration of only five weeks.

5. I do not speak Bahasa Indonesian or Balinese.

6. Student responses were often written in Indonesian, and sometimes only partially

translated.

7. I had a different translator in the classroom each week, and a different translator to

translate student responses. Each translator had a different level of engagement with

students and understanding of the English language.

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 8. With this qualitative research of a specific region in Bali, the findings cannot be

generalized to all Balinese children in second grade.

RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS

Review of Literature

Introduction

The following review of literature includes sources from various fields to address my

research questions.

All sources are peer-reviewed sources and were found from the Maxwell Library online

database or through the Maxwell Library book resources. The sources are from a variety of fields

and backgrounds, providing a wide range of perspectives into my research.

I have chosen to include research on the culture of Bali because this preliminary research

influenced my unit plan creations prior to teaching. The sources include: “Dance Training in

Bali: Intercultural and Globalised Encounters” by Strawson, Tiffany (2014), and The Peoples of

Bali by Hobart, Angela (1996).

I included information on the holistic teaching and learning strategy because the mind-

body connection is one of the primary aspects to my rationale for using movement for learning a

language. The sources used here are: “Boosting Language Skills of English Learners through

Dramatization and Movement” by Greenfader, Christa Mulker, and Liane Brouillette (2013),

“Dancing Thoughts: An Examination of Children’s Cognition and Creative Process in Dance” by

Giguere, Miriam (2011), Body in Mind: How Gestures Empower Foreign Language Learning”

by Macedonia, Manuela, and Thomas R Knosche (2011), and Partnering Dance and Education:

Intelligent Moves for Changing Times by Hanna, Judith Lynne (1999)

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 I included research on the emotional and social benefits of dance because the emotional

and social benefits are vital in combination to the cognitive benefits that the mind-body

connection brings. The sources included here are: “Young Children and Movement: The Power

of Creative Dance” by Dow, Connie Bergstein (2010), “Boosting Language Skills of English

Learners through Dramatization and Movement” by Greenfader, Christa Mulker, and Liane

Brouillette (2013), “Second Language Development Through the Use of Dance” by Pinter, Ildiko

(1999), “Dancing Thoughts: An Examination of Children’s Cognition and Creative Process in

Dance” by Giguere, Miriam (2011), and “Integrating Best Practices in Ell Classrooms with

Quality Physical Education Instruction” by Santillan, Yara, et al. (2015),

The creative process in children is research I have also been focused on because my class

was a student-centered inquiry-based class. The sources I used for this focus include: “Young

Children and Movement: The Power of Creative Dance” by Dow, Connie Bergstein (2010),

“Dancing Thoughts: An Examination of Children’s Cognition and Creative Process in Dance” by

Giguere, Miriam (2011), “Boosting Language Skills of English Learners through Dramatization

and Movement” by Greenfader, Christa Mulker, and Liane Brouillette (2013), and “Second

Language Development Through the Use of Dance” by Pinter, Ildiko (1999),

With this student-centered class, came the use of the multiple intelligences, which is why

I included information on the multiple intelligences and the impact utilizing them has on student

learning. The sources I used to examine the multiple intelligences in the classroom are “Multiple

Intelligences and ESL Teaching and Learning: An Investigation in KG II Classrooms in One

Private School in Beirut, Lebanon” by Ghamrawi, Norma (2014), and “Second Language

Development Through the Use of Dance” by Pinter, Ildiko (1999).

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 I outline the parallels between dance and learning language through the lens of Miriam

Giguere’s article called “Thinking as They Create Do Children Have Similar Experiences in

Dance and in Language Arts?” (2006).

An element of language that I begin to explore through this review of literature is

phonetics and the connection to language learning. I use the article “Phonological Sensitivity and

Memory in Children with a Foreign Language Learning Difficulty” (2008) by Palladino, Paola,

and Marcella Ferrari.

The combination of these sources provides varying perspectives and ideas that have

helped and enhanced my classroom pedagogic decisions and my self-reflective practice.

Bali: Cultural Research

In creating unit plans and lesson plans prior to teaching, I utilized information from

research I completed on the culture of Bali, Indonesia. Tiffany Strawson writes the article

“Dance Training in Bali: Intercultural and Globalised Encounters” (2014) with the goal to

express that the modern world is changing Balinese dance, and the traditional aspects to Balinese

dance such as the notion that dance is in service to the Gods is ignored. Strawson discusses the

relationship between traditional Balinese dance and how the arts such as dance have integrated

into the tourism industry in ways that may alter Balinese cultural identity.

The article explores the social, economic, and artistic repercussions of dance entering the

tourism industry. Strawson connects cultural assimilation, the idea that the Western culture can

influence and change the Balinese culture, with dance. Cultural assimilation directly relates to

self-identity. When teaching English as a foreign language in an international context, the

cultural sensitivity and cultural education are not always an integration into the teaching. When

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teachers only teach through the lens and perspective of the culture within the English language,

cultural assimilation may occur in which the student can internally transition to take on cultural

aspects that are embedded within the English language. While this is not necessarily harmful,

there needs to be balance in education focusing on the English culture and the host culture.

Strawson explains that dance in Bali connects the mind, body, and spirit- an idea called

‘holistic education’ in movement/dance education. The holistic connection, and the research

behind it, is a primary reason for creative movement having an implication in language learning.

Dance and the arts are a piece of culture that is heavy and prevalent in Bali. The holistic

connection is an area that can connect English teachers who teach through creative movement to

both students and teachers in a host country or location, in this case particularly Bali. Dance is

used in Bali as a metaphor for the way of being and understanding the knowledge of their

culture, as it is an important piece of their culture and cultural expression.

In Bali, there is a value placed on the process over the product, yet tourists often only

want a product of something to take home to spread about Balinese dancing when they train for a

short time period in Bali. Dance that is brought back to America from Bali can get translated to

be unauthentic. In Balinese dance and performing arts, performance is seen as an integral part of

the process of learning, and failure is also seen as necessary to success (Strawson 2014). This

connects back with the idea of cultural assimilation. The core values of Balinese dance are often

disregarded to adapt to the tourists entering Bali. The massive shift in cultural practices to adapt

to tourists leads directly to a potential loss of cultural authenticity, and therefore can lead to lack

of strong or clear self-identities.

The information within the article from Strawson is useful to me because it connects

dance concepts to the particular culture of Bali. One example is in the use of space, and how

22
within the directional use of space, each direction and use of the stage space is in respect to a

different God (Strawson 2014). Within topeng dance, balance is created through asymmetrical

shapes, representing the dance concept of symmetry/asymmetry within the shape concept

(Strawson 2014). Efforts are also used within Balinese dancing as each mask within the topeng

dance requires a different energy from the dancer (Strawson 2014). Improvisation is valued

through Balinese dance as it gives the dancer control over the delivery of the dance (Strawson

2014). This parallels my implementation of creative practices of movement in the classroom.

Since dance is so specific and individual between each culture, the word “movement” was used

in my class rather than “dance” when teaching movement to my second-grade class.

To elaborate upon the information I found from Strawson, I also explored a book by

Hobart, Angela entitled The Peoples of Bali in 1996. I focused on the chapter called “Religion

and Beliefs in Practice.” Hobart explains through this chapter that within the small island of Bali,

the culture of Bali is diverse. This chapter summarizes the overarching concepts and

characteristics of Balinese religion. Hobart writes, “small though the island of Bali is, the culture

of the Balinese is by no means homogeneous.”

Hobart delves into the beliefs and religion that play a role in the lives of many in Bali.

Unlike the West, the Balinese still have an innate sense of space and time through nature (Hobart

1996). The balancing opposites of gender and nature are explored in this chapter, as the sun is

considered male and the soil is considered female, working together from above and below.

There is a binary in Balinese culture between all-natural elements that says all is either belonging

to the upper world of heaven, or the earth-bound world. The chapter dives into gender, all things

operating from above like the sun are considered male while mountains and rivers that fertilize

the fields are considered female. There is a fundamental dualism in the culture’s creation myth

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saying there are cosmic antagonisms of uranian/ heavenly and chthonian/earth-bound that are a

reference point for individual and social behavior. The uranian sphere holds concepts such as the

sun, mountains, volcanoes, ancestors, and fertility, and the volcano is a representation of the

directionality in which all things good come from. The influences brought from this sphere

known as kaja or kaler are generally positive, fertile, and divine. The effect of the uranian energy

is downstream (from top to bottom, from mountain to sea). Sunrise and sunset create an axis

from east to west. As the sun rises, it brings light and life from the east uranian forces and then

the sun passes west towards chthonian sphere and temporarily sinks into the underworld. The

human being is seen as a cosmos in miniature.

Since the dichotomy within creation myth does not place the human, the human becomes

a part of the system through living in the middle world between the upper and lower world.

Within both the world and the human being itself, there are three zones. Nista signifies things

that are low, madia means middle and is the torso of things, and utama is high and designated for

the head of things. The high spot is holy and reserved for ancestors and gods, while the low

space belongs to evil spirits. The human being participates in all three worlds (Hobart 1996).

The three levels in the Balinese beliefs parallel the three levels of space in dance

education. The movement elements of space and time can be explored through the space and

time orientation the Balinese have through their connection with nature. The dimension of

verticality is represented in the natural direction of the volcanoes on the island and this spatial

direction is seen as the place from which all good things are expected. The information I have

gathered regarding the culture of Bali I have used in lesson planning and unit planning prior to

teaching.

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 Student-Centered Teaching

Holistic Engagement in Learning: The Mind-Body Connection and its Impact on Learning

English as a Foreign Language

There is a significant pool of research on the mind-body connection and the argument for

the importance of holistic education (education that teaches to the mind-body connection). There

are a variety of researchers from multiple backgrounds and specific fields who have found

evidence in the holistic connection being effective in student learning. The intricate connection

between the mind and body has a strong foundation in research and there is evidence of the

mutual impact one has on the other. The holistic self is the mind, body, and spirit of the human,

in contrast to a compartmentalized view of a human. Miriam Giguere writes about the mind-

body connection in “Dancing Thoughts: An Examination of Children’s Cognition and Creative

Process in Dance.” Based in Rene Descartes’ idea called Cartesian duality, educators and

humans often see the brain and body as dichotic (Giguere 2011, 6). An overwhelming

contradiction to this is shown through research in movement and dance. The mind provides

information to the body as the body provides information to the mind; the brain and body are far

from a dichotomy. Movement can aid memory and understanding of a language. Hanna provides

significant information on the mind-body connection and how language can be enhanced through

movement within her book entitled Partnering Dance and Education: Intelligent Moves for

Changing Times. Biologically, the parts of the brain that control gesture and speech develop

alongside one another (Hanna 2008, 494). The Broca and Wernicke areas are both located in the

left brain hemisphere and have been associated with verbal language skills, abstract symbolic

functions, sequential information processings, and complex patterns of movement (Hanna 2008,

494). Macedonia et. al. builds on this biological evidence. With this, the “enactment effect” was

25
created, where if verbal phrases are encoded by self-performed actions, their retrieval is faster

and more accurate than if those same phrases were only heard or read (Macedonia et. al. 2011,

196). Judith Lynne Hanna, in “A Nonverbal Language for Imagining and Learning: Dance

Education in K-12 Curriculum,” presents an enhancement to the holistic connections by looking

through the lens of nonverbal communication and cognition. The effects of the mind and body

connection are explained as, “sensory-motor activities form new neural pathways and synaptic

connections throughout life, and the merger of the body, emotion, and cognition leads to

effective communication” (Hanna 2008, 493). Dance influences the mind, which causes positive

plastic changes in the brain. Physical activity sparks biological changes that encourage brain

cells to bind to one another, which reflects the brain’s fundamental ability to adapt to challenges

(Hanna 496, 2008). Although the benefits of learning in a way that focuses on the holistic self is

explored through research, the mind-body connection and the importance of it has not been

related to all populations, settings, and contexts.

Language and gestures are an integrated system (Macedonia et. al. 2011, 196).

Experimental evidence has shown that information encoded through embodiment is retrieved in

better quantity, and decays more slowly compared to audiovisual encoding. Brain imaging

experiments have displayed that if a person embodies a word, its neural representation contains a

motor element, meaning the brain associates the word with action to create a mental image. The

“Connectivity Model of Semantic Processing” says the use of gestures paired with the word

enriches the representation of the word by creating a more complex representation, thus a

stronger memory of the word (Macedonia et. al. 2011, 197). Language needs to be learned in a

multimodal way that includes self-involvement in order for depth of knowledge. The brain is not

compartmentalized, and multiple aspects need to be utilized to reach full learning potential.

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Macedonia et. al. explains that no pedagogical theory considers enactment as a strategy to

enhance foreign language learning, despite authors such as Hanna and Giguere providing

research-based evidence to agree with Macedonia et. al. that the mind and body need to connect.

Hanna draws multiple outside sources into her article called “A Nonverbal Language for

Imagining and Learning: Dance Education in K-12 Curriculum.” Within this, gesture and the

holistic connection that elicits strong language learning is demonstrated. Lakoff and Johnson

(1999) say, “Concepts arise from, and are understood through, the body, the brain, and

experience in the world. Concepts get their meaning through embodiment, especially via

perceptual and motor capacites. Directly embodied concepts include basic-level concepts,

spatial-relations concepts, bodily action concepts (e.g hand movement), aspect (that is, the

general structure of actions and events), color, and others” (Hanna 494, 2008). Conceptual

knowledge and understanding is something that is connected deeply to the self as a physical

being. Understanding is deepened with the use of the body, and reversely the use of the body is

necessary to a deep understanding.

Ildiko Pinter developed an article called “Second Language Development Through the

Use of Dance” in 1999, in which Pinter connects verbal and nonverbal communication together

through discussing dance as a way to develop another language. Pinter sees dance as a birthright

as it connects the mind and body. The idea of holistic engagement Pinter presents is correlated to

Macedonia et. al. and the idea of movement aiding the mind. Pinter argues that there are many

parallels between language teaching and dance. Through kinesthetic perception, humans can

learn to express their own feelings through movement. Movement can become the vehicle for

expressing the inner life of each individual. Pinter defines holistic education and argues for this

approach as vital to the education of each student. Humans and the self cannot be

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compartmentalized, and each teacher must teach to the whole student. To further support the

argument of holistic education for all humans, Ildiko Pinter writes: “Humans are not divided into

separate components; rather, cognitive learning, emotions, values, and day-to-day behavior are

deeply intertwined in each learner” (Pinter 1999, 15). Pinter says that recognizing the holistic

self of students in teaching and honoring the needs of all aspects of the self makes the

educational process more effective. According to Pinter, a holistic education should have

teachers teaching to the mind-body connection, and also teaching about the mind body

connection, to raise student awareness of their learning process.

Christa Mulker Greenfader and Liane Brouillette, in their article about dramatization and

movement enhancing the skills of English learners, introduce the concept of kinesthetics in

aiding understanding (Greenfader et. al. 2013, 175). Greenfader et. al. says that “physicalizing”

the language enhances the English language development for students; movement helps memory

because of the mind-body connection through holistic learning. One teacher from the Teaching

Artist Project, a project in San Diego schools that utilizes creative movement to teach English

learners, says, “it’s the kinesthetic piece...ELL students are hearing it. They’re doing it. They are

understanding it...This is how people learn. It’s different from sitting at the table” (Greenfader et.

al. 2013, 175).

Arts based lessons provide visual, auditory, and kinesthetic input that signals the

importance of new information. This type of learning helps students transfer and organize

material from their working memory to their long-term memory. To adapt Greenfader’s work,

research shows that movement sparks the growth of new brain cells, therefore facilitating

learning (Dow 2010, 34). Movement improves learning by optimizing alertness, attention, and

motivation, by preparing nerve cells to bind to one another, and by developing new nerve cells to

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stem from the hippocampus (Dow 2010, 34). The information on the holistic connection between

the body and mind was directly implemented into my classroom. I focused each day on student-

created gesture as paired with English vocabulary to enhance students’ comprehension.

Emotional Benefits of Dance

There are emotional benefits of dance that can benefit the population of students learning

English as a foreign language. There are both emotional benefits in that creative dance can bring

more positive emotions, but also in that creative dance can help students have a higher emotional

intelligence in identifying and expressing emotions. Since learning English as a second language

comes with societal pressure because English is seen as being a necessity for success, this can

can bring stress to students. Pinter explores the emotional benefits of dance. Pinter explores the

emotional benefits of dance throughout the article “Second Language Development Through the

Use of Dance” (1999). As students gain kinesthetic perception (muscle sense) through learning

dance, they can learn to express their own inner feelings (Pinter 1999, 13). Exploring feelings

and expressing emotions connects with the idea of students being actively involved in their own

learning. Students, through movement, are encouraged to feel and therefore are present in their

individual bodies. When emotions are not involved or encouraged throughout the process of

learning, students may not recognize emotions and therefore may not be able to adapt their own

self and what they need to do for each emotion (Pinter 1999).

While Macedonia et. al. focuses on the psychology behind gesture as a way to enhance

cognition, Pinter dives into the benefits of dance for second language learning from a perspective

focusing on emotional wellbeing. Through movement, self-esteem and anxiety can be affected

which can bring confidence to students and this confidence can help the language learning

process. This means that the multi-dimensional nature of being human must be tended to through

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education including the emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual, and cognitive needs of each

individual. Self-esteem and anxiety may be impacted through the use of movement, and through

a growth in confidence may lead to a stronger and more effective learning process (Pinter 1999,

14). Pinter says, “When our ability to express ourselves is reduced, as it is when we use a second

language, we risk our psychological well-being every time we try to speak” (Pinter 1999, 19).

While a second language can be restricting, movement is something that frees that bind

and can allow endless expression opportunities to emerge. The second language barrier and

restriction can make English learners at a disadvantage and are at a decrease in self-esteem and

confidence. The less anxious, the better the self-expression and the better the learning process.

Dow contributes to Pinter’s ideas of emotional benefits of dance. Dow says, “Connecting

movement to all areas of the curriculum, to all skills, is natural” (Dow 2010, 32). Movement can

help children express feelings nonverbally. Dance provides a structured outlet for a physical

release of feelings and emotions that a student comes into class with (Dow 2010, 34).

English learners can inject their own cultural understanding into their learning when

open-ended questions or problems are present. Greenfader et. al. explains how teacher-led

learning can limit students in their confidence and autonomy, therefore limiting the enhancement

of emotional wellbeing within learning. Within teacher-led classrooms, only the confident

speakers answer the questions from the teacher and those less comfortable are silent (Greenfader

et. al. 2013, 176). In contrast, within a student-centered classroom which utilizes movement,

students can all participate even if nonverbally. To become proficient in oral language skills,

students need to feel comfortable and safe within their learning environment. A safe physical

environment (i.e using personal space) can lead to an emotionally safe environment for students.

Giguere says that as students develop stylistic preferences through learning dance and gain

30
confidence in autonomy. Multiple researchers have noted the transformative nature of dance.

Through engaging in dance, students have reported stress release, focus and concentration, a

sense of self, freedom, and transcendence (Giguere 2011, 9). Bond and Stinson created a

qualitative meta-analytic study in 2001 that found the experiences from dance included

excitement, relaxation, freedom, sense of inner or true self, and a loss of awareness of the outside

world (Giguere 2011, 9). Giguere’s findings parallel the argument for dance having emotional

benefits that both Dow and Pinter recognize and explore. I saw students develop their ability to

identify emotions through introducing emotional reflective practice. I also chose to use

movement when I saw students having emotional challenges in class, and used movement as a

transition that I saw helped students who had a challenge with expressing their emotions safely.

Judith Hanna in the article “A Nonverbal Language for Imagining and Learning: Dance

Education in K-12 Curriculum,” touches on the intricacy of emotion considerations in pedagogy

of dance education. Through her article surrounding nonverbal communication in dance

education Hanna writes, “While feeling a particular emotion, a performer may immediately

manifest it through dance, and dancing may induce emotion through energetic physical activity

or through the interaction between dancers or between dancers and spectators” (Hanna 497,

2008). Dancers are encouraged to explore emotion through movement, and dancing may also

encourage emotion in dancers. While dancers are encouraged to explore their own ability to

move based in a certain emotion, this also has a place in all education. Emotion is a physical

sensation, and emotions change constantly throughout learning within a particular day, moment,

or longer period of time. The physicality of dance as art in education creates it to be

multisensory, which heightens the “perceptual awareness” in humans. The changing emotions

and the physical nature of emotions creates dance to have a central role in developing the

31
expressive skills of students in general. Since emotions are connected to all communication and

expression, studying movement and dance alongside language can enhance communicative

explorations in learning.

Interpersonal Benefits of Dance

Creative movement is a strong way to work with children as a group and build social

skills through interactions and problem solving. Simply moving through a shared space can build

community and put social skills into practice. Through games, students become acquainted and

practice communication. The group may begin to operate as a unit as trust and cooperation builds

and grows. Working towards a common goal can inspire students to work together (Pinter 1999,

19). Santillan et. al says fostering social interactions is beneficial in addressing the affective

learning through a movement-based class (Santillan et. al. 2015, 52). Arts can help create a safe

space for risk taking through creating a safe space both physically and mentally. Within the

Teaching Artist Project in San Diego which focuses the content and methodologies of teaching

on using creative movement and collaboration, many teachers commented that the arts activities

created a “comfortable environment for student participation and collaboration” (Greenfader et.

al. 2013, 175). In class I used group movement activities as well as pair and small group

activities to exercise students’ interpersonal skills within a movement-based class.

The Creative Process: Building Self Identity

While biologically, movement aids cognition, movement can also be used as a creative

process that can enhance problem-solving skills and autonomy in students. Methodology guiding

the creative process is an accompaniment of kinesthetic learning that fosters and grows self-

identity and expression. Miriam Giguere wrote one article entitled, “Dancing Thoughts: An

Examination of Children’s Cognition and Creative Process in Dance” in which Giguere presents

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benefits children reap when taught using embodied practices and inquiry based problem-solving

methods in a creative dance class. Giguere argues dance as a birthright and centers her thoughts

on the idea that children naturally use movement as a means of expression and that dance making

utilizes evaluative thinking and reasoning (Giguere 2011). Public education typically privileges

cognition as the sole measurement that contributes to human growth in learning. Giguere sees

cognition through dance as a way to bridge dance into regular school systems, since the emphasis

in school is most often on cognition. With English learning, the goal is often on a specific

outcome of certain English vocabulary words. When the goal is based on vocabulary production

as efficiently as possible, students’ self-identities and creative expression may be hindered.

Cartesian duality is a concept Giguere highlights which says that the brain and body

operate separately, and Giguere focuses on the opposite of this duality by saying the mind and

body work as one in the cognitive processes of creation. This relates to Macedonia et. al. and the

gesture pairing with word vocalization, as well as Pinter and the idea of holistic education. This

biological approach from Macedonia et. al. is enhanced through Giguere and her idea on the

importance of the creative process. While gesture can be used to enhance language learning,

using the creative process in the classroom can enhance student learning in a way that grows

higher level critical thinking skills.

There are two basic approaches in presenting dance to children, one that is student-

centered based in discovery, and the other discipline which is based on predetermined knowledge

given. The student-centered method is based on inquiry and problem-solving which grows

cognition through creative practice. A child’s experience is associated with sensory awareness,

spatial focus, imagination, and self-discipline. Connecting dance to self-identity, a child’s sense

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of personal style through learning dance, can influence their engagement. The higher the child’s

sense of self, the higher their own engagement in their learning (Giguere 2011).

Open-ended inquiry through dance creation leads to an expansion of the mind in

perspective and ideas. To implement creative dance into a classroom that is student-centered,

teachers can encourage divergent movement responses, engaging transformation of ideas into

creating a dance, inviting the sharing of ideas, and guiding students in elaboration. After a study

on the creative processes in children was undergone, Giguere found that collaboration in the

classroom and group thinking grew the possibilities for the student’s dancing through discussion,

recognition of other’s way of working, and outside opinions. Dow contributes to Giguere’s ideas

through supportive ideas and parallel ideas. Children will be entering the workforce, therefore

teachers need to teach children to look at problems in new ways and utilize critical thinking

skills, learn collaboration, and cooperation (Dow 2010, 34). Furthering the ideas from both Dow

and Giguere, Pinter writes, “A set of movement activities as a pedagogical instrument provides

both the freedom and the motivation for learners to develop skills in spontaneous

communication” (Pinter 1999, 16).

Cultural relevance is needed to create a safe environment (Santillan et. al. 2015, 51).

Santillan et. al. says that introducing games or dances from the English learner’s country of

origin would increase feelings of belongingness and help them value the class environment. The

culturally relevant lessons also benefit the English speakers by enhancing their world perspective

and knowledge of diversity. “Organic” environments, such as those that engage students with art,

encourages students to draw on existing knowledge which promotes language development

(Greenfader et. al. 2013, 178). Existing knowledge draws on students’ cultural and personal

experiences, which can help in the comprehension of ideas. Arts awaken the mind, and force the

34
self to not be passive, but be active (Greenfader et. al. 2013, 179). Students can learn to connect

the decontextualized text to their own experiences when open-ended inquiry is used. Through

engaging their imaginations, children can increase their abilities to comprehend material and to

mentally stimulate concepts (Greenfader et. al. 2013, 179).

Many see the development of creativity as outside the development of cognition,

however Giguere provides research that creativity is a function of general cognition. Dance

engages children with creativity through engaging them with sensory awareness, spatial focus,

personal stylistic preference, self-discipline, and form-making abilities (Giguere 2011, 9).

Giguere writes, “artistic creation gives children opportunities to develop a tolerance for

ambiguity, a respect for divergent answers, and the mental freedom to find problems” (Giguere

2011, 10). Giguere, like other authors, values decision making when there is no one right answer,

and open-ended problem solving to enhance the creative process. My class was based in

providing students the opportunity to creative movement and create answers through using the

multiple intelligences in class. Through a variety of methods, students were able to explore their

creativity and exercise their problem-solving skills

Utilizing the Multiple Intelligences

Pinter dives into the multiple intelligences through ideas regarding student-centered

learning. Pinter says, “what happens in the class is not equally productive for all the students

because everyone’s mind works in a different way” (Pinter 1999, 14). Here, Pinter recognizes the

multiple intelligences as an awareness teachers must have when approaching students.

Ghamrawi, Norma developed an article entitled “Multiple Intelligences and ESL Teaching and

Learning: An Investigation in KG II Classrooms in One Private School in Beirut, Lebanon” in

2014 which relates the multiple intelligences to learning and teaching English as a foreign

35
language. To complement Pinter’s idea, Ghamrawi says “Every human life will be enriched

through developing many kinds of intelligences to the greatest extent possible” (Ghamrawi 2014,

27). Ghamrawi’s main argument is that instruction in education can and should be differentiated

to adapt to a variety of learners. The multiple intelligences are rooted in a transition from a focus

on evaluative testing to natural sources of information that relate to people’s culture and way of

life (Ghamrawi 2014). It is vital to give the opportunity for all eight intelligences, founded by

Howard Gardner, to be practiced in order to develop a person’s individual identity. The

intelligences include kinesthetic, linguistic, logical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual, musical,

and naturalistic (Ghamrawi 2014). When not all of the intelligences are used in the classroom,

this suppresses a student’s potential. Proponents to the multiple intelligence theory argue that the

multiple intelligences are used for motivating both teachers and students, simulating real-life

events, fostering student’s self-esteem, creating a learner-centered environment, and contributing

to the professional growth of teachers (Ghamrawi 2014). When using the multiple intelligences

in the case study presented in Lebanon, it was found that student responsibility, self-direction,

and independence increased (Ghamrawi 2014). Also, problems with discipline were minimized

and students developed academic and cooperative skills. Within the study, there was a control

group and a group which had the multiple intelligences used in class. The students in the

traditional classroom recalled the information better immediately following the lesson, however

the group who were taught using the multiple intelligences had higher retention over the course

of a month. Through stimulating real-life context through the multiple intelligences, the teacher

can create a student-centered classroom and sustains the acquired concepts and skills over the

long term. Ghamrawi provides a connection to learning English as a second language to the

multiple intelligences providing a bridge between the topic of multiple intelligences in a student-

36
centered classroom to learning and teaching English as a second language. I utilized the multiple

intelligences in my classroom through providing students the opportunity to problem solve

through group work, movement, writing, rhythm, observing, emotional reflections, drawing,

singing, and more.

The multiple intelligences can be utilized in addition to movement teaching, however the

multiple intelligences also are woven into dance itself. Hanna lays the multiple intelligences out

as an integration within dance rather than an aside. The bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is a form

of thinking and ability to solve problems through control of one’s bodily motions, having the

most obvious and clear connection to dance. Linguistic intelligence is used in dance through

listening to the teacher instruction, reading about dance ideas, and commenting verbally about

dance. Musical intelligence is used in moving and interpreting music. Logical and mathematical

intelligence is used in working with rhythmic units, and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and

dividing dance components. Spatial intelligence is used in creating kinestic images in various

directions, levels, and body spaces. Intrapersonal intelligence is used in self-discipline, self-

reflection, and expression of one’s feelings. Interpersonal intelligence is used in collaborating

with others, and naturalist intelligence is used in recognizing distinct objects through movement

representations (Hanna 495, 2008). Dance’s endless nature in pedagogic approach, performance

depth, and stylistic concepts creates it to be full of possibility in utilizing the multiple

intelligences within the practice.

Yara Santillan et. al, in discussing how to integrate practices for ELLs in a physical

education classroom through the article “Integrating Best Practices in ELL Classrooms with

Quality Physical Education Instruction,” outlines how and why to utilize the multiple

intelligences in teaching English learners. Santillan et. al. offers the pedagogic strategies of using

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visual tools such as classroom posters and using gestures to support explanations, fostering social

interactions by pairing students for giving peer feedback, and promoting cooperative group

learning.

Nonverbal Communication in an English Learning Classroom

Body language and nonverbal communication are a deep realm of a person’s full body of

communication skills and knowledge. Nonverbal communication is at the root of humanity and

human interaction. Biologically and historically, nonverbal communication through movement is

embedded into humans as a means for survival. Hanna writes, “Evolutionary biologists note that

human beings need to attend to motion as a tool for survival- to distinguish prey and predator

and to select a mate. Human beings have to anticipate others’ actions and respond accordingly.

Perceptual and motor systems play major roles in survival” (Hanna 493, 2008). With survival

being at the core of nonverbal communication, nonverbal communication still does not play a

major role in the curriculum of learning spoken language. The focus in schools and English

learning education is most often on the vocalization and memorization of vocabulary and

grammar. Along with the biological and historical aspect of nonverbal communication, Hanna

believes that nonverbal communication constitutes a central feature of human development.

Before language is developed within a person’s life, the communication is primarily nonverbal.

Human beings learn first through movement, and movement structures their learning (Hanna

2008, 493). Humans learn by doing, and babies are taught through visual and kinesthetic

stimulus. Hanna explains this further by saying “The body communicates through gesture and

locomotion (moving from place to place) using proximity, touch, gaze, facial expression,

posture, physical appearance, smell, and emotion” (Hanna 493, 2008). The realm of nonverbal

communication holds a plethora of information needed for effective communication.

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 Gestures that humans produce convey information that is often different from the

information found in their speech. The power of nonverbal communication is capitalized by

viewing this through studying blind speakers, as they gesture despite their lack of visual model,

even when speaking to a blind listener (Hanna 495, 2008). This shows the internalization of

gesture, gesture is not only for the meaning of communicating to others, but for the meaning of

expressing internal feelings. When speech and gesture convey different information, the gesture

carries the dominant message (Hanna 495, 2008). This shows that gestures are necessary to

communication, and integrate evenly with verbal language to develop a sense of expressive

ability in English learners. Gesture offers a deep look into human’s thought processes and the

knowledge that a child possesses but does not verbalize. The information a child can express

nonverbally may be inaccessible when verbal measurements are the focus in assessments and

education (Hanna 495, 2008). Gesture, and nonverbal communication, may be involved in the

process of cognitive change through two different mechanisms, according to Goldin-Meadow

(2000). One way is indirectly, by communicating unspoken aspects of the learner’s cognitive

state. The other mechanism is through direct involvement by offering the learner a simpler way

to express and explore ideas that may be out of range of verbal communication skills for that

learner, and this can ease the burden of the cognitive processes of this learner (Hanna 495, 2008).

Examples of Utilization of Creative Movement for Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Examples of educational programs that use creative dance are a rarity. With this, most

examples are based on research that occurred within the United States. Research on the use of

creative dance when teaching English abroad is new, causing the examples of previous research

in this area to be based on research from the United States, rather than my research study which

took place in Bali, Indonesia.

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 Christa Mulker Greenfader and Liane Brouillette developed an article entitled “Boosting

Language Skills of English Learners through Dramatization and Movement” which explores

using performing arts activities to enhance the language skills of English learners (Greenfader et.

al. 171). This article does focus on children learning English as a second language in the United

States. Through this article, Greenfader et. al. explains a certain case of creative movement being

used to teach English as a foreign language, which elaborates upon Pinter’s ideas. The Teaching

Artist Project is a two year literacy program that has been implemented in 30 San Diego schools

particularly within neighborhoods with a high population of English learners. The Teaching

Artist Project (TAP) focuses on utilizing creative movement, dramatization, and collaboration

between peers. The TAP project offers ideas on how to implement a performing arts program for

English learners, and also provides an example of a successful program to back my research.

Within Hanna’s work on nonverbal communication through dance and its role in

education, she mentions an example of dance as helping foreign language learning. Teachers at

the Lincoln Center Institute for Arts in Education explored how the principles of a flamenco

dance could help build the confidence of students learning to speak English as a second language

through shifts in rhythm, speed, and phrasing, transitions, gestures, and facial expression of

verbal language (Hanna 494, 2008). These elements can be utilized into a English learning

classroom and connects with the parallels between language learning and dance, which Giguere,

Hanna, and Pinter all explore.

What are the Parallels between Language Learning/Teaching and Dance?

Dance and language learning have parallels within the pedagogy, methods, and structure

of the art forms. Miriam Giguere, in her article “Thinking as They Create: Do Children have

Similar Experiences in Dance and in Language Arts?” addresses the question: What is the

40
relationship between learning in dance and learning in language arts? The phrasing that

movement choreography and creative dance have parallels that of sentence phrasing (Giguere

2006, 41). Hanna discusses elements to a language, and how elements of verbal language are

similar to dance language. Hanna references The Language of the Brain and writes,

“representations of information, representations of relations, and a set of rules for how the

relations can be used to combine and manipulate representation” constitutes a language

according to The Language of the Brain (Hanna 494, 2008). Information, relations, and sets of

rules that create representation are also central aspects of dance and movement creation.

Poetry is a particular language element that can relate to creative dance. Giguere

combined poetry and dance through a study on fifth graders’ cognitive processes during the

creation of poetry and dance. Through analyzing qualitative data collection of interviews and

observations, Giguere found that there were three primary “tools for thinking” that overlapped

between poetry and dance creation in the fifth grade case study. Examples of observing,

empathizing, body thinking, transformational thinking, and recognition of patterns were

discovered in the dance experiences and linguistic experiences (Giguere 2006, 45). Another

cognitive element that surfaced in both dance and poetry is the idea of the preconscious state

where creative thought occurs (Giguere 2006, 46). This was shown through students describing

their experiences with writing down ideas and “not even realizing they have written until after it

is over,” and also describing a semi-dream state when students close their eyes and let the music

take them and lead the creation (Giguere 2006, 46). A connection between dance and language

arts may be the ways the strategies are applied rather than the strategies themselves. The creative

process in itself can be a transferable strategy that connects dance to language arts (Giguere

2006, 46).

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 An element that Giguere brought to the surface is the concepts of literal and abstract

translation. Poems can be expressed literally through movement and can be expressed abstractly

through movement. These are elements Giguere included in her study. Literal and abstract

translation connect to learning a foreign language through dance because students can translate a

word both literally and abstractly, both aiding the recall of that word or concept. Abstract

translation can bring the comprehension to an even deeper level because the dancer adds more

than the word’s surfaced meaning, but their own interpretation or connections to the word. If

learning the word “chair,” the student can literally embody a chair, or to deepen their encoding,

move or create a shape that represents an abstract translation. An abstract translation could be an

experience with a chair or a personal meaning of this word.

The concept of performance is another connection between dance and language. IIdiko

Pinter describes second language development and the connection to dance specifically through

the focus on performance in the article “Second Language Development Through the Use of

Dance.” Dancers and language learners both strive for the goal related to performance (Pinter

1999, 15). Even within creative dance, there can be elements of performance. While dance is an

internal embodied experience, Dancers and language learners need to be able to decide what they

want to communicate, how to communicate that certain message, and must be able to perform

that message with confidence (Pinter 1999, 16). Parallels include communication decisions

including what and how, and that they must be able to perform their communication decisions

with competence. Dancers and language learners share the instruments of body, voice, and mind.

Choices in movement can mirror choices in speech which can create a platform of increased

comprehension and understanding. Movement is crucial to language learning because body

language is unique to each culture as a means of expression and movement is connected to each

42
human’s innate body language system. While Pinter developed much research, the research

about language learning and dance is not tended towards a specific language learning population.

Pinter also sees the expression of the self and the vulnerability as a parallel between dance and

language (Pinter 1999, 19).

Tempo and rhythm are a parallel between dance and language learning (Pinter 1999, 17).

Aspects of language include how a word is spoken, the syllable emphasis, the balance between

silence and speech in sentence communication, and more. How words are portrayed changes the

meaning of the word. For example, a higher pitch often indicates the message comes from a

foundation of kindness. If someone speaks at a faster tempo the message may be perceived

differently than if someone spoke slower. Tempo and rhythm play a role in language, and also in

movement. Each sentence has a rhythm, and how sentences are strung together have a rhythm.

Hanna furthers the explanation of dance and verbal language as having strong parallels.

Hanna explains that both dance and verbal language have vocabulary. In dance, vocabulary is the

gestures and locomotion. Dance also consists of grammatical aspects. Grammar includes rules in

different dance traditions for how to place the vocabulary together and how to justify placing the

vocabulary in certain orders, just like verbal language does. Further, both dance and language

have semantics/meaning (Hanna 493, 2008). Dance, while it most often represents poetry, can

also represent prose. As verbal language ties together sequences of words, dance ties together

sequences of movements. Also, dance can be both literal and abstract in representation and

translation. Both dance and verbal communication can hold a level of ambiguity and

interpretation from the listener or viewer. Arbitrariness, meaning many characteristics have no

predictability, is a parallel between dance and language (Hanna 493, 2008). Affectivity,

expression of internal feelings with the possibility to change moods and situations, is another

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 parallel between dance and language (Hanna 493, 2008). The emotional connection relates back

to the emotional benefits of dance that Giguere, Pinter, Greenfader, and Hanna express.

Teaching Phonetics through Movement

Phonemes, the individual sound units of a language, are crucial in accurate vocalization and

can be taught through embodying dance concepts. Paola Palladino and Marcella Ferrari developed

an article entitled “Phonological Sensitivity and Memory in Children with a Foreign Language

Learning Difficulty” which explores a study proving that students who have difficulty with foreign

language development specifically have trouble with phonetics. Individuals with a foreign

language learning difficulty (FLLD), often have been described as having above average nonverbal

intelligence (Palladino et. al. 2008). Memorization and production can be difficult when students

do not know the phonemes or how to use them, yet phoneme learning is often not the focus of

language education (Palladino et. al. 2008, 204). For example, in Spanish, a tongue roll is involved

to distinguish the sound “r” makes compared to the sound “rr” would make. “Pero” which means

“but,” and “perro” which means “dog” can be successfully differentiated only when taught the

phonetic structure of the language. Many English speakers can not pronounce selected Spanish

words because English does not involve a tongue roll. Similarly, English has many unique sounds

not present in other languages, and it can not be assumed that a child can produce the phonemes of

English without being effectively taught them. A strong association has been observed in

longitudinal studies between phonological memory and new-word learning in children of ages five

to 13; breaking down sounds helps long term language acquisition (Palladino et. al. 2008, 605).

Learning phonemes is easier than diving directly into teaching the thousands of words a language

has, as phonemes build a student a toolbox.

44
 One example of how dance concepts could be used to teach English phonemes would be

through effort actions. The phoneme sound “a” as in “apple” can be contrasted with the phoneme

“b.” The sound “a” as in “apple” is a longer vocalization, and could be represented in the body by

a wring: a strong, sustained, and indirect movement. To contrast, a punch (strong, quick, and

direct) could be used for the phoneme “b.” Many of both English speakers and learners tend to

pronounce the sound for “b” as “b-uh” which includes a second phoneme, and the isolation of

simply the “b” is difficult. To avoid certain pronunciation habits, embodiment of the sounds can

create contrast for students. While phonemes are the sound units of a language, phonetics is an

umbrella which involve syllables, the specific beats of emphasis in a language, or even the mouth

positions (Palladino et. al. 2008, 605). Through open-ended use of dance concepts such as rhythm,

duration, space, or body part articulation, various phonetic components can be taught using

embodiment.

Field Research/Data Analysis

Through teaching, I collected both qualitative and quantitative data from student

responses and from my own self-reflection on my teaching. I gathered information from students

through student writing responses, through student drawings, and observations on student

behavior and student movement choices. I also gathered data in the form of photos and videos. I

focus the data analysis for this paper on my observations of students within the first day of

teaching, an example of student responses to a prepositional drawing exercise, and daily self-

reflection prompts and responses from students.

With all written data I have collected from students, I have placed the data into excel

spreadsheets and coded the data to make the data anonymous. I coded students by males and

45
females, and I assigned each student a number as well. The data coding went M1, M2, etc. and

then began again at F1, F2, etc. I coded all students, so I have M1-M22, and F1-F23. However,

only some of those students within the coding are included in my data based on my delimitation.

I coded each set of written responses based on the coding from the attendance. Therefore, each

set of writing responses and drawings from students now is labeled with a code rather than a

name.

The following is a list of the data I have from written responses, drawings, or

photo/video. Additionally, observation and experience will be a portion that is integrated into my

research.

1. Daily critical self-reflection on my teaching methodology and content

2. Attendance from each day taught
3. Coded attendance (to create data to be anonymous)
4. Daily writing reflections from students
a. What did you learn today?
b. What was your favorite part of the day?
c. What was difficult about today?
d. I am happy in class when __
e. I am special because ____
5. Personal space writing reflections
a. Why is personal space important? (June 19th)
b. Why is personal space important? (July 3rd, 2019)
6. High, Middle Low drawings
7. Prepositions: over, under drawings (this exercise occurred three times)
8. Prepositions: over, under, through, in front, behind drawings
9. Fast and Slow drawings
10. “who am I” using adjectives drawings
11. “My Body My Space” drawings
12. Photos from class
13. Videos
a. emotion expression
b. clapping patterns
c. in out game
d. how are you today
e. clapping in front of class
f. high low
g. high middle low
h. sitting parts of class

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 i. body part reading
14. Emotion Drawings: Facial expressions
a. How can you draw happy, sad, excited, and worried, on your face?
b. Writing responses: When do you feel (happy, sad, excited, worried)?
15. Emotion Drawings: “How do I feel when I am…”
16. Emotion Writing responses: When do I feel…”
a. How do I feel when I am proud?
b. How do I feel when I am surprised?
c. How do I feel when I am angry?
d. How do I feel when I am scared?
e. How do I feel when I am worried?
f. How do I feel when I am happy?
g. How do I feel when I am sad?
h. How do I feel when I am excited?
17. Collaborative posters from students (With your partner, how can you draw or write
anything you remember learning from class?)

Introduction

Preparation

Prior to travelling to Bali, I created four unit plans. My unit plans were created for a

fourth-grade level, as I did not know the grade level I would teach until I arrived in Bali. I created

a unit on “My Body,” “My Relationships,” “My Emotions,” and “Who am I in the World?” When

I arrived in Bali, I attended a one-day orientation where I received my placement of the school as

well as my grade level. This was chosen at random, and I was placed into a second-grade

classroom in Suwat village. I prepared for the class with no information on student skills or

prerequisite knowledge. From the first class and the first week, I received information to guide

my teachings. I collected information and data through this experience, while also adapting to

student needs, reflecting on my own pedagogical choices, and adapting to an entire situation that

was new and complex.

The First Days: Automated Humans

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 I was overwhelmed by the clear evidence that was presented to me through student

behavior that indicated students’ English class prior had been centered around copying and

repeating. Copying and repeating is a form of learning I identify as passive learning, often a part

of teacher-centered methods. I began my first day of class with the goal of having a soft opening

to class, and from this class I received an abundance of information from students that I needed

to decide how to proceed forward. I entered class and saw students sitting at their desks, quieting

as I entered and I said hello to students, and asked students: “how are you today?” and students

looked at me and repeated “how are you today?” in an incompletely confident, possibly

uncomfortable way. This repetition seemed to be viewed by them as an obligation, and an

automated response if they do not understand the English being said. On the first day, my

teaching partner asked students to write down and complete the phrase “Hello, my name is

_____.” I began to write it on the board, and I, facing the board and not intending for students to

respond to my words, said “h” as I wrote an “h.” I heard the mass behind me, loudly and

confidently, say “h” in harmony just as I had said it, matching my tone. They had, from the first

minutes of the first day, a deeply ingrained set repetitive vocal response.

On June 4th, 2019 I write in my critical self-reflection:

Students are eager to copy down what is on the board, and it is their automatic
response to written things on the board. They also have a set vocal repetitive response. I
began to spell “hello” on the board and I said “H,” and without prompting them they all
repeated in harmony “H.” Students can repeat letters however when asked what a letter is
they do not know the individual letters.

While repetition is not a harmful practice in itself, it can be when it is the most dominant

form of learning. From this experience that occurred within the first minutes of teaching, my

prediction that students had been taught with teacher-centered methodology was confirmed. I

knew from this, the importance of students being able to explore their own self-identity in class.

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 On the first day of class, I wrote “what did you learn today?” in Indonesian on the board

ten minutes prior to the end of class, to begin the daily reflective practice of class. I chose this

question because this exercises recall, which is the bottom foundation to the bloom’s taxonomy

hierarchy of measurable learning outcomes. I decided to choose this as one of the daily questions

because students need to reflect on the day, rather than leave class without thinking back upon

their learning processes. This question also provides me with information on my own teaching,

and which concepts or vocabulary words connected with students the most based in my

pedagogic decisions. The motifs I see from the answers to the reflective questions can provide

me with information on the impact of the methodologies behind teaching the concepts and

vocaluably most students recalled. On day one, when I wrote the question on the board, I asked

students to answer the question on the board in their notebooks. I gestured to the board and

showed them what I had written, and gestured to write it in their notebooks. As students were

completing this reflective practice, I observed that rather than answer the question, the students

all copied the question down. I heard and observed students say “miss miss” and gesture to have

me come over for approval. I saw students had written down the question from the board, and

looked eager to have me provide them with validation that they had completed what I wanted

them to do. Students may have seldom been offered the opportunity to engage in thinking

exercises besides copying from the board. Because I noticed the majority of the class was

copying the question down and did not appear to understand that they should actually answer the

question, I received the attention of the class by raising my arm up, and I asked the coordinator

to translate to students that they should answer the question. I observed students display a variety

of facial expressions, ranging from those of epiphany to persistent confusion. I prompted

students by moving body parts and naming them. The body parts were also written on the board

49
from earlier in class. Students, after my prompt, asked “list?” I noticed from this that students

thrive on copying and validation in their ability to copy and repeat written phrases. Students had

a necessity in their English class to seek one correct answer. Students, at a range of speeds, all

completed the reflection and turned in their paper. As the students were handing papers to me, I

noticed that the papers almost all had the exact same word on them. Students almost all wrote

that they had learned “English” today. Of the 15 students who were present on the first day, 13 of

them are from my delimitation of this specific research. Two of the students rewrote the

question, and did not complete any further writing. 11 of the students wrote “English,” and nine

of the students were able to copy down a list of body parts from the board.

On June 4th, 2019 I write in my critical self-reflection:

I wrote “what did you learn today?” in Indonesian on the board. Rather than answer the
question, they all copied the question down and said “miss miss” to have me come over
for approval. This makes me think about their amount of copying they do each English
class typically. I had the coordinator translate that they should answer the question. Then,
students all wrote that they learned “English” today. Then, I prompted body parts to see if
they wanted to write down anything they remember from the day that they learned. A few
students asked “list?” because the body parts were already on the board from earlier.

As an introductory exercise to the students and their identity as well as to movement and

vocalization as a simultaneous occurrence, I decided to have students engage in a name game

during the beginning of the first class. I explained the directions to students through

demonstration, embodied example, and vocalization. I created a motion and said my name, and

gestured for everyone to repeat it. I chose this exercise because from this, students can embody

each other’s movements to gain a higher awareness to the creative choices of others, embody

new movements that their bodies may have never done, and this exercise also involves students

leading the class and teaching the class movement. Students also have the autonomy to make a

movement choice, and create a gesture. I had my teaching partner demonstrate to students how to

50
embody my movement. I told the translator to tell students that they should create a different

movement than one another. After beginning the name game, I recognized that students had the

tendency to say their name prior to generating a movement. I also observed some students would

need to be prompted to create a movement, and would not initiate the movement creation or

display confidence in the decision making. Most students needed a prompt, so I said “can you do

a movement with that?” and I showed different movements within my own body, so they could

observe that I was moving, and that I wanted them to move. Because my students did not want to

or could not say their names simultaneously with doing the movement, I was sure that when we

repeated the name back, I repeated the movement and vocalization simultaneously. With this, I

observed students were not all repeating the movement and the name of their peers, or if they

were, it was not in harmony as a class. I chose to add rhythm into my pedagogy at this moment

because I know that rhythm is an organizer in the classroom. I counted 1,2,3 after each

individual showed their movement and before the entire class repeated the movement. After

making this change, I saw a drastic difference in students and their ability to work as a class

harmoniously. From this, students also were more efficient in going around the circle and having

everyone’s turn occur.

I write in my critical self-reflection on June 4th, 2019:

Students showed that I believe they are used to memorizing patterns rather than owning
their knowledge of each vocabulary word. I was doing an activity with students where I
went through and said “Can you move your head?” “Can you move your eyes?” And kept
adding on body parts but going back to the beginning for review frequently. Through this
students were writing and drawing their body parts. One time, I switched the order and
said “can you move your head?” “Can you move your nose?” And they all pointed to
their eyes because that had been next in the pattern. So, I observed students were not
needing the listening of the word because they were more so memorizing a pattern rather
than memorizing what the word sounds like.
I was surprised because this was the time I was most hyper focused on my words
and English than I have ever been. When speaking, I noticed the huge difference between
saying “foot” and “feet” and “arm” and “arms” and I realized how important consistency

51
 is in plural and singular nouns and how they can affect student learning. I also noticed
how when class got loud or a transition was not very smooth, I began to speak faster.
Speaking faster actually slowed the transition process down. In the future, shorter, slower
sentences may help students understanding. I defaulted to “Come on over, let’s make a
circle, you can leave your things at your desks.” This sentence, is too long for this class to
comprehend based on vocalization. In the future, I would say, “let’s make a circle”
slowly and repeated.
When learning a new language, repetition is important. There is strong value in

repetition. However, what I observed on the first class was that students were not confident in

making decisions or generating original content, which is due to teacher-centered pedagogy in

their classroom previously. I observed students were eager to copy, which is not in itself harmful,

unless it is the only thing students are accustomed to do. From this first class, I knew how

important it would be to provide opportunities for students to make decisions, lead the class, and

create. I knew students’ self identities needed to be nurtured and they needed to be encouraged to

build autonomy in their own learning.

Daily Student Reflections

For each day of the week, I provided a reflection question for each student present on that

day to complete. Critical self-reflection is vital within a human’s learning process because this

validates their own processes and helps students to recognize and evaluate the process in order to

progress forward productively. Without reflection, a student may be blindly approaching their

learning process consistently. Without knowledge of their own past experiences with learning

and their relationship to their learning, students may not be able to elaborate upon their strengths

or address their challenges.

Feelings and emotions are also an aspect of learning that my second grade students in

Bali may not have had the opportunity to explore heavily in prior English classes. By reflecting

on the self, my students can also grow an awareness to diversity in self-identities within the class

while finding their own self-identity. Self-reflection questions are purely about the individual

52
reflecting, rather than about class content. Because of this, students could grow confidence in

their processes and self-acceptance. Through introspection, students can also begin the journey to

self-regulate their own progress in learning and relying less on feedback from the teacher in

terms of their relationship to the class material and content.

I decided that students address a different question each day of the week to see how their

answers progressed over the course of the five week period. The same question was given on the

same days of the week each week. On Mondays students answered: “What did you learn today?”

On Tuesdays students answered: “What was your favorite part of the day?” On Wednesdays

students answered: “What was difficult about today?” On Thursdays students completed the

prompt: “I am happy in class when ____.” On Fridays students completed the prompt: “I am

special because ___.” I noticed that students learn to reflect gradually over time. Over the course

of five weeks, I saw vast improvements in the quantity students wrote as well as the

individualization between students in terms of their answers as evidenced in the data analysis of

each question below.

Students wrote reflections in Indonesian (which were later interpreted by an assigned

native speaker.) I gave students approximately ten minutes at the end of class to complete the

reflection. Each day, however, the students had a different exact amount of time to complete the

reflections depending on how long the transition into the reflections were. Also, there were days

students began their reflections at different times based on when they completed the last

assignment of the day. Because students completed these at the end of the day, the data collected

may be different than if students completed the reflection during the beginning or middle of the

class period. There were factors affecting the students’answers such as the time allotted to the

reflection and in the first week I also had students copy the question. After I realized that

53
students required much time to just copy the questions, I wrote the question on individual papers

for students beginning in the middle of week two, and this gave students more time to discover

their answer.

What did you learn today?

I chose this question as the Monday question because this focuses on students’ abilities in

recall, the bottom tier of Bloom’s taxonomy (a framework for categorizing educational goals of

thinking and doing). I chose this question for my Monday question because I see this as one of

the easier questions in terms of Bloom’s taxonomy and self-identity. While each student can

delve into the question with the depth they are able to, the question itself is one of “what” rather

than “how” or “why.”

Later in the week, students utilize higher level critical thinking through evaluation of

their own selves within their learning. The question “what did you learn today?” has students

reflect upon their learning however does not dive necessarily into the students’ role in their own

learning or their own self in relation to their learning. This does however provide me with

information on themes of what students remembered from the day, and can provide me

information on which of my methodologies were most effective. This can also provide

information to the students on which aspects they recall. What students remember may parallel

further questions such as their favorite part of the day or when they are happy in class. Overall, I

found that in the beginning of the five week period, the students responded with uniform answers

as well as brief answers. Most students responded with “English” on week one, and then

students, over the course of the five weeks, were able to give more elaborated answers.

54
 June 4th, 2019 84% answered: “English” 15% rewrote the question

July 1st, 2019 5% answered: “English” 0% rewrote the question

Table 2: Diversity in Answers Developing

13 of the students from my delimitation of this specific research were present on this day.

Two of the students rewrote the question, and did not complete any further writing. 11 of the

students wrote “English,” and nine of the students were able to copy down a list of body parts

from the board. From this table, I particularly see the growth in students’ abilities answer in an

individualized, diversified way. Students, during week one, may have answered with “English”

because they had not ever been asked what they learned that day, or they may think that is what I

wanted them to write.

As the weeks progressed, students still included “English” often in their answers,

however they were then able to demonstrate a supplement to the word “English.” On week four,

there was a significant rise in the level of specificity in answers in relation to the methodology of

the class. F8 wrote “ I've learned English, I've learned body parts, I've learned happy.” This

shows a specific English word that this student learned. This student also recognizes learning

body parts since I weaved body parts through each unit, rather than finishing it completely in

week one. Both F4 and F6 wrote on week four, “English, singing, dance.” By week five, F3

wrote “about body, learning about singing.” Here, she recognizes singing as a learning method

and content. Both M2 and M15 wrote that they learned “English, Indonesian.” They may have

written this because they recognized we wrote in both English and Indonesian.

What was your favorite part of the day?

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 I asked the question “What was your favorite part of the day?” to students because this

has students reflect and recall what we did during the day, and also evaluate their own identities

into their reflection. Asking students what their favorite part of the day can tell me about their

preferred learning methods, and students can also discover information about themselves.

Students may not be asked to reflect upon their own preferences in learning English often. Often

in a teacher-centered classroom, the preferences of the individual students are not taken into

consideration when lesson planning. Additionally, in a teacher-centered classroom, the teachers

may never ask students about their preferences in learning. Based on the information I

discovered through a student-centered approach when designed the questions, I was able to tailor

the class to include student preferences. For example, when multiple students wrote that they

enjoyed making a class circle and also drawing, I was able to enhance upon and encourage this

more in class.

June 5th, 54% wrote 13% rewrote 27% wrote .04% wrote 3 0% wrote

2019 only 1 word the question only 2 words words over 3 words

July 2nd, 0% wrote 0% rewrote .05% wrote 41% wrote 3 46% wrote

2019 only 1 word the question only 2 words words over 3 words

(29% wrote 4

words

17% wrote 6

words

56
 .05% wrote 7

words)
Table 3: Number of Words Written Over Time

In the beginning of my teaching time period, over half of my students wrote only one

word, and around one month later, not one student only wrote one word; all students wrote more

than one word. To encourage students to write more, throughout each day of reflections I would

ask the classroom translator to ask students to write or think for a bit longer when students were

rushing through or handing in their reflections within a minute of giving them the reflections. If I

had given students more time for the reflections in general, I believe the responses would have

been more elaborate because when I gave students the opportunity to write about their emotions,

the students had close to half an hour to write and the answers were significantly longer than the

daily reflections.

I saw students, within writing about their favorite parts of the day, grow in the detail and

elaboration of answers. For example, F8 wrote “color the letter” in English as her response for

her first week of answering: “What was your favorite part of the day?” My teaching partner had

given the students a worksheet that said “color the letter” at the top, so it is probable she was

copying from the worksheet that was on her desk. By week three, F8 wrote in Indonesian, “I like

to learn about high, I like to learn about high and low.” Here, this student shows a transfer from

something that was copied from a paper on the desk to something that was remembered from an

embodied experience that we did through movement in the class. With students, I integrated the

movement concept levels into their movement before I introduced the words associated with the

levels. This student remembered moving and embodying high and low before the words were

available in her notebook to copy from.

What was difficult about today?

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 As I asked students to identify their favorite parts of the day, I paired this with asking

students to dive into discovering what was difficult about the day. I asked students what was

difficult because this helps students uncover their challenges. Once challenges are identified,

approaches to adapt to the challenges can be also identified. I can receive information about

which aspects of class, both content or methodology, is challenging to students. Students may

also provide me information on emotional difficulty or something that may be related to

something beyond just this class. For example, F13 said that the English word “surprised” was

difficult, so the next day I went over the phonetics of the word “surprised” with students by

enunciating the word slower with students and having students repeat each part of the word. I

also had students go around the circle twice to create a gesture that represents “surprised” so they

could have a reinforcement of the word and meaning.

June 12th, 2019 65% wrote only 1 100% wrote only 2 or 0% wrote 3 or more

word fewer words words

July 3rd, 2019 .02% wrote only 1 .05% wrote only 2 or 97% wrote 3-12

word fewer words words

Table 4: Number of Words Written Over Time

As seen in this table, there is a decrease in short, abbreviated answers from students. 65

percent of students wrote just one word on week one. After practicing self-reflection, students

were able to write longer answers by week four. After four weeks of practicing writing self-

reflections, the number of students only writing one word decreased to .02%. This question was

only asked for four weeks because for week one, there were only four days in the week and

therefore only four questions.

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 .02% of students wrote only one word by week four. This means only one student in my

population wrote only one word by the end of the practice. I saw elaboration in reflection as a

skill that grew in students. For example, on week one, F4 wrote “playing” as what was difficult

about the day. On week four, F4 wrote “drawing, writing, reading, making circle, come to the

front of the class.” I see elaboration here and also specifications of what was difficult. With an

older class or having more time with this class, I would then ask students why this was difficult

for them. I notice this student said that coming in the front of the class was difficult for her. I find

this interesting because when I chose to have students come to the front of the class (to ask

students “how are you” or to create a clapping pattern), I utilized a volunteer system. This means

that this student volunteered to do something she recognized as difficult for herself. This shows a

significant level of engagement in her learning process and the ability to challenge herself for

self growth.

The content of what students found difficult also altered over the course of four weeks.

Week one many said “studying,” or “body parts.” Identifying body parts was the focus of the

week, and the most significant content that students could have remembered. “Studying” is a

more ambiguous word and I am unsure of the exact meaning for each student. This could mean

writing, reading, drawing, or moving as well.

Over time, students grew their perceptions of what learning strategies were used in the

classroom. By week four, students had been moving as a learning strategy in class every day.

Now, they have a new experience to compare to their past experiences. By week 4, 11 out of 15

students wrote “writing” somewhere in the answer. On week one, students may not have realized

that writing was difficult for them because it may be the primary way they have learned in

English class or other subjects.

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I am happy in class when_______

I gave students this sentence stem so they could dive into their own emotions and the

associations each emotion has with aspects of life and class. I can also gather information on

student preferences in their learning. As the teacher, discovering or identifying the students’

preferences in learning can help me integrate those aspects into class. I can also find information

in certain class methodologies that few or no students are recognizing as something that makes

them happy. For example, “writing” was used eight times in the completion of this prompt over

the course of five weeks across all students, and it was used only within week four and five. At

the beginning of the class, most of the writing was based in copying from the board. I adapted

the writing to be based in their own experiences (for example, based on when they feel certain

emotions).

Students can learn from this what makes them happy, so they can elaborate upon this in

class and in life and become happier through recognizing what makes them happy. When

students reflect upon this, students may also leave class remembering a joyful memory from the

day despite there being a range of emotions on each day and each class period.

June 7th, 2019 13% rewrote the 77% wrote only one 0% wrote 3 or more words

question word

July 4th, 2019 0% rewrote the .05% wrote only one 94% wrote 3 or more

question word words

Table 5: Number of Words Written Over Time

A significant theme I found with students was referencing me as the teacher in their

answers. There are multiple possible reasons for this. Students may be happy because of the

methodologies I have presented to them, they could have a sense of idolization with whoever

60
their English teacher is at that time, or they could be writing this with the desire to please me as

the teacher and write what they think I want to see. Students wrote things such as “I was taught

by a good teacher, you” (F9 and F10, week 3). F6 said “meet miss, learning, meet my friends,

singing” F10 said on week four “taught by miss,” M13 said on week five, “learning with miss

Riley,” and M15 said on week five “because of my friends and miss.” F2 on week 4 also

mentioned “miss” in her answer. M4 said, “I like to play with the teachers and they teach me

English” on week 2.

F7, on week one, wrote “study,” and then by just week two wrote “I like to learn English,

cycling, jumping, tennis, and I like running.” However, the same student who wrote this

elaborated answer on week two, returned to writing simply “study” on week three (F7). This

exemplifies both student attitude or emotions towards class and the time I gave students. There

were times I observed students writing their reflections as they packed their bags, or wrote them

standing and were visibly rushing through just to complete the reflection. Other days, all the

students would be sitting down and carefully writing and taking time to think about their

answers. While there were many growths within individuals throughout the five weeks,

improving reflection skills are something that is a long term progression. Growth is not always

completely linear. Often there are increases and decreases, in this case with the amount of

elaboration over time with reflections.

From the table, there is an increase in the number of words written by students over time.

This shows that on June 7th, 0% of the class wrote three or more words. By July 4th, 94% of the

class wrote three of more words. This shows students have developed in their ability to create

diversified answers as time passed in class. There is also a decrease from 13% to 0% in students

who simply rewrote the question and did not answer the question.

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I am special because _______

I asked students to write about why they are special because this is an open-ended

question that can provide students the opportunity to explore their self-identity. This can help

students to learn about and express their own characters and personalities. I chose to ask students

why they are special because throughout class, we had been focusing on individuality through

movement and answers. I encouraged individuality in the class through asking students to create

individualized movements as well as group movements. For example, I asked students to create

a movement based in the rhythm of saying “1,2,3” for the class to repeat. Student created group

movements often in the form of a pattern such as one student moving quickly and the next

student beside them moving slowly. Students, as they were practicing individualized movements,

were able to grow in their ability to write about why they are special. One example from class of

a movement exercise is when students were to create a gesture based on certain emotions to have

the class repeat as we all vocalized the emotion. Self-identity and autonomy stem from

identification of why one is special.

June 14th, 2019 0% wrote 15 or more 0% rewrote the Most words written

words question by one student in the

class: 12

June 28th, 2019 36% wrote 15 or 0% rewrote the Most words written

more words question by one student in the

class: 39
Table 6: Number of Words Written Over Time

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 I noticed within week one that many answers were in regards to English class or me as

the teacher. This is interesting as they may have not been encouraged to express themselves as

individuals in English class prior. Students may also have written about English because this is a

new specific situation for them. They may be identifying the situation of learning English with a

new teaching within a developmental progression, meaning the answer will be elaborated over

time. F6 wrote on week 2 as her response, I am special because I “meet with miss, meet with

friends.” This answer surrounds others as the focus rather than the self. Other humans are a large

part of one’s identity. There is a balance I want to teach in my classes between being an

individual and exploring self-identity and relating to the community and exploring cultural

identity. By week three, F6 wrote, “I am special because I am a champion, I am special because I

have praise, I am special because I'm the best in drawing, I am special when I'm studying, I am

special when learning how to read.” This shows that the students identifies more specific aspects

of self. This student sees herself as special because of her drawing skills and reading skills. She

also recognizes that praise is a source of feedback that can influence one’s perception of the self.

F7, on week one, wrote I am special because “I am happy because I got gifts.” By week

four, F7 wrote “I am smart, I am beautiful, I am honest, I am friendly, I care about my sister, I

am in class.” This student spoke about herself as an individual and her relationship to others.

This student recognizes herself as smart, beautiful, honest, and friendly, and also sees herself as

special because she cares for her sister. This shows her higher awareness to herself as part of a

community as well as a singular person.

M2 wrote on week one “because I got gifts, I can learn English.” This focuses on the

English class rather than himself as a person. He sees himself as special because he is learning

English. Since English is idolized in this population, this is a logical reason to feel special, since

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not everyone has access to an English education. While English is inevitably a part of many

English learners identities, I wanted to have students dive into their own selves rather than only

see themselves in relation to their English learning level. After experiencing a student-centered

classroom in which divergent answers were encouraged, M2 grew in his ability to see himself as

an individual. M2, on week three, wrote “I'm a good person and honest, I'm polite, I'm smart,

happy.” This shows his ability to identify traits in himself besides his ability to learn English.

Similarly, F16 on week one wrote “with friends in the class, my English getting better.” While I

believe identification of growth in the English language is a reason for students to feel special, I

feel my role as their English teacher in this context was to encourage them to see themselves

beyond just English learners. I want them to build an identity that does not require mastery of

English to be and feel special. By week three, F16 wrote “because I'm great, because I'm honest,

because I'm smart, because I'm special, because I'm pretty.”

As seen in the table, the number of words written increased significantly even just from

June 14th to June 28th. On June 14th, the most words a single student wrote in the class was 12. By

June 14th, there was a student who wrote 39 words. Although quantity is not the only measure of

an elaborate answer, the number of words is significant for the group of students who were

writing primarily one word answers in the beginning.

*See appendix: “Student Daily Self-Reflections” for all answers to daily student reflections.

Dance Concepts

Bony Landmarks/Body Parts

Bony landmarks are a part of the basic architecture of the body. Body parts is a larger

category that includes not only the bony landmarks but all parts of the body.

64
 Rationale

Knowledge and awareness of body parts is crucial in becoming aware of the self as a

whole. Bony landmarks and knowledge of body parts builds a foundation to explore various

dance concepts. Students will learn body parts so they can refer to and elaborate on those body

parts through movement exploration. Often the body is a neglected area of study in elementary

education, despite the body being such a crucial aspect of the self. This unit is sequenced as the

first unit because this builds a student knowledge foundation both in dance as concepts and

English skills surrounding the body. Once students have learned body parts, the concepts and

words can be used in future classes. This unit will create a map of the body for students to refer

to and expand upon as we use the body during class. The knowledge of the body can help

students sense, feel, and think critically about their bodies. The body is an important aspect to

holistic education. The mind, body, and spirit are an integrated system. The mind is often the

only part of the human self that is explored in teacher-centered education. I chose to teach

students about their body parts not only to teach new English vocabulary, but to teach conceptual

knowledge of the body. I taught students where their body parts are, and provided opportunities

to move their body parts in new ways. I taught students about their bodies to ultimately teach

students about their own self-identities.

Associated English Vocabulary

● head

● eyes

● ears

● mouth

● ears

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 ● nose

● shoulders

● elbows

● hands

● knees

● legs

● feet

● toes

● fingers

● arms

Phrases for implicit learning

● Where is your…

● Where are your...

● Can you move your...

Rationale

I chose these body parts as the vocabulary set for students because from what I observed

in students, this would be within their level of comprehension and memorization. I chose more

significant body parts that I thought would be most useful to students, while covering all areas of

the body. I repeatedly used the phrases “where is your…” or “where are your…” as well as “can

you move your…” for students to hear and gain understanding of, but I did not explicitly teach

these phrases. I did not write these phrases down for students or directly teach their meaning to

students, rather, I let the understanding come through using them in real context. I chose these

phrases to be used for implicit learning because I did not have the goal of needing students to

66
know or use the phrase, as I was focusing on body parts. Also, I saw these phrases as at a higher

level than student abilities in the time period I had. If I taught for a longer time period, I would

eventually break down the phrases and teach each word and its meaning.

Movement

The movement exercises within the body part unit consisted primarily of singular

movement exercises rather than repeated, set exercises. The movement song “head, shoulders,

knees, and toes” was an integrated arts exercise repeated throughout all five weeks of teaching.

Besides something like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” I chose to offer students a variety

of movement exercises within this unit because I was still pre-assessing students to see how

heavy reading and writing were going to be as a combination to movement in the class.

One exercises we performed as a class was a body chain with body parts. This was an

exercise done in class over a few days. The body chain consists of students connecting a body

part to the person next to them and vocalizing which body part is being moved. As a class, we

tried this once outside where students were all sitting as an audience, and one student at a time

would go up and connect to the person who went before them. We also tried this as a class where

we were already standing in a circle inside the classroom.

Another exercise in class that involved the movement of body parts was a movement

exercise that also assessed reading skills. In class, we passed a set of written body part cards

around, and each student chose a body part from the pile for the person to their right to move that

body part. As an extension of this, we went around the circle a day after this exercise and

students were to recall any body part for the person to their right to move. Here, I looked for

students abilities to recall a body part vocabulary and vocalize it with clarity and confidence.

67
 In class, we played red light green light with body parts. Beginning on one end of the

room, we moved each body part while travelling. To begin, we simply played red light green

light without body parts. This explores locomotor movement and stillness. Next, I added body

parts. On green light I said, for example, “can you move your legs?” “can you move your elbow?

Writing

I assessed student spelling abilities during the body parts unit as a pre assessment for all

five weeks of teaching. Each student received a paper with numbers 1-14 listed. For each

number, I vocalized a body part, and moved that body part. Students then wrote down the body

part that was said. This acts as a pre-assessment to see how student spelling is based on

vocalization, and whether they can write the word based in observation since we have been

working on embodying and observing movement of body parts all week.

I created a word search of body parts for students. Students were practicing the reading

skills since they were searching for the letters that are within each vocabulary word. The word

searches were when students were most quiet, reminding me why worksheets are alluring to

teachers who want to play a more passive role in a student's learning.

Vocalization

Students practiced vocalizing the body part vocabulary through all movement exercises

from class. Students had the opportunity to perform the vocalizations of body parts collectively

as a class in an experience such as singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” Students had the

opportunity to individually vocalize body parts in an experience such as the body chain. I chose

to have students vocalize body parts as a class so the class built community, and also so students

could gain confidence in the vocalization of body parts. Once students practice speaking as a

68
class, students may feel more comfortable with individual vocalizations. I also always went

around the circle when individual vocalizations were occurring. I chose this because when

everyone has an equal participation experience, students may feel less nervous than if I only put

a few students on the spot. I also chose to have vocalizations happen in a circle because I value a

circle for making a safe space for risk taking.

Integrated Arts

Singing that involves active movement of the body was a primary focus of the

methodology I used to teach body parts. For example, we sang “Head, Shoulders, Knees and

Toes” each day at least two times for the first week, and then we also sang this song often at the

end of class after the body part unit had passed. We also sang “Arms, Elbows, Legs, and Feet”

with the same tune as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” As the vocabulary list grew of body

parts, I replaced the body parts in the original “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” with other

body parts. There were multiple other exercises and experiences in class that surrounding the

body. Students had the chance to label a body diagram, students drew their own body and labeled

body parts in their notebooks, and more.

Student Learning Outcome Assessment

1. Students will demonstrate the
vocalization of their body part
vocabulary list.
2. Students will recognize their
vocabulary lists through reading
3. Students will create a movement
based on hearing a body part.
1. I assessed student’s ability to vocalize
their body parts through the body
chain.
I am looking for:
a. Are the students vocalizing the
body part in a clear way that is
understandable?
b. Which phonemes is the student
omitting?
c. What is the volume that the
student is speaking at?
2. I assessed student’s ability to read
their vocabulary list (focusing on sight

69
 words) by having the entire
vocabulary word set on the board, and
having students in groups of three
move the body part that I point to on
the board. Each group will get a
chance to move every single body
part.
I am looking for:
a. Are students are moving the
body part I am pointing to?
b. With what level of confidence
are the students moving that
body part?
c. Are certain students looking at
other members of their group
to know which body part to
move?
3. I assessed students in their creation of
movement within the body part
flashcard passing game. Here, students
chose a body part for the person to
their right to move in a way they
choose.
I am looking for:
a. The student is moving the
correct body part
b. With what quality is the
student moving the body part?
How confident is that student
in moving that body part?

Results

When experiencing the creation of the body chain, students were able to vocalize a body

part before connecting that body part to the person next to them. When we performed the body

part chain outside, the students all sat down and then stood up to go and add to the body chain

which was set up as an audience and a stage. When doing this, the students sitting and waiting

for their turn were slightly restless and showed this through fidgeting, shouting, standing up, etc.

70
However, we did successfully create the body chain with every single student connected. We

then went down the line again, and students identified the body part that was connected to their

classmates next to them. When we tried the body part chain indoors, and here we were in a circle

formation. This was successful, and moved along faster than our outdoors body chain.

On June 11th, 2019, I write:

Body Chain: Students were not completely wanting to touch one another
for extended periods of time, and many would refuse to touch somebody of
another gender.

Students were selective about who they felt comfortable touching. Most students did not

want to touch someone of the opposite gender. Students were also selective about the body parts

used.

I created a book of vocabulary body part cards for students to flip though to choose which

body part their classmate to their right would create a movement for. Students were eager to have

a turn holding the cards, as this was a leadership role. The person holding the cards had the

power to choose a body part for their peer to move. Also, they had the class’s attention.

On June 5th, 2019, I write:

Passing cards: jumping, not waiting, it was a challenge when some

students took a while to choose the card for the students to embody. Students
were excited and smiling when they were passed the card pile to choose from.

Within the same unit of body parts, I introduced locomotor movement as well as stillness

and movement. I did this through playing “red light, green light” with students outside. To play, I

would show a large red circle or a large green circle on a piece of paper. If I showed the green

light, the students would move towards me. When I showed a red light, the students would need

to freeze. I incorporated body parts into the locomotor movement. I would ask students to move

with that body part. The primary challenge that resulted from playing “red light, green light” was

71
that some students ran away from our space during the “green light.” Once I introduced body

parts, this helped students focus their movement.

On June 6th, 2019, I write:

When playing red light green light, students were active in creating three
lines. Students were eager to find a line once I told them to make three lines.
However, the back line tended to become distracted. I could, in the future, have
students all move at once so everyone is engaged. I also may need to add in
additional incentives and extrinsic goals to students for being engaged, and this
may help them eventually have their own desires for being engaged. Most
students are engaged and eager to learn and self-regulated when it comes to
focusing on the task at hand, however, some students are still challenged in this
area.

I assessed students in their spelling as a pre-assessment. I wanted to see if students could

spell the vocabulary words on their own so I could see where student literacy skills were. I

handed out to all students a sheet of paper with numbers 1-14 listed. I told students to clear their

desks. I then said each body part and moved that body part. If the word was “head,” I moved my

head and pointed to my head and said the word “head” multiple times loudly and clearly. During

the pre-assessment of the spelling the vocabulary words, I observed many students express

anxiety both in their facial expressions and in their vocal tones. Many students took out their

notebooks even when I told them to clear their desks. From the anxiety I felt and saw from

students, I chose to continue the assessment even with uneven circumstances among students.

Some students copied the spelling of the words while others did not. I still gathered information

from this. Aside from the spelling data I received, I also received information based on

qualitative observation. Students felt the need to impress me as an English teacher, which is why

they wanted to spell the words perfectly by looking at their notes rather than be informally

assessed.

72
key Hands Ears Nose Mouth Head Shoulders Eyes Legs Feet Toes Knees Elbow Arm Fingers
s s

F17 hens iyus naus mausb hed sodrs aes leKs piks chos niKs eLbas ons finggros

M1 Hands Ears Nose Mouth Head Shoulders Eyes Legs Feet Toes Knees Elbow Arm FiNGERS

F3 HANDS EARS NOS MouTH HEAD SHOUlDE EyES Legs Feet ToEs KNEES ELBo ArM FingERs
E RS w s

F2 HaNd Ears Nose MouTh Head ShoulDErs Eyes Legs Fing Toes KNEEs Elbow Arm Fingers
ers s s

F7 HANDS Ears Nose Mouth Head SHoulders Eyes leg Feet Toes knees Elbow Arm FingErs
s s

F6 HANDS EARS Nose MouTh Head Shoulders Eyes Legs Feet Toes Knees eLbow arms FiNGers

M7 Hens nyus nas maat Hen sades aes lens wis coos Hen lebos hans ous

M19 men imos mos mauk men jagonda eik len pint tojoc majt meepo ping pingo
o o

M13 HaNds EaRs NoSE MouTH Head SHouldeRs Eyes Leg FEE ToEs NEEs ELBO ARm FingeRs
T W s

M20 mep idu idu nazu puua jogain jogaia lema lama trit keda kela goga gogain
in

F1 hAnd eaRs nose mouth Head sHaulDers Eyes Legs Feet toes KNEES elbows Arm finger
s

F5 HAnDs ears nose mauth Head shoder eyEs leg Feet Toes Knees ELB Arm FingeRs
s

F10 HaNDs Ears Nose Mouth Head ShoULDers Eyes Leg Feet ToEs KNEES ELBO Arm FingERs
W s

F8 HAnds Ears Nose Mouth Head Shoulders Eyes LeGs FeeT Toes Knees ElBow Arm Fingers
s

M9 Hands Ears nose mouTH Head SHouldER EYES leg FEE TOE NEES ELBO orms FingERS
S T S W

M6 HAnds Ears Nose mouth Head SHouLders Eyes Legs FeeT TOE knees ELBO AR Fingers
S W MS

F14 hens niyus naus mausb hed soders aes leKs fiKs chos niKs eLbau oms finggos
s

F18 hens hiyus nuns maub hed soders aes leks Fiks chos niks elbaus oms finGGos

F12 SHOULDE pyes LeG TOE KnEE

RS S

F13 N SHOULDE eyes LEG TOE KNEE

RS S

F9 HaNDS Ears Nose Mauth Head Shoulders eyes Leg Feet Toes knees elbo arms finggor

M11 hen iyus nose mor head seden eyes leg Feet toes Nees Ellbo Arm Finge
s

73
M8 hen iyus nas lot

M3 Haan Ears Nose Mouth HanD SHouDErs Eyes LEgs FEEt Toes knees ELBO Arm FINGErS
W

M2 Haan Ears Nose mouTH HanD Shoulders Eyes Legg Feet Ioes knees ELBO Arm FiNGES
W

F4 Hands Ears Nose Mouth Head SHoulders Eyes Legs FeeT Toes Knees Elbow arms Fingers

Table 7: Spelling Assessment of Body Parts

On June 7th, 2019, I write:

Students did not understand that I wanted to see what they knew, and they
did not have to write it down perfectly. Students, during the pre-assessment, were
eager to open their notebooks under their desks in secret or open the wordsearch
and then quickly close it as I came by. I noticed some students did not know how
to write the words at all without looking at it. I knew this would skew my pre-
assessment vs. assessment comparison but students were not adapting to not look
at their notebooks for answers. I tried to keep asking them to try without it,
however many did look at their notebooks. In the future, I would have students
clear their desks first. During the pre-assessment, students responded with worried
facial expressions, and an eagerness and panic to look at their notes before
“guessing” the spelling of the body parts I was saying.

I implemented word searches into class to have students practice reading the words, and

so I could assess students in their ability to identify letters and practice letter patterns that create

a word.

On June 7th, 2019, I write:

The wordsearch went very well and students were all engaged. Students
were eager to find the words, and sometimes so eager they were not able to check
their own work because many told me they were finished but either had mistakes
such as not circling the entire word, or missing words circled completely. There
was quiet however during this independent practice. This makes me realize that
independent practices and problem solving through puzzles are a way this class in
particular focuses. When faced with a problem, the students are eager to solve it
creatively and find an end goal. End goals are really important to these students,
and they show that through being excited to “complete” something. I am
wondering how performances, possibly of movement, will play into this
completion and problem solving.
Something that surprised me was that not all students could complete the word search

completely accurately. If the word was “elbow,” for example, even when there was a word bank

74
some students would only circle “e-l-b-o.” This surprised me because the word bank was

underneath, however I think students were moving quickly through the word search and they

missed letters because of a feeling to finish the word search as quickly as possible. Students

responded to me handing them the word search with eagerness and excitement. I observed this

because students would reach for the word search paper when I was handing them out and the

room was filled with laughter. When the students all received their word searches, the room was

silent and all students were focused on the word search.

Singing was a time in class that resulted in high engagement from students. Students

participated through movement and through confident vocalizations. Students also participated

through remaining within the circle if we were singing. If students were not in the circle, they

would enter the circle if we began to sing. The song that was central to the body parts unit was

“Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” This song was also sung with the same tune however with

different body parts inserted into the song. The students were excited by this challenge and eager

to learn new lyrics.

On June 6th, 2019, I write:

The head, shoulders, knees, and toes song went well because students
were familiar with the tune, and sang loudly and all students were engaged. This
brought rhythm to vocabulary. When singing, pronunciation is enforced in a new
way. Students were almost all moving and singing during this section of class.
Students were even more engaged and paying attention through their body
language (looking at me, facing me, etc) when I was switching out body parts,
such as singing elbows instead of shoulders. Singing is a time when students are
engaged, not only mentally but physically.
Students show joy often when they are singing, and they also all are
moving their bodies since we have been singing songs with dances to accompany
the songs. Students all join in when it is a song they know, because they can feel
accomplished, confident, and also can express vocabulary in a way that is
engaging to the whole self. When singing, there is a different body response than
listing or reciting lists of words. Singing is a rhythmic experience, and the body
and mind connect in a unique way during rhythmic experiences.

75
 When I first introduced the body parts to students, for most students this was new

information, or at least information they had not retained. There was one student (F4) who sang

“head, shoulders, knees, and toes” before I introduced it to her. I knew the information was new

because when I asked students to move certain body parts, they moved each body part with

hesitation. I also had students label and draw and body in their notebooks and I saw all students

needed to copy from the board. I did not know how many body parts students would know, but

the body parts I selected were within the students’ developmental range and a challenge for

them. As the week progressed, students gained knowledge as well as confidence in moving their

body parts in a diversity of ways.

On June 4th, 2019, I write:

I saw almost all students moving their body parts upon hearing the
vocalization of the word. For example, when I said, “can you move your head?”
almost all students did move their head. A few students looked around the room.
This may have been for affirmation, or the student may not know the word yet.
Students did write the body part words down, however these were copied from the
board. I did check every students’ notebook to see if they had correctly spelled
and labeled the body parts from copying the board one body part at a time. All
students successfully copied the words down, with the exception of one girl
writing “noes” instead of “nose.” When I helped her and corrected the word, she
excitedly thanked me. Now that students have copied words, I will move into
reading and writing without copying. I could work to assess how students can
write the words based on vocalization alone/hearing the word. I also want to work
towards students reading the word but also demonstrating the meaning of the
word as well.

When I completed the reading assessment for students, I was able to observe all students

in small groups and their ability to read the vocabulary words. There were challenges that

affected the class as a whole. The most difficult words for students were “eyes” and “ears.” I

believe this is true because these two words appear the same and the students were working on

sight words. With more time with the class, I would be teaching phonetics as a heavier portion of

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class so student reading skills would develop. However, developmentally students were at the

stage that vocalization and recognition were my primary goals. Students mixed up “eyes” and

“ears” because of the words’ appearances. Along the same idea of a word’s appearance, students

were able to memorize words such as “shoulders” and “knees” strongly because of their unique

appearance. “Shoulders” was the longest word I taught, and “knees” was unique in that it began

with a “k.” Students demonstrated confidence in the majority of the words that I pointed to.

Students may have also been confidence because they were performing with a group rather than

on their own. I sometimes needed to prompt students. From this assessment, I made the choice to

not include reading in my student learning outcomes for my further units. I chose this because

since student reading skills were not as strong as their vocalization skills, I wanted to focus on

the use and application of the word. I would rather have students be able to say the vocabulary

word and demonstrate the concept through their bodies than read the word based on their current

developmental level.

Evaluation

One of the most significant challenges to the body chain was that all students were

hesitant to touch someone of the opposite gender. When they needed to, there was shouting and

laughter and even running away. Culturally, men and women in relationships in Bali are not

permitted to even hold hands in any public setting. Because of this, students may have developed

the idea that touching others is awkward or uncomfortable, especially if they are of the opposite

gender. This is interesting because the students will touch one another so willingly when the

students are of the same gender. During break, the boys would wrestle and the girls played hand

clapping games. The girls were also eager to touch me whenever they got the chance. During

break, the girls would hold my hand, rub my arms, and sit on my lap and play with my hair or

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touch my face. I never experienced this from any male student. In class, when the students were

being physically aggressive or distracted when standing in a circle, often I would change the

student’s locations and ask students to create a “boy, girl, boy, girl” pattern in the circle. This

always resulted in outbursts, backlashes, running away, and shouting. I am curious about how

students are taught to view the opposite sex within Bali. I am wondering if this is specific to my

school, Bali, or all of Indonesia.

Students were excited to pass around the deck of cards that had the body part vocabulary

on it because this transferred the power from the teacher to the student. The student had the

choice of which card to show the class. The student with the deck of cards was who the rest of

the class focused on. This was in introduction to performance. This was a simple exercise,

however each student had the opportunity to “run” the class even if for a few minutes. Students

responded well to this through smiling when receiving the cards. This was also done so students

could practice reading. When the student with the deck of cards chose a body part, they showed

it to the class prior so the students could practice reading the word based on sight.

I taught locomotor movement so students could begin to experience locomotor and non

locomotor movement in their bodies. Through being required to “freeze” at a red light, this also

helped me gain control of the class. With a class that has the natural tendency to always be on the

move, freezing was important for students to also take a moment to self-reflect on their

movement. I was not surprised by the students who ran off during the “green light” because we

were outside and the area was more expansive. A large physical space provides me room for

more exercises that require large amounts of space, however the classroom walls provide

containment for students. Because there were many distractions outside, I was resistant to

complete many exercises outside after the first week, and although we did explore exercises

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throughout all five weeks outside, I made the decision to keep students within the classroom for

many exercises.

I believe that students showed anxiety when asked to spell the words without being able

to copy because they have been taught that striving for a correct answer and an end product

should be their primary goal. The process may not have been taught to students. Making

mistakes, and spelling incorrectly is a part of the process. I want to teach students that not

everything has to be based in having a correct answer. Not everything is black and white, and it

is important to work towards a process rather than just a product. Process is a part of a student’s

self identity, as they reflect on their own self through identifying strengths and weaknesses.

Students were also eager to please me as the teacher. This relates to not only the human and

societal desire to please authority, but cultural inequality in that the students wanted to please the

English speaking teacher. English speakers are seen as important figures because English seen as

the key to success, and for many English is the key to success. Students as young as second

grade are aware of English playing a role in their future success. Students showed anxiety in

wanting to be perfect. Students cared more about writing down the correct words than learning

about their own learning. The need to be perfect stems from learning in a way that involves black

and white answers. Although this particular writing assignment did have clear correct or

incorrect answers, the anxiety I saw from students told me they are hyperfocused on completing

the one correct answer. From this, my prediction that students had been taught in teacher-

centered ways was validated. I introduced divergent answers and problems with diverse answers

into class, to build self-identity and to teach students to think complexly and that not everything

has just one answer. I also was able to see spelling trends in students, and capitalization trends in

students from this data collection.

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 During the word search that students were completing, the students were quiet and

focused. This was a contrast to the majority of the class where we were performing movement

exercises that required much more engagement from me as the teacher. Upon reflection, this

experience validated why many teachers choose worksheets for students to complete.

Worksheets such as word searches are passive for the teacher. Once I passed out the word search,

the students completed it mostly without my help. While students were practicing their reading

skills and it was a valuable experience, if this was my only way of teaching, students would not

be learning in many different ways and I as the teacher would not be teaching them, but rather

giving students activities to occupy time. Since administering worksheets can be the easiest on

the teacher and the least energy exerting, it is an attractive option. For teachers who are

volunteering, they may not have the goal of developing their own teaching skills or developing

the skills of students. When this is the case, worksheets are used heavily in the classroom as

something that students do for the entire class period. This discovery in the quiet classroom I

experienced during the word search has larger implications in relation to teaching methodologies

used by volunteer teachers. It would be effective for volunteer teachers to learn about alternative

teaching strategies such as movement as pedagogy to positively impact student learning.

Singing was a time in class students were highly engaged. The rhythm of singing helped

students remain focused. Singing can also help with the memorization of vocabulary words

because vocabulary words now have a tune to them. I chose singing for every unit, but especially

this one because of the length of the vocabulary list. When I taught prepositions, for example,

there were only five prepositions I wanted students to learn. There were 14 body parts that I

wanted students to learn, and because of how long this vocabulary list is I knew that singing

would be important in memorization. I chose to have students embody the body parts by moving

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the body parts as we were singing. This directly relates to the “enactment effect” which says that

words are better encoded into long term memory when gesture is paired with a vocalization.

Singing is something I would integrate even more heavily into my future classes. Singing is

something that I have not studied or practiced in my educational background. An exploration in

learning new songs is something I have discovered that I want to do in my next teaching English

experience.

I taught students about their body because I wanted to teach students through holistic

education. Holistic education involves learning through both the mind and the body. Through

learning about the body, I was not only wanting students to memorize words but I wanted

students to actually feel their body, learn how to move their bodies, and understand what their

body can do. Miriam Giguere writes about the mind-body connection in “Dancing Thoughts: An

Examination of Children’s Cognition and Creative Process in Dance.” Based in Rene Descartes’

idea called Cartesian duality, educators and humans often see the brain and body as dichotic

(Giguere 2011, 6). With untrained teachers coming into the students’ classroom in Bali, these

teachers may only be teaching to the mind. They may only be teaching to the mind because this

is all they know. Many people were only taught through the focus on the mind, and then this

becomes the way they teach others. The focus on the mind and the body as a pedagogy would be

beneficial for volunteer teachers to learn about. The mind and the body work as one cohesive

unit to make up the human self. This is why teaching through movement is so beneficial for

students emotionally, socially, and cognitively.

Postural Movement

“According to Rudolf Laban’s system: Laban Movement Analysis, in the Body

category under the sub-title of Body Level Concepts: Postural Movement (postural shift):

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Movement of the body as a whole. All parts of the body move at the same time in synchronicity.

The spine/core is always involved in a postural shift. (Such as a weight shift when seated on two

knees to shift to one hip). Posture-gesture merger (PGM) or Gesture-Posture Merger: When

moving in an authentic way, movement that is integrated and synchronized through similar effort

or quality throughout the entire body (including the limbs); the posture and gesture is merged

into a single unified whole body motion. Psychologists have confirmed that, Posture-Gesture

Mergers accompany verbal expressions that are truthful, relaxed, sincere or authentic. PGM

(integrated movement) or a moment of integration occurs when a gesture merges into or out of a

postural movement. The gesture & postural movements must contain the same quality or

movement elements. At the moment of integration the body always looks as if it is all together,

moving in a coherent way. Studies have shown, that the more mergers that occur, the more the

individual is acting in accordance with the ‘real self.’”

Rationale
I chose to use full body movements in class because this is an elaboration on the basic

body parts, as students have an increased awareness of which body parts they are moving when

they choose a movement. Students created movements with their bodies to connect with their

own self expression. Single postural movement is the building block to longer sequencing of

movement. Students are gaining kinesthetic awareness of singular movements before stringing

movements together into a dance phrase. Students can, through postural movement, express a

feeling or word. This was a concept introduced so students can learn about divergent answers

and learn how to make different expressions. Students can learn how to appreciate diversity in

answers through observing their peers. They can also explore their own self-identity through

making various choices in movement.

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 Experience 1

Name Game: Embodying Peer Movements

To introduce names and begin class with an introduction to movement, we played a name

game each day for the first week of class in which students vocalized their name, and then

performed a movement to accompany their name. Then, the rest of the class would repeat the

name and the movement.

Associated English Vocabulary

This exercise did not explicitly teach any vocabulary, however I used English vocabulary

that students were exposed to repeatedly.

Phrases used for implicit learning:

● I am going to say my name and do a movement, and you will all repeat it

● Can you do a movement with that?

Rationale
I chose to have students only focus on the vocalization of their names so students could

gain confidence in speaking in front of myself and their classmates. I used certain phrases

multiple times which students could learn implicitly through hearing the phrases. From speaking

and vocalizing their names, students were introduced to individual performance they would then

use to vocalize English words in class.

Movement

I chose to play this name game because students are able to gain confidence in speaking

with something they know well, students are making choices in movement, students are

practicing observation skills, students are learning about diversity of choices to build a creative

mindset, we are standing in a circle to build community, I as the teacher can learn names,

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students are practicing performing but with low stakes, and there is a rhythmic pattern to the

vocalizations and repetitions. Students needed to make a movement choice in this game.

Students had a blank canvas to create movement with. This practiced improvisation in movement

because students had little time to create the movement, and they created and embodied the

movement for the first time in front of the class. Students were also to repeat the rest of the

class’s movement. Here, they practice observation skills. Students needed to observe the

movement and then embody the movement. As students embody the movement of others, they

are learning about diversity in choices. Students are standing in a circle where they can see all

other students, and building awareness of who is around them. Standing in a circle creates

equality between myself and the students and between students. At their desks, they sit in rows

where everyone has a different distance between one another and each student can not see

everyone in the class. Students through this exercise are practicing performing, however in a

low stakes environment. Since we are standing in a circle, there is a softer dynamic than if we

were to sit down and one person at a time would walk to the front of the classroom and perform.

The rhythmic pattern of the names helps in building focus in students. Students need to be alert

to what is coming next and when it is their turn. Since they need to repeat everyone’s movement,

students also need to be focused at all times.

Writing
The writing that integrated into this experience was related to students writing their

names on papers each day. There was no English vocabulary related to this experience. I was

here able to assess which students were able to write and spell their name clearly. This was an

important assessment because if a student can not write their own name, it may be an indicator

that they will have a difficult time writing and spelling newly introduced words in English.

Vocalization

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 In the beginning of class, I wanted students to be able to practice individual

vocalizations, however with something they are confident in. Since their own name is a word

they probably are most confident, I wanted them to gain the ability to pronounce their name

clearly with an understandable volume before moving on to new words and new vocalizations. I

chose this because students can then have experience with individual vocalizations so they could

begin to take more risks in vocalization.

Integrated arts
For this activity, we used movement, vocalization, and writing. I chose this to occur in

the first days and weeks also because this taught students how to listen to one another, and how

to respect one another as contributing humans in the learning process. I wanted students to learn

how to be as attentive to one another as they are to me. This is to help set up a student-centered

classroom since students would be contributing to their learning every day.

Student Learning Outcome Assessment

1. Students will demonstrate a
movement with their body that is
performed for the duration of a
vocalization of their own name.
1. I will observe and listen to students.
I am looking for:
a. What is the level of confidence
in the vocal volume and tone of
speech of the student?
b. What is the quality of the
movement (is it strong, is it
light, etc)?
c. What is the time it takes for the
student to create the
movement?

Results

The name game is something I have used in many dance classes and with students of all

ages. I observed trends in this class that I have seen with students in the U.S. The first time we

did this game, students were using a long duration of time to come up with a movement. The

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class would wait for a given student to create a movement anywhere from five to 30 seconds. As

the week progressed, the name game was stronger for students. Students demonstrated their

ability to create movement in quicker time. I noticed that students’ volume in their name also

increased with time. At first, students were speaking in low tones and low volumes. I would need

to ask students to repeat their name louder so I could hear them and learn their name. I gestured

my hand upwards, with my palm facing up, or cupped my ear to communicate to the students I

needed their vocal volume to be increased. I assessed students on the first day in their ability to

write their name. I also continued to assess this every time the students wrote their name on

assignments. All students would successfully write and spell their name clearly besides one

student (M20), who wrote his name correctly sometimes but often would omit his name, change

an “a” to an “o,” or omit one of the letters in his name.

On June 4th, 2019 as a part of my reflection for the first class, I write:

A challenge arose within the name game, because many students did not want to
or could not say their name simultaneously with doing the movement. Most students said
their name and then did a movement. Most students needed a prompt, “can you do a
movement with that?” and me showing different movement. Also with the name game,
students did not catch on to the simultaneous repeating of the student’s movement. Once
the student said their name with a movement, I had to count 1,2,3, and then students
could repeat their movement. When not counted in, students did not repeat the
movement.
With this name game activity but also throughout class in general, many students
spoke very quietly. One student was especially quiet in class and showed little interest,
and even fright, in speaking. With this student, she spoke quietly and then the rest of the
class, in harmony, repeated what she said to me loudly. I felt the class was in support of
her, and I am curious how she might find confidence in speaking throughout the time.

Vocalization as simultaneous with movement seemed to be a new skill that students were

learning in this class. I observed that students compartmentalized movement and speaking,

making the “enactment effect” something that students probably had not explored in previous

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classes. The name game was a pre-assessment to see how students performed as individuals in

class. As I counted students in “1,2,3” this introduced rhythm to class and I learned the

importance of rhythm in class as a focus for students. The quiet volume that many students used

when introducing their own names gave me the impression that students had been taught in

teacher-centered methods because students were not comfortable performing on their own as an

individual.

During the lesson plan for lesson two (June 5th, 2019), I write:

I am repeating not only so I can learn names, but I noticed yesterday that
many students were not confident in speaking and moving together.

Many students wanted to speak and then move, and many copied others’
movements. We will repeat the name game we played in the previous class. I am
making this choice because some students were comfortable and some were not.
Also, the cohesiveness of the class was not as strong as it could be. It was not
clear when students were repeating and students would repeat the movement at
various times. It was unclear when they were embodying one another’s
movement and when they were performing their own movement. I also will
repeat this because this was a part of class that brought much joy. I also need to
have the names repeated so I can learn them consistently. It will be interesting to
see how students become more confident with their names and speaking with
confidence over time.

On June 5th, as a part of my reflection for the second class, I write:

When we went outdoors for the name game, I thought it may be difficult
for students to focus however this was one of the most focused times in class. For
half of the class, this was a repeat of an activity, and many even chose new
movements. There was laughter and joy during this time.

Evaluation
This experience of the “name game” was building a foundation for vocalization and

movement as simultaneous. This directly relates to Macedonia et. al. and the “enactment effect.”

Macedonia et. al. argues that if verbal phrases are accompanied by self-performed actions, the

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retrieval of those verbal phrases is stronger than if verbal information was only heard or read.

Although with this movement exercise the students were using their own name, it was practicing

their ability to be able to use the vocalization with the movement when new English words were

introduced into class. Macedonia et. al. says that language and gesture are an integrated system.

Experimental evidence has shown that information encoded through embodiment is retrieved in

better quantity, and decays more slowly compared to audiovisual encoding (Macedonia et. al.

2011). As students practice the ability to clearly pronounce their name with a movement, they

are practicing the skills that will aid them in their ability to learn new vocabulary words in class.

Students took longer periods of time when I first introduced this experience I think because

creating movement spontaneously may not be something they are used to doing in class. I asked

students to improvise movement. This involves decision making, performance, and active

involvement in learning. Students play a completely active role in their contribution to the class.

Decision making and confidence in movement and vocalization is something that can be

improved with practice. I saw students were able to make quicker decisions on how to use their

body (and therefore their self and expression) over time. Within only four days of practicing the

name game, students were able to show a stronger rhythmic pattern as an entire class. By day

four, there was steadiness in the beat and rhythm of “name,” “repeat the name,” “name,” “repeat

the name.” When practicing how to use the body, students were exploring their self identity

through expressing their own name with their body.

Emotion Expressions

A unit on emotions was integrated into class through teaching eight core emotions, and I

focused on teaching students how to express each emotion through their bodies and how to write

about when they feel each emotion. The eight emotions that were focused on in class were:

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happy, sad, excited, worried, scared, proud, angry, surprised. For each emotion, the students

drew and colored a body to express how they feel when they are each of these emotions. With

this, they wrote about three times they feel each emotion. With writing and drawing, we also

practiced multiple movement exercises surrounding emotion. One movement exercise practiced

emotion expressions that one student would perform and the other students would embody. Also

using postural movement, students explored the creation of movements associated with eight

different emotions. Students vocalized a certain emotion and simultaneously performed a

movement that represented that emotion. The class would embody that student’s movement and

repeat the vocalization of the emotion. This parallels our name game and rhythmic counted

movements in that embodying other’s movements can help students gain broad perspectives on

differences in student choices as well as practice observation skills.

Associated English Vocabulary

● happy

● sad

● worried

● excited

● angry

● scared

● proud

● surprised

Rationale

I chose these eight English emotions because eight words seemed to be within students’

range of abilities. I also chose these eight emotions because it teaches a range of emotions. I

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wanted students to not only explore how they feel when they are happy, but how they feel and

when they feel more negative emotions. All of the emotions have synonyms, however I chose the

word that I thought would be most ubiquitous in their English learning and exposure. I chose

“happy” rather than “joyful” because “happy” is most likely to be exposed to them and is a more

common word and description than “joyful.”

Movement

Through this experience, students are exploring their self-identity through making

choices in creating a movement that represents how they feel when they feel certain emotions.

The personalized movement that the students create can increase the student’s abilities to

memorize, comprehend, and apply the vocabulary word. When students are embodying the

movements of others, they are observing the movement of others and building an awareness for

diversity in answers. Students are generating a movement based on how they feel when they feel

certain emotions, which exercises their intrapersonal intelligence.

Writing

Students wrote about when they feel each emotion. The instructions were to color in the

blank body based on how they feel when they feel the given emotion, and then on the back they

were to write three times or instances in which they feel each emotion. I chose to have students

write in Indonesian so they could reflect and write based on their highest writing abilities.

Reflection may not be able to be incorporated as a primary piece of class if I were to limit

students to only write in English. I chose to give students the opportunity to write about when

they feel each emotion so they can create personalized associations with the emotions. Creating a

personalized association with each emotion may help students remember the emotion easier.

This is also a way for me to check for understanding of the vocabulary word based on student

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responses. Cultural and individual themes can be analyzed based on student responses.

Reflection can help students gain a stronger sense of self-identity because they are writing about

their own experiences and making their own choices in writing.

Vocalization

Students vocalized each vocabulary word surrounding emotion first as an entire class,

and then each student had the opportunity to individually vocalize the word. When they

vocalized the word, they were creating a movement with their vocalization and we were also

standing in a circle. The circle contributed to this being a formative assessment and students may

have felt more comfortable in a circle where everyone was equal distance from one another

rather than a more formal performance. I chose to have each student vocalize the word

individually so I can assess students in their delivery, pronunciation, and confidence. Students

also are vocalizing each emotion vocabulary word individually so students can practice listening

to other students in their delivery of the English word.

Integrated Arts

Color was a primary focus of the emotions unit in class. “My Many Colored Days” by

Dr. Suess was the piece of literature that I integrated into class. I read the book to students, and

from this I asked the students to color in a blank outline of a body with colors, shapes, and

designs that represented how students felt with each emotion. This brought a level of abstraction

to the class. When students associate a color with an emotion, the translation is not literal since

the visual representation of color is translated from a feeling through synesthesia (the idea

stimulation in one sense leads to involuntary experiences in a second sense).

Results: Movement

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 From one video in which the students performed an expression of movement to show

their feelings when the are excited, the movements are tracked through the following table:

Student Movement (“Excited”)

F8 shaking both fists in the air above her head

F15 shaking right fist in air above her head

F7 shaking both fists in front of her face

F13 jumping into wide second position with legs

and shaking “jazz” hands with arms straight
above her head

F18 wide second position of the feet, arms open

into open shape

F17 jazz hands shaking above parallel first feet

F16 bent arms above head with fists in the air

F4 wiggling body down to plie and waving arms

while plie down and come back to standing

F19 jump straight up, open fists in the air and

return to land

F9 bring right fist to left side of chest

F10 jump into the air with open palms

M19 two fists shaking next to his head

M13 two fists shaking next to his head, wide/ out to

the side

M6 right fist shaking next to his head

M2 bring thumb across neck

M15 dab, dab

M21 thumbs up with both hands with arms straight

in front of the body

M5 right fist shaking in the air

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M14 thumbs up with both hands, elbows in towards
body
Table 8: Excited Expressions

Student Movement (“Proud”)

M4 Arms crossed, chest lifted, feet wider than

hips

M5 feet wider than hips, both arms straight back

down by sides reaching back into back space,
hands in fists

M14 arms crossed, feet under hips

F14 right fist pumping above head

M10 both fists pumping above head

F16 hands on hips, chest out

F8 hands on hips, chest out

F9 right hand in fist to left side of chest

F15 right hand in fist above head arm bent, one fist
pump

F6 right fist to left side of chest

F7 right fist to left side of chest

F21 left fist to right side of chest

F19 right hand to left side of chest

F11 both hands on hips

F13 jump to right side, right arm above head and

left hand lower and jazz hands with both
hands

M8 arms crossed

M21 left fist to right side of chest

M7 both forearms crossed, fingers in finger guns

M13 both forearms crossed, hands with all fingers

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 up besides middle finger and ring finger
Table 9: Proud Expressions

Evaluation
Brain imaging experiments have displayed that if a person embodies a word, its neural

representation contains a motor element, meaning the brain associates the word with action to

create a mental image. The “Connectivity Model of Semantic Processing” says the use of gesture

paired with the word enriches the representation of the word by creating a more complex

representation, thus a stronger memory of the word. Language needs to be learned in a

multimodal way that includes self-involvement in order for depth of knowledge.

From the table, it is seen that students demonstrated the ability to create a movement

unique to them. While there were repetitions in similar movements, each student performed an

individual movement and many students performed a movement quite different than the person

who moved directly before them. Between the emotion “excited” and “proud” there are overall

differences in student responses. During the embodiments of the word “excited,” the students

generally all moved for a longer period of time and did shaking movements such as jazz hands or

wiggling their arms. When expressing the emotion “proud,” students generally performed

sharper, shorter, stronger movements. This may be due to the syllable rhythm in the words, as

“excited” is a much longer word (three syllables) than “proud” which is one syllable.

This exercise was done because this practices performance skills, decision making,

problem-solving, individualization, observation skills, and vocalization skills.

Through this, a challenge I faced was that students often did not always repeat or fully

embody the movement of their peers. While I encouraged students to embody the movement, I

focused on each student performing a movement expression as the primary focus. On June 21st,

2019 I write:

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 Today, we went around in a circle and repeated one another’s expressions and
vocalizations of the emotion. However, many students did not repeat the movement
of their classmates. This was a challenge because instead, they talked or moved in a
way that was distracting to me and others. To adapt, I walked over to the students
not repeating the emotion expression and watched them and made sure they knew I
was watching them. I also stopped and reminded students to repeat it, and pausing
was effective because then each student was given the attention of their classmates.
I think I will adapt in future classes to even have students go around and show an
expression without the class repeating it so I can analyze how students are more or
less engaged when the circle moves faster.

Although this day I wrote about pausing, I did not pause everyday if everybody was not

embodying the movement for the reason that the rhythmic pattern keeps students focused. As we

go around the circle embodying “excited,” we have the pattern of “excited, excited” “excited,

excited” in vocalization.

Results: Writing

See appendix F.

Evaluation

From the written responses from students, I can assess student understanding. Although

each individual feels different emotions within different situations, I can gather information on

cultural themes as well as learn about individual students. I observed also the level of complexity

in student answers. For example, some students when asked “When do you feel happy?” wrote

“play” while another student wrote, “I’m happy when playing with friend.” When I can assess a

student’s sentencing skills in Indonesian, I can gauge how to approach sentencing in English.

Rhythm

Rhythm is a specific pattern of sound or movement. Rhythm is how silence and

sound/movement and stillness break up the flow of the meter.

Rationale

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 Rhythm is an organizer. Rhythm helps to organize the class and guide the class’s energy

towards pattern and repetition. Pattern, as it is predictable for students, can help students remain

focused since they know what is coming next. Rhythm is also something students can pay close

attention to, and it brings the class to have a sense of community.

Counted Rhythmic Movement Creations

As an attention seeker, I used counted rhythmic movement creations in my own body for

students to repeat. For example, I may have clapped my hands once and said “one” then touched

my shoulders and said “two” and then touched my head and said “three.” The students were to

repeat my exact movement and counts. As I developed this exercise, I changed my movements

every time and I also increased the number of movements to four movements and sometimes

even five movements. Within the same rhythmic concept, I chose to have a repeated “shake

down” that occurred at the beginning of class and after break. Students would shake their right

arm and count to eight, shake their left arm and count to eight, shake their right leg and count to

eight, shake their left leg and count to eight, then shake their whole body and count to eight.

Then, students would repeat the movement of those body parts in that order however count to

four, then two, then one.

*Note these exercises also connect with the dance concept of sequencing.

Associated English Vocabulary

● one

● two

● three

● four

● five

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 ● six

● seven

● eight

Rationale
I chose to teach students the numbers one through eight. I chose this so students can

begin to conceptualize rhythm as associated with numbers. Also, counting is vital in learning

language as basic math is integrated into every day of being human. The numbers I taught also

connect with unit one on body parts. This connects because students learned about how many of

each body part there is. From this, students started to learn about singular and plurals. For

example, I can ask students how many arms we have, and students can learn we have two arms. I

often would also, when demonstrating the movement and vocalization of “arms” say “two arms,

we have two arms.” I would contrast this by saying “head,” “we have one head.” I taught

numbers up until eight because eight was the highest number we used in a repeated pattern.

When doing a shake down, I would count to eight and shake each body part and students would

copy my vocalization and movement. Counting is also important in my development of dance

concepts as counting in and counting down is a cue dancers often use. I used counting also for

things such as sequencing in movement in class.

Movement
In class, I used rhythmic patterns that the students repeated as an attention collecting

strategy. An example would be I count to three and say “one” as I clap my hands, “two” as I

touch my head, and “three” as I touch my shoulders. Each time, the pattern would switch so

students would need to visually observe me in order to embody it. As the class progressed, more

and more students would be able to successfully observe and embody my movement which

helped the entire class have focus to move forward with class. At the beginning, I tried to use a

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clapping response in which I create a pattern and they respond with a different pattern, however I

observed that students wanted to copy me instead. I chose in the moment to switch our attention

seeking patterns to be something I did and the class repeated. I switched the movement patterns

each time so students needed to observe me carefully in order to repeat it. I also switched the

number of movements as the class became proficient in repeating three movements. I then may

have counted to four or five and performed four or five movements for the class. As the response

strengthened across the entire class, I noticed that the class was experiencing difficulty in

listening to one another when going around the circle vocalizating words, or sitting at their seats

vocalizing words. I decided to have students lead rhythmic movement patterns both in front of

the class and around a circle so students would use what they have learned as an attention

focuser and develop listening skills and focus for one another. I value it equally important for

students to listen carefully to me and focus on me when needed and to listen to one another in

class. First, I asked students one at a time to come to the front of the class based on voluntary

hand raising to signal they want to come to the front. When at the front, students would, just as I

do, count to three and do three different movements for the class to repeat. I also did the same

exercise however around a circle, where each student chose a rhythmic movement pattern to

have the class repeat.

I chose to give students the opportunity to stand in front of the room so students could

gain practice in performance. Practicing individual performance was used to build confidence in

vocalizations and embodied leadership. Presentation can cause anxiety in school and education

for some students, especially if it is not practiced frequently. Presentation experiences exercise

students’ communication skills. Particularly within this class, I encouraged presentation to

practice projection. Projection is vital to communication and abilities in speaking in relation to

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future career or higher education interviews or presentations. I chose to have students perform

both in front of the class while the class was sitting down and as the students go around the circle

so students could practice performance in a range of comfort levels. There is a different dynamic

when one student is standing and the class is sitting down in comparison to everyone standing in

a circle. Though when I taught, coming to the front of the classroom was based in volunteers

with the exception of me occasionally calling on a student not raising their hand and providing

them the choice, if I were to teach over a longer period of time I would integrate more individual

and group performances into class for more opportunities for every student. Simply standing in

front of the room exercises student’s confidence.

Along with confidence and performance skills, this exercise helps students build

rhythmic skills and practice the multiple intelligence of musical intelligence and learn how to

vocalize numbers. Rhythm is important when learning a language because patterns of beats,

tempo, and rhythm are what create communication and meaning to sentencing and speaking.

Vocalizations of multiple words together all utilize rhythmic patterns, and different rhythmic

patterns in different languages and cultures comprise meaning to vocabulary. In addition to

rhythm, learning numbers is practiced through this as students are practicing the vocalization of

the numbers.

The class uses visual intelligence to observe the student who is performing the movement

and from this they are able to embody the movement. There needs to be a visual focus on the

mover in order for the class to be able to repeat the movement. Observing and embodying helps

students in gaining ability to translate something into their own bodies, in this case something

they are copying.

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 Embodying another’s movement helps students gain an awareness of personal

preferences, differences in the class, and self-identity. When a student embodies a movement that

was created by another student, they are bringing new movement into their body which expands

their movement vocabulary. They are learning how to develop their own self-identity through

learning that there are differences in students and their choices. Students are able to make

decisions and through decision making, students are learning about their own self in relation to

the class and how they can grow to make new decisions. Based on the rhythmic pattern 1, 2, 3,

the students’ movements in one example of going around the circle were tracked through the

following table:

Writing
I did not ask students to write the numbers during my five week teaching period. If I were

to teach for a longer duration, I would have had students write numbers numerically and then I

would teach them the spelling as well. My goal for students and their comprehension and use of

numbers was to have students vocalize the numbers and use the numbers to sequence movement.

Vocalization
Students had opportunities to vocalize the numbers when they were repeating my

attention seeker rhythms. Students also had the opportunity to vocalize the English numbers

when students created their own movement expressions for the class to repeat. I chose to have

students practice repeating the numbers as a group in repeating me so they could practice the

numbers with the comfort of the full group. Then, students individually vocalized the numbers

when they led the class. Students, through vocalizing individually, can reflect on their own

vocalization and I as the teacher can assess their clarity in their vocalization.

Integrated arts

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 There was no drawing or other integrated arts that were incorporated into the rhythm
dance concept I taught in class.
Student Learning Outcome
1. Students will create a movement
pattern of a set number of beats and
movements.
2. Students will demonstrate the
vocalization of English vocabulary of
numbers
Results
Examples of performances in a circle based on the rhythmic pattern “1,2,3”
Student
F15
Assessment
1. I will observe students and listen to
students as each student performs
around the circle.
I am looking for:
a. Is the student performing the
number of movements that I
assigned?
I also video recorded examples of
students going around the circle and
creating a rhythmic movement phrase,
and examples of students performing a
movement phrase in front of the class.
2. I will listen to students in their rhythm
creations for the vocalization or each
number.
I am looking for:
a. Is the student vocalizing the
correct numbers to correspond
with a movement?
b. Is each number (one, two,
three, four) pronounced with
one syllable?
c. Is each number pronounced so
I can comprehend the number
being said?
Movement
dab, dab, dab
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F13 move elbow, move elbow, touch head

M15 dab, dab, dab

F18 clap, clap, touch head

F19 clap, touch shoulders, touch head

F4 kick leg, touch shoulders, touch head

F1 clap, clap, touch feet

F16 clap, clap, touch head

F11 clap, cross to touch the opposite shoulder,

cross to touch the opposite shoulder

M5 rolling wrists three times

M4 clap, clap, clap

M7 clap, clap, clap

M2 clap, clap, clap

M3 clap, clap, clap

M13 clap, clap, clap

M15 dab, dab, dab

M19 hit thumb to opposite palm three times

M22 shoot, shoot, shoot (shoot is a dance move

where you kick your leg and punch in front of
your face with the same wrist in homolateral
movement)
Table 10: 1,2,3 Rhythmic Movement Expressions

Some examples of students who performed movement expressions based on the rhythm “1,2,3,4”

Student Movement

F18 three claps, two hits of her knees (incorrect

demonstration of four movements)

F19 clap, clap, touch shoulders, touch head

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 F4 kick right leg, kick left leg, touch head, touch
shoulders

F16 kick right leg, kick left leg, kick right leg, kick
left leg

F1 clap, clap, touch shoulders, touch head

F11 clap, touch right shoulder with right hand,

touch left shoulder with left hand, touch head
Table 11: 1,2,3,4 Rhythmic Movement Expressions

Example of students’ performances in rhythmic patterns in front of the class.

Duik clap, clap, knees

clap, clap, shoulders

Melati clap, clap, thighs

clap, clap, head

Nandini clap, clap, head

clap, clap, touch right foot

Mei clap, clap, knees

clap, clap, shoulders
Table 12: Rhythmic Movement Expressions in front of class

Evaluation

Rhythm and counting are important concepts that translate from dance to other parts of

life. Students responded well to rhythm because rhythm is an organizer. Classroom management

and control was something I did not predict to be as large of a challenge in my teaching

experience as it ended up being. I had not planned on teaching rhythm or using rhythm in my

classroom as heavily as I did. After this experience, I realize the importance of rhythm even if

classroom management is not the primary concern. I used rhythm mainly because of classroom

management strategies that used rhythm, however rhythm can be beneficial to all classrooms. I

first used rhythm as purely an attention seeker. I created patterns and the class repeated them. If I

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clapped three times and counted to three, the students would repeat this. If the class was getting

noisy, I could use this tool to gain the attention of students. Although it took a few days for

students to respond consistently, students eventually all responded promptly whenever I created

a rhythmic pattern and performed it. I then decided to use rhythm as an opportunity for students

to both experience power in the class, and I also wanted students to perform individually so I

could assess them. Also, here students are exploring their self identity and gaining tolerance for

divergent answers. I also chose this so students would respect one another as they do the teacher.

Through my teaching, I challenged students through having students perform individually, even

if just one or a few words at a time. On July 3rd, F4 wrote “come to the front of the class” as a

response to the question: What was difficult about today? This was in relation to these counted

movement expressions, in which the students came to the front of the class and performed a

movement pattern that was rhythmic for the class to repeat. F4’s response about that being

difficult is significant to me because that means I am teaching students to embrace and seek

challenges. These patterns in front of the class that were performed were based on volunteers.

Occasionally I would invite a select individual up to the front of the class, however it was

typically based on volunteers. Because it was voluntary to come to the front of the class, I know

students are actively choosing challenge.

Levels in Space: High, Middle, Low

There are three levels in space. There is a high level, the middle level, and the low level.

The high level includes leaping, jumping, and extending upwards. The mid level is most often

seen with bent knees. The low level is movement on the floor or towards the floor.

Rationale

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 Level acclimates the human into space in relationship to the floor and the space above.

Level, like all dance concepts, can combine with other dance concepts to increase complexity in

movement. The English phrases “high,” “middle” and “low” can be applied to movement as well

as communication in other aspects of life.

Level Patterns

To teach level in space, first all students would practice movement at the high level while

saying “high,” then repeat with the middle and low. Then, we would create a level pattern as a

class. One student would say “high” and move at a high level, the next student would say

“middle” and move at the middle level, and the next student would say “low” and move at the

low level.

Associated English Vocabulary

● High

● Middle

● Low

Rationale

The English words “high” “middle” and “low” can be used in relation to the body and

can also be used in relation to describing objects and things.

Movement

Level in space is a dance concept that I used in class to teach the dance concept itself as

well as the English words “high” “middle” and “low” which can be applied to a variety of

situations in language context. To teach these concepts, I first had students embody each level

with me as we vocalized the word. I did not write the words on the board so the focus was on the

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vocalization and embodiment before spelling was integrated. At first, I only taught “high” and

“low” and did not add “middle” until students had mastered “high” and “low.” To teach “high”

and “low,” I chose to have students stand in a circle, and create a movement pattern. One student

would vocalize the word “high” and embody the high level with their body. The student to their

right would then need to vocalize “low” and embody the low level with their body. The class

needed to use the “identify” tier of bloom’s taxonomy because they needed to observe the person

before them and identify which level was created. I chose to have students physically embody

the word “high” and “low” while saying the word because this ties to the “enactment effect”

saying that if a gesture is paired with vocalization the comprehension and memorization of the

word is stronger since there is now personalization through movement. I also chose this because

each individual has an opportunity for performance. Each individual will vocalize and embody

either high or low on their own, which acts as an assessment for me as the teacher. Also, this

exercise works interpersonal intelligence as the group as a whole is collaborating to create a

pattern. Each person needs to contribute, otherwise a pattern is not created. I repeated this

exercise almost everyday. As the class progressed, students became more proficient in creating

the pattern with higher speed. Students showed excitement for the activity through smiling and

laughing. I observed that through class in general, there were times when students would make

fun of other students, however during this activity, when one student did not perform the pattern

correctly, the entire class did not target that one student, but rather acted as everyone did not

perform the pattern correctly.

Writing

Students, during the level exercise, wrote the levels in space as they drew the levels in

space in relation to their own bodies. Here, students had the words written on the board for them

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to copy. My goal was for students to be able to vocalize the word and demonstrate the concept

rather than learn the exact spelling.

Vocalization

When learning about level in space, I had students vocalize the vocabulary words “high”

“middle” and “low” while they embodied the levels in space. Students had opportunities to

vocalize each level in space individually so I could assess students. Also, through performing the

words students can self-assess. I can also identify themes in challenges among students. For

example, many students had a difficult time with the word “middle.” This may be because

“high” and “low” are both one syllable while “middle” is two syllables. Students tended to

pronounce “middle” as “mibble.” This may have been something I would not have recognized if

students all repeated the words together and did not individually perform the words.

Integrated Arts

Students had the opportunity to draw their own body and divide the body based on levels

in space. Here, students could use color to associate level with color. This abstraction can help

students in their own understanding of level since they are creating a personal association with

the concept. Students here could draw their own bodies also however they feel they want to. As

students are doing this, they are making artistic choices and they are reflecting on their own self-

identities.

Student Learning Outcome Assessment

1. Students will demonstrate the high,
middle, and low level with their
bodies.
1. I will observe students demonstrate the
high, middle, and low level as we
create our level pattern as a class.
I am looking for:
a. Is the student demonstrating
the correct level in their body
in relation to the patten and the
person who performed before
them?

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 b. Is the student demonstrating
the level in a clear way which I
can identify the level?
c. Is the student vocalizing the
level clearly and with
confidence?

Results

On June 12th, I explained the success of the activity through my critical self reflection.

Today, the high and low pattern game went well because this was a
repetition from the previous day. Also, students were able to do this inside the
classroom because I moved the teacher’s desk. Because we were inside, students
had a smaller space to move, yet this provided a smaller space of focus. Each
student could see one another because we were more confined. The circle also
moved a bit faster also because students were closer physically to the student
next to them. Students were smiling and eager to create the pattern with their
bodies. Yesterday, it was difficult for students to remain on the low level. Today,
students remained on the low level when it was their turn to do so. In the future,
to make this more of a challenge, I want to add mid level to the movement. Then,
students will have all three levels as a tool and concept to adapt into movement
phrases and also to demonstrate the English vocabulary of. Students were most
engaged in the pattern game involving levels. Students here, were eager to
complete the pattern. I could even have students race against a timer to see how
fast they can make the pattern or I could have them go around the circle and start
over if somebody does the wrong level in the pattern. Students were most
engaged during this because to them, this was a complex puzzle they needed to
solve. They were working with their entire bodies and needed to have additional
special awareness throughout.

Although the class did progress throughout time in their ability to perform the pattern,

each day had different students in attendance which meant that each day was different. In

relation to adding in middle level to the pattern, I wrote in my critical self-reflection on June

14th, 2019:

Today, I had planned on adding middle level to the levels students were
exploring. I noticed that today, students were struggling with even doing the
pattern of high/low, which we had practiced many times in previous classes. In
the moment, I made the decision to not add middle level to the mix today. I

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 reviewed high and low with the class so students could remain within their
developmental progression that I observed this day. This relates to the idea that
while there is progression throughout a class, not every class will be equal in
productivity. Some days may require more review while other days students are
able to learn much new material. This helped me learn to approach each day with
an open mind and knowledge that each day brings a new energy. While there are
larger goals for students, each day may not be an equal stride towards this goal.
With different students coming in each day as well, each day has a different
dynamic. Even one student missing can alter the entire class’s energy.

This reflection relates back to my original thought that the high and low pattern may not

be something that would last throughout many classes. I thought this may be easy for students,

however I soon realized that something as seemingly simple as creating a pattern of high and low

with the body may seem simple from my perspective, I observed this to be a challenge for them.

Because of the challenge this was, the engagement from students was also high at most times.

When students are challenged and need to use their entire bodies, students were focused.

Although a challenge, this was something they were still able to be successful in. This activity

reminds me that depth and repetition is important in a second grade classroom. After embodying

the patterns often, we also drew the three levels so students could become familiar with the

spelling of the word.

On June 18th, 2019 I write in my critical reflection:

Something that went well both in terms of student engagement and student
accuracy in demonstration of concepts was the drawing of all three levels. Students
had the opportunity to draw low, middle, and high in relation to their bodies.
Students had the vocabulary words on the board and students were able to provide
the correct spelling to the words, which often does not happen when words are just
written for students to reference. Students also were joyful when color was brought
into class. Students showed excitement to add color and some students divided each
level into color. I wonder if the color they chose they associate with each level,
either consciously or subconsciously. Students also were able to add detail to their
drawing if they finished before others.

Drawing the concepts exercises the visual intelligence of students and expands their

understanding beyond the one activity we were doing by creating the pattern with our bodies.

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Learning about the concepts in a variety of ways can help students in their retention,

understanding, and ability to apply the concept. Also on June 18th, 2019, I used a student-

centered approach to the embodiment of the level pattern where I chose a student to begin the

phrase, rather than all the initiation of the pattern coming from myself as the teacher. This may

have opened student’s perspectives to the possibility that they can lead a portion of class. I write:

Today, I chose who would start the high, middle, low pattern. I walked
around and observed students intently and students were eager to raise their hand
to begin the pattern. Students who were chosen to begin the pattern were those
who were attentive during class, and students who I chose were excited and joyful
to start the pattern. Often I resort to starting an activity or around the circle game,
and this is easiest often when first learning something. Now that students have
gained confidence in it, I do not always have to be the one to begin the pattern
around the circle.

I here reflect on my habits as a teacher, and how something as simple as who starts the

movement can shift from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach. I also used

over-emphasized observation to students would acknowledge that I was looking for students who

were quiet and standing in their spots. On June 20th, 2019 I further explain the effectiveness of

choosing a student to begin the movement phrase of level patterns. I write:

Letting others besides myself start high middle low game was effective because
students were eager to begin the circle phrase, and I even saw students pointing to
their friends who wanted to start or had not got the chance to start yet.

Here, I observe that students are being supportive of one another’s success. I also observe

students being eager to begin the phrase, showing a high level of engagement and focus.

Students were supportive of one another through class. I observed multiple examples, alongside

this one, of students being cohesive as a group unit. For example, in the morning as I called out

names and passed out name tags, students could announce whether or not their classmates were

here without even looking around the room. Through the high, middle, low pattern movement

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phrase I also brought an awareness to student’s own energy levels so they could self-reflect on

their own movement energies.

On June 21st, 2019 I write:

Today, my best teaching moment was in the beginning of class, when we

were working on our high, middle, low pattern game. I noticed students were
having low energy when performing their level in space. I showed students with
my own body what I saw them doing, which brought laughter to class and also
changed how students were performing the level. Together, we all tried a low
energy high level and then we tried a high energy high level. This contrast helped
students know their own level of confidence and energy they were bringing
because after practicing, students had more energy as we went around the circle.

Each day students had a different energy level as emotions change each day and the

group dynamic changes each day. Through expressing low energy and high energy in our bodies,

students were able to feel the difference between low and high energy and also learn to identify it

in both themselves and one another. This also relates to confidence. Developing an awareness to

having high energy in performance connects with bold and decisive performance. It also relates

to having confidence through high energy in the vocalization of the vocabulary words. This

teaches that high energy is important to class participation, but also that having lower energy is

possible and valid.

We also created a pattern with other dance concepts. One of the other dance concepts we

learned through embodiment and vocalization was “fast” and “slow,” to learn the English words

and concepts and also the ability to change speeds within their own bodies. We learned this

through creating a pattern where one student would say “fast” and move fast in any way they

choose, and then the next student would say “slow” and move slowly. Students could move in

any way they choose to build decision making skills through movement. I chose to teach the

word “fast” even though the dance concept of tempo would be called “quick time” because the

word “fast” was familiar to some students and a more common English word rather than the

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word “quick.” In a higher level class, I would teach synonyms and teach both the words “quick”

and “fast” together.

Evaluation

Upon reflection on my teaching experience across all five weeks, level teaching through

our level pattern is something that is pervasive in my memory of the five week teaching time.

Level is where I found great success because this was something repeated through all five weeks.

This concept taught me the importance of repetition in second grader’s education. The concept

also relates to the concept of rhythm, because through the level pattern that was created, as an

entire class we created a rhythm. The speed in which we completed the level pattern around the

circle became even and rhythmic. Our goal was to have an even time for each student to perform

their level. This also taught students how to move in different ways and explore their own

expression within the realm of each level. For example, for the high level, some students threw

both arms up in the air while other students put up one arm. Some students jumped into the air to

represent the high level as well. Students had to also practice stillness, as we had the goal of

keeping the pattern in the bodies as we went around the entire circle. This exercise, because we

did this almost every day, helped me explore the energy of the class and how the energy changes

in the class each day. Some days we could create the level pattern on the first try while other

days we tried the pattern multiple times before successfully going around the circle. As a teacher,

I need to assess the energy from students each day. Each day each person will have a different

energy and therefore the class will have a different energy. The class may be distracted one day

and focused the next. The students may be anxious one day and excited the next. My role as the

teacher is to assess the energy of the class with each day and each moment, and adapt to student

needs.

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 Sequencing

Sequencing is stringing multiple movements together into a memorized movement

phrase. Sequencing is placing set movements into a certain order.

Rationale

Sequencing helped students with memorization skills, and combined with rhythm and

singing it helped students be able to demonstrate multiple concepts at once.

Circle Dance

In class, I created a set dance that we performed in a circle every class. We moved into

the circle while we said “in” and we all walked towards the center. Then, we all said “out” and

moved away into a larger circle by backing up. We repeated this. We reached high and said

“high,” then went low and said “low.” We repeated this. We moved our bodies quickly in any

way the students wanted while staying in their place and said “fast” and then moved again slowly

and said “slow.” We repeated this. We froze our bodies and said “stop” then moved our bodies

and said “go.” We repeated this. We moved our arms in an over arching shape and said “over”

and then moved them in an under arching shape and said “under.” We repeated this. Then,

students placed one hand on their hip and threaded the other arm through and said “through.”

This was also repeated. The combination sequence was: in, out, in, out, high, low, high, low, fast,

slow, fast, slow, stop, go, stop, go, over, under, over, under, through, through, through. These

concepts all combined into a combination in which students moved and vocalized each concept.

Associated English Vocabulary

● In

● Out

● High

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 ● Low

● Fast

● Slow

● Stop

● Go

● Over

● Under

● Through

Rationale

Every English word in the sequence was learned in another unit or lesson besides “stop”

and “go” and “in” and “out.” I chose to sequence these words in this way because students can

memorize easier since rhyming is involved. “low” and “slow” and “go” all rhyme. Rhyming can

help students with pronunciation and clarity in the word. The words also become strung into a

tune which can help students memorize the sequence easier.

Movement

The “circle dance,” is something that was brought into existence through a spontaneous

decision I made while in a circle outside one day. This began when all students holding hands,

and we said “in” as we walked in towards one another and “out” as we walked out and away

from one another. As the class progressed, we added to this with each new concept we learned. I

began with everyone going “in” and “out” and then all reaching high and saying “high” then

reaching low and saying “low.” Then, as the concepts we learned in class grew, they were able to

add on to the circle dance with rhythm. By the end of class our pattern was: “in, out, high, low,

fast, slow, stop, go, over, under, through.” I also added a few new movements at the end of class

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such as “turn around,” or “wiggle,” etc. Over, under, and through were performed in each

individual’s kinesphere with their own bodies.

I chose to repeat this circle dance almost every class so students would have practice in

something they could repeat and feel confident in. This also reviewed our concepts. Repetition in

class in important with this group in particular because with different attendance each day,

students are able to miss days and still have a sense of familiarity when they return. I chose this

also because of the physical collaboration and awareness of kinesphere necessary to perform this.

As we move “in,” many students did run across the space or hit one another when we first began.

As we practiced this over and over, and I emphasized softness on the “in,” students were able to

hold hands and not touch one another’s bodies for the most part. The active nature of this activity

that requires movement focus and embodiment was a successful aspect of class in which students

were engaged. Because of the rhythmic nature, students were also able to memorize it and build

a sense of ownership of the movement phrase.

Writing

There was no writing involved in this exercise of sequencing. However, at the end of the

five week teaching period I asked students to create a poster of all that they remember. A few

posters included drawings from the sequence along with the vocabulary associated.

Vocalization

The vocalization in the sequencing exercise was based in community harmony of the

entire class. All vocalizations occurred as an entire class. Students never vocalized the sequence

in smaller groups. I chose this because this was a large part of the community building in class.

Integrated Arts

Singing and moving were the focus of this exercise and learning of sequencing.

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 Student Learning Outcome Assessment
1. Students will demonstrate the 1. To assess students, I will observe the
sequence without the help of the entire class perform the sequence. I
teacher. will also videotape students perform
the sequence.
I am looking for:
a. Are students vocalizing each
word clearly?
b. Are students performing the
movements in the correct
order?
c. Are students speaking with
confidence?
d. Are students moving with
confidence?

Results

The students were able to demonstrate the sequence without me helping them, and I have

a video recording as reference of student success. Students clearly stated each word and

performed the movement phrase in the correct order. Creating the entire movement phrase was a

process that spanned multiple days. First, I decided to have students just go in, out, in, out, high,

low, high, low. This was sequenced after students had learned about level in space through

creating the level patterns.

I documented the experience of adding on to the circle dance through my critical

reflection on June 17th, 2019. In regards to adding “stop” and “go” to the phrase I write:

Today, I introduced stopping and going into our circle dance. Students had
been introduced to stopping and going in the past, however today students were
able to match stopping their bodies with also bringing silence to their voices.
When I say stop in general in class, students do not always stop what they are
doing. Because this word was made into a sort of game, students wanted to stop.
This makes me curious about how students would respond if I added rhythm
before staying stop to them, or if I should create a rhythmic pattern that students
will stop to, rather than simply saying stop. I sometimes need to use the word

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 “stop,” when students are harming one another. It is interesting that students
respond so well to the word “stop” when in a movement phrase, yet not when out
of context.

Here I discuss rhythmic patterns in relation to student response and learning. I chose to add

“stop” and “go” into the movement phrase because students can learn the difference between

stillness and movement and also the difference between stop and go so I can instruct the class to

“stop,” when doing something harmful to themselves or others. Balancing “stop” into a class that

is high energy can also bring a sense of order, unity, and calm. The dance concept of movement

and stillness was taught through this exercise and also taught through locomotor movement in

which I played “red light” “green light” with students outdoors.

As students gained more independence and ability to perform the movement phrase, I

chose students to lead the movement phrase. This means I was in the circle participating, but I

was not vocalizing the movements or cues. On June 19th, I discuss choosing students to lead the

phrase and the effectiveness of it. On June 19th, 2019 I write:

Today I chose certain students to begin the circle dance phrase. I walked around and
observed students and chose students paying attention and being nice and quiet.
This made students look to me and try their best behavior to get chosen. This
incentivized students to be quiet and want to be chosen. When I did choose
students, having them lead worked well and the class listened to them and they
were successful in the circle dance even without me leading.

This connects with my movement patterns as attention seekers, because through having

students lead movement patterns with counting for the class to repeat, I want students to grow in

their ability to listen to one another. Through having students lead the movement circle dance, I

am shifting the power of leadership to the students. This can help grow the confidence in

leadership, communication, and presentation from the student who is leading and it can also

help students grow confidence in themselves as a student since they are seeing a student lead

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rather than only the teacher. This is a student-centered method that creates a safe learning

environment for students to become leaders within the classroom.

As the circle dance was repeated through most classes, the students were then encouraged

to try the circle dance without me even in the circle. On June 21st, 2019 I explained the first

experience of the students practicing the movement circle dance without me. I write:

Today, students performed our circle dance without me. I chose a different
student to lead the class each time. The majority of students could perform the
phrase without having me even in the circle. Some students did disconnect or not
perform the phrase however. The students who did (the majority) both vocalized
and moved to each word in the phrase. This shows me they are vocalizing and
moving simultaneously, have memorized the movement phrase, and are self-
motivated as the teacher was not present in the circle.

This was an assessment for me as the teacher to observe interpersonal collaboration

skills, as well as the memorization of the vocalizations of the words and embodiment of the

phrases. This was an exercise in parallel with the singing we did often in class. The students

memorized long phrases of English sentences when singing songs each day, rather than saying

and repeating the phrases. For example, we sang “Five Little Ducks” almost every day before

leaving for home, and through this students sang loud with confidence, whereas when students

are saying English phrases not through singing, their confidence and volume is lower. This circle

dance acted as a type of singing for students.

Evaluation

Interpersonal skills were at the center of the sequencing exercise. While memorization of

steps as well as pronunciation of vocabulary was at the core, my primary focus was on

collaboration between the entire class. The goal of the class was unison movement and speaking.

The students were able to feed off one another, while some students initiated the pattern and

some did not have it as well memorized. Because the students were working together, they were

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all working within their zone of proximal development. When unison is the goal, there needs to

be an awareness not only internally but externally. Students need to be aware of what their own

body is doing and also be aware of what other people’s bodies are doing. I was actually surprised

with how quickly students memorized the phrase. Students remembered the phrase each day, and

it only took a few days before I stepped out of the circle and the students performed it on their

own. Working towards a common goal can inspire students to work together (Pinter 1999, 19).

Here, there is a common goal that all students share, which is to complete and memorize and

perform the movement sequence. Santillan et. al says fostering social interactions is beneficial in

addressing the affective learning through a movement-based class (Santillan et. al. 2015, 52).

This relates to the intrapersonal intelligence through a connection to the postural movement of

expressing emotions. Through the movement sequence, students are creating social connections.

Because I observed some students a physically aggressive towards one another, I focused on this

movement sequence so students could learn how to relate to one another in a safe way. The ideas

found in my literature review surrounding the parallels of dance and English learning relate to

my decision to use sequencing in class. The phrasing that movement choreography and creative

dance have parallels that of sentence phrasing (Giguere 2006, 41). This sequencing in dance

movement could be expanded to create sentences that students say. For this sequence, students

were saying single words at a time rather than a full sentence. Because I know students can

memorize full phrases with the help of movement, this sequencing of movement could be sued to

teach students sentences in English. Pinter says that tempo and rhythm are examples of parallels

between dance and language learning. Tempo and rhythm relate to the sentencing that Giguere

points out. If a student learns about tempo and rhythm within their own body, they may be better

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able to translate this into the tempo and rhythm of English communication and sentence

structuring.

Kinesphere

Kinesphere is each individual’s personal space bubble, and it travels with each person as

they move.

Rationale

Kinesphere is important for students to understand and apply so students remain safe

within their movement. Because my class is based on movement, a knowledge of personal space

can help students keep both themselves and other students safe. Kinesphere can be connected

with the concepts of positive and negative space, since students can identify and apply the

difference between closing negative space between themselves and others. Personal space and

the boundaries of personal space differ between individual people as well as between cultures.

The psychological concept of one’s own personal space is different in each person, and each

person has a different concept of close proximity and far proximity. Through learning about

kinesphere in class, a discussion on these differences can be opened. Students can also learn how

to talk to each other about personal space and apply consent and permission. Students can learn

both how to communicate their personal space needs and how to ask others for their personal

space needs.

Associated English Vocabulary

● my

● your

● body

● space

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 ● “my body”

● “my space”

● near

● mid

● far

Rationale

I chose to use the words “my” and “your” to introduce the concepts of ownership. We

brought these two vocabulary words back into connection with body parts.

Movement

To introduce kinesphere, I drew a space bubble around a human on the board. I explained

to students with the help of the translator that students should move around the space without

touching one another. Students could move anywhere within the realm of the classroom. Then, I

taught kinesphere through the lens of reach space. I taught students near, mid, and far reach

space. We discussed who should enter each reach space. We discussed why reach space is

important. Through moving through all reach spaces, students gained an awareness of their

space. Through recognizing three zones, students were better able to understand their maximum

space bubble, which is as far as they can reach no matter where they are.

Writing

Students were given the opportunity to answer the question: why is personal space

important? both before and after exploring their kinespheres with their bodies. From this, I

gained information from students on their awareness and thoughts on personal space. I could also

find cultural themes on personal space to specify my teaching to my population.

Vocalization

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 Students created a pattern of demonstrating the three reach spaces around in a circle, and

all got a chance to embody and vocalize each reach space. Since we have already learned body

parts, I introduced the concepts of mine and yours through vocalization. Students would go

around the circle and say “my hand, your hand” as they gesture to their own hand, and then

gesture to the person’s hand who is next to them. We repeated this with other body parts. This

helped students in their application of personal space. Students were working towards

differentiating what is theirs and what belongs to somebody else.

Integrated Arts

Students had the opportunity to draw and label “my body, my space” as well as draw and

label all three reach spaces. Students here explored color in relation to space and also had the

opportunity to express their understanding in an abstract way, and a way beyond movement and

vocalization.

Student Learning Outcome Assessment

1. Students will demonstrate their 1. I will observe for students remaining
ability to remain within their own within their own kinpeshere and not
kinesphere through movement. physically touching others on purpose.

Results

June 17th, 2019 Drawing was a successful aspect of class today, and students wrote the

phrases “my body” and”my space” and drew their personal space in both their notebooks and on

a card. I have student drawings, and even though this was something that was copied from an

example, students drew the body and space bubble themselves, and as they colored it and added

detail, they may have been thinking about the concept or the concept may have been reinforced

for them.

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 I asked students once on June 13th why personal space is important and again on July

3rd.

Why is personal space

important? JUNE 13th, 2019 JULY 3rd, 2019
(M1) (M1)
(M2) study (M2)
Because it is wide, narrow,
(M3) study (M3) cramped, dead
Because it supports us, to
protect us, so we are not
(M4) Helps to study (M4) disturbed
Happy, Healthy,
(M5) (M5) Comfortable
(M6) (M6)
(M7) Helps us to study (M7) Comfortable, I'm happy
It is good because you can
(M8) study (M8) I feel good
Because to keep the body
(M9) (M9) learning
(M10) (M10)
(M11) the teacher can use it (M11)
(M12) (M12) secure, comfortable
Because anything can be
(M13) As a substitute room (M13) used
(M14) to study (M14)
(M15) It helps us to study (M15)
(M19) ** (M19) **
(M20) rewrites question (M20)
(M21) (M21) I feel good
(M22) (M22) friend
(F1) study (F1)
there are a lot of important
(F2) stuffs (F2)
So we are able to hold
(F3) important meetings (F3)
Helps us to study and hold
(F4) important meetings (F4)
(F6) to study and important (F6) so as to not get sick easily,
meeting so as not to easily get
germs, so as to not be easily

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 exposed to garbage, so as to
not get bacteria
So as to not get sick, So as
not to be susceptible to
It is important because the germs, so as to not be easily
people can gather in that exposed to dirt, so as to not
(F7) room (F7) be susceptible to bacteria
So as not to get germs, to
not be littered with garbage,
(F8) as a private room (F8) so as not to get bacteria
So that I feel comfortable,
(F9) (F9) Because I feel comfortable
I feel comfortable, Because
(F10) as a substitute room (F10) I'm comfortable, so large
(F11) (F11) safe, healthy, secure
(F12) as a substitute room (F12)
(F13) the teacher can use it (F13) safe, healthy, secure
So I am happy, So I am
(F14) (F14) flexible
So that I can feel
(F15) Helps us to study (F15) comfortable
So as not to get sick easily,
Not get dirty, To not get
(F16) Helps us to study (F16) trash
(F17) Helps us to study (F17)
(F18) (F18)
It is important so we can
(F19) study (F19) safe, healthy, secure
(F20) (F20)
because many important
(F21) material (F21)
(F22) (F22)
(F23) (F23) safe, healthy, secure

no name study

no name study
Table 13: Why is personal space important?

From the table, there is a visible increase in the number of words students were able to

explain about personal space after embodying the concept.

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 Evaluation

Since I taught students dance concepts throughout my five weeks of teaching, kinesphere

is a primary concept that set a foundation for other concepts to be explored. To teach kinesphere,

I first started by having students explore their space with the direction to not touch one another. I

quickly observed students were eager to touch one another anyways. This day, I recognize my

best teaching moment was deciding to try the kinesphere game for a period of time after I knew

it was not working the way I had planned. Students did not show interest in not touching one

another even when they were incentivized with being out if they did touch one another. I was

conscious that students needed an alternative explanation and introduction, however I did

continue for a few minutes to see if anything would change. I could have switched immediately

to something else, however I have learned in this class that these students often take a longer

time than expected to apply directions or complete a game. I then decided to switch the game to

occur in a circle. I made this switch because students were familiar with a circle and were

unfamiliar with moving around general space. This was an important moment because students

grew confidence here. I added the element of stopping and going to students as well. Students

were walking around in a circular shape as a class, with the goal to not touch one another and I

would call out for students to “stop” and “go.” More students also were able to understand not to

touch one another when this was the case. I observed students consciously observing the

classmates surrounding them as to not make physical contact. I saw a few students make facial

expressions that indicate they were being careful to not be touching one another.

Kinesphere was a dance concept introduced into class after observing that students

frequently entered one another’s kinespheres in a harmful way. I first introduced kinesphere

through having students move through general space while not touching one another. I had the

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translator explain to students to move without touching one another. I observed students needed

more direction to their movement, so I had students walk around in a circle without touching one

another. I also had students draw “my body, my space” along with our vocalization of the word.

We drew “my body, my space,” translated it into Indonesian, and I asked students to write about

“Why is personal space important?” On June 17th, 2019 I wrote about the first introduction to

kinesphere through writing:

The main challenge today came from the kinesphere game. Students did not show
interest in not touching one another even when they were incentivized with being
“out” if they did touch one another. I also was unsure of how the game was explained
to the students, since the translator was unclear with me when I told him the
directions. Students may not have known to not touch one another. I could have altered
my own pedagogy at that point and waited until I had the class’s full attention. In the
moment, when I noticed that the game was not working and I saw students walking
around their own space or jumping on one another, I changed the game to be a game in
which we all walk in the same direction around the circle, and we stop and go various
times. The goal of this is to still not touch one another. I saw a few students make facial
expressions that indicate they were being careful to not be touching one another. I think I
could create the game into a game that has contrast between touch and no touch. I could
have students touch one another’s shoulders, and then not touch one another’s
shoulders in a simon says type of way. Even when “outs” were involved, students
still touched one another, almost uncontrollably. I then paused the game and told
students through an embodied example that touching was a “no” and not touching
was a “yes,” however students still did not understand. I had the translator
communicate to them about not touching one another and staying within their own
space, however only a few students were paying attention to the translator when he
was speaking. It is difficult to know what the translator says to students, because
students often have no response or reaction after he says something to them. I
switched the game to be simply a game where we walk around in a circle with our
arms out to the side, rather than in the front where touching may be tempting. This
was effective however a few students did bump into one another intentionally
during this. Kinesphere is something that may be needing verbal explanation before
movement explanation. Since students were not understanding it through
movement, before I introduce kinesphere again through movement I will have a
translator explain certain points such as a kinesphere/ personal space is important
so we do not harm one another, and so we can stay safe.

Although the kinesphere was a concept that students did not have a complete embodied

understanding of, many students still paid attention to learning the game and making an effort to

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try. Although some students purposely touched one another, many students did move through

space carefully and I could observe they were attempting to not touch one another. When the

class is split between being attentive and being unfocused, I often through my critical self-

reflections focused on the students who did not pay attention. I described the students in their

focus and attempts to learn the game through my self-reflection also on June 17th, 2019 by

saying:

I was surprised with how well students kept their focus on me, despite looking
confused at the direction of the kinesphere game. Students looked hesitant and
confused. In the past, when instructions are not completely clear, students in this
class have reacted with panic. This time, students stayed with me and were patient
in discovering the game instructions. This may possibly be because students are
now used to doing things that are not completely black and white. From what I
understand, previously students have copied from the board and recited words
often. Students in this class need exact outcomes to be displayed prior to completing
any work. This class has been based more so on movement activities that are not
black and white. Students have had the opportunity to create any movement for the
class to repeat, and with this open ended ambiguity, students may be growing a
tolerance for open ended questions and answers.

After meeting with my mentor Dr. Dragon to discuss how to teach kinesphere, I chose to

introduce reach space into class to teach kinesphere and personal space. On June 21st, I write:

Today, I practiced near reach with students which students were mostly able to
demonstrate. Students turned around themselves with “stop,” and “go,” in near
reach and also moved forwards and backwards in near reach. I want to expand this
exploration through possibly drawing the three reach spaces with students, or
moving locomotorly with the three reach spaces.

After this day, I taught all three reach spaces through creating movement patterns with

students showing near, mid, and far reach space. I also demonstrated the three reach spaces in

my own body and through drawing on the board and students also demonstrated the three reach

spaces through drawing and labeling.

Creative Limitations: The Importance of Open-Ended Problem Posing

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 Providing examples to students can be beneficial in developing student understanding,

however can be hindering to their creative processes. Examples can provide someone with a

clearer understanding because the concept has transformed into a life scenario students can relate

to and recognize. Examples can also then become the concept itself to the student, and the

student’s mind can eliminate the possibilities of other examples being present. Through my

teaching experience, I made the pedagogic decision multiple times to ask students to draw

something or create something, without providing them with an example. In class, we had been

embodying the dance relationship concepts of over and under. I made the choice to ask students

to draw the words “over” and “under,” without an example on the board. I made this choice

because this explores the multiple intelligences beyond movement. Also, this is a form of

abstract translation. Since “over” and “under” are not nouns, there is not a concrete appearance

of the word, or certain way it could be drawn. Drawing these two words would provide students

with the opportunity to translate the concept abstractly and individually. Students appeared

confused, and were asking an assortment of questions. My teaching partner then drew an

example of “over” and “under,” based on two people throwing a ball over and under a net. I

erased the board, explaining to her that I wanted to see what students would create on their own.

However, students latched quickly onto the example provided. Every student besides one created

a replica of the drawing on the board, although each chose different colors to use. Here, the

students were provided an example by someone of authority, and an English speaker. Students

were now, with the example on the board, given something to copy. Immediately, their higher

level critical/creative thinking skills were shut down. To copy the image from the board, they

used observation skills and their fine motor skills. However, they did not use their creative skills.

A week later, students were provided the same opportunity, and this time I was sure there was no

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example drawn. Students remembered the example from a week prior, and students still copied

the same example with the volleyball net. This shows that the example encoded into their brains,

and the example became their set idea of the concept. The concept was no longer a concept, but

something certain and concrete. Students were provided a third time, a week later, to complete

the drawing and still, abstract drawings did not occur, but rather the same volleyball net. This

brings the importance of open-ended problem posing in order for students to have the

opportunity to explore answers that are original to each individual.

CONCLUSIONS
Volunteer tourism is a controversy that is a fibrous rope of detail, opinions, and

perspectives. I experienced teaching through the International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ),

in which volunteers on a variety of projects in numerous countries pay a fee to volunteer. What I

witnessed emerge within volunteers in my program from this structure was a lack of motivation,

and a pervasive mindset that teaching was not a primary reason for travel. My second-grade

class’s only form of English education was through the free education they receive from

volunteer English teachers, most of who have had no training in teaching methodologies or the

cultural context of the students.

A system exists in which IVHQ profits from people who have financial privilege and a

desire to “do good” for the world, particularly in developing countries. The idea of volunteering

abroad has become a social trend growing through social media. When intrinsic goals are at the

forefront, the actual human beings who are supposed to be helped may not benefit.

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 IVHQ profits heavily off people’s desire for fulfilling the social trend of volunteering

abroad, with the interest of the local population largely neglected. Meanwhile, each volunteer on

the English teaching project in Bali spent $325 for one week of teaching. In my case alone, even

with the price per week decreasing the more weeks that are signed up for, the company made

$882.00. Volunteer tourism encourages people to spend hundreds of dollars to volunteer for the

mere purpose of obtaining an internally fulfilling experience abroad, while hardly any of that

money is actually reaching the country. My classroom translator received a total of $3.50 for

four hours of work. Concurrently, IVHQ is a thriving company that has become a massive

corporation of wealth. Due to these inequities, in the school I taught at in Suwat village, the

students had bare classrooms lacking any materials, molding walls, and a bathroom that was

nothing more than a hole in the ground[DD2]

The money so many spend on travelling to volunteer with children could be redirected in

a way that may actually benefit the children.

The local team that is run under the power of IVHQ is called Green Lion Bali. Green

Lion Bali provided me and other volunteers with their mission statement once we arrived in

country which is: “Our program is designed to give opportunities to international volunteers to

experience the Balinese culture.” The goal and mission of Green Lion is centered completely on

benefitting the volunteer, and the benefit of the local community or students within the

classroom are untouched.

It was the goal of the local team to provide the visitors with a tourist experience, and

therefore an experience free of burden. The teachers I lived with spoke openly about creating

lessons spontaneously, or printing worksheets from online to avoid planning. Lesson plans are

not regulated or needed through IVHQ or Green Lion. Consistency, a crucial, determining factor

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in young children’s education, is completely vacant from the English education of volunteer

tourism. When I was assigned to the second-grade classroom, it was based in complete random

draw, with no regard to how the teacher might be a best fit for students. I received a folder, with

an attendance sheet from one year prior to my start date, and a sheet from the same year that said

“we taught sports.” I had no information regarding the prerequisite knowledge of students, nor

the content or concepts taught.

Through looking through the lens of daily student reflections, I found that the use of

movement, the multiple intelligences, and a student-centered classroom helped to increase the

students’ abilities to express their own identities clearly. Through pulling Freire’s ideas of

problem-solving in the classroom, Macedonia et al.’s ideas of the mind-body connection, and

Giguere’s research on the creative process in dance, I created a student-centered classroom.

From this, I have gained information on potential curricular suggestions and important aspects of

possible teacher training.

If all teachers who taught English through volunteer tourism were required to be trained

in student-centered pedagogy, I wonder what the long-term impact would be for students. If a

lesson plan structure was introduced to the volunteers, I am curious as to how volunteer teachers

would approach their classes differently. If education professionals were working within the

IVHQ corporation, I wonder how the structure, curriculum, and training (or lack thereof) would

change.

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 IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

My first step in continuing this research will be to further analyze all the data I have

collected. I will expand greatly upon my data analysis section of my research as well as my

review of literature. I am working with my mentor Dr. Dragon to write a journal article that

focuses on how creative movement pedagogy can be used to reveal self-identity in students.

Farther in the future, I may use this information to create a volunteer teaching company

that is based in training teachers to have a strong foundation in educational aspects such as the

multiple intelligences, developmental progression, student learning outcomes, movement-based

pedagogy, and more.

Apart from creating a new company, I can also use this information to communicate with

existing volunteer tourism companies to offer suggestion on adaptations and changes they may

make to their structure, and advocate for the use of inquiry and movement within a newly

structured teacher-training.

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 APPENDIX A: LESSON PLAN FOR THE FIRST DAY OF TEACHING

Riley Lathrop Unit: 1 “My Body” Date Taught: June

4th, 2019

Lesson Overview
Lesson Description/Overview

During the first class, we will begin softly, as students can be intimidated by English and new teachers
who they will be meeting for the first time. Class one will be focused on introducing students to the
teachers, and the teachers introducing themselves to students. We will introduce ourselves as the
teachers, and then play a name game with the students. Since the name game is based in creative
movement, it could extend for multiple rounds, until everyone’s name is almost completely known.
Students will then create name tags for themselves, drawing what they like and their favorite things.
Students will introduce themselves based on their nametag they have created, and can introduce
anything about themselves and anything they know how to express in English, which will serve as an
open-ended pre-assessment. We will take a break outside, where students will have free play time for a
time chosen by the level of class engagement and energy level, however the teachers will still be
engaged and interacting with students (games, etc). After we come back from break, we will begin
introducing concepts and vocabulary of the body and bony landmarks. We will ask students, as a pre-
assessment, “where is…” and ask a variety of body parts. Next, we will introduce “head, shoulders,
knees, and toes” song and ask students to contribute body parts so we can change the body parts but
sing to the same tune. We will close by singing a closing song which will be repeated each class.

Rationale/Purpose

The first class will be focused on introducing the self, and will be a soft introduction to unit 1. We will
play a motion game which will have students copying one another’s movement along with introducing
names of one another, this will have students moving without the pressure of vocalizing English words
they do not know, or are new to. Beginning with their names can help students grow empowerment in
speaking, as this is something they know well. When creating a nametag, students have the autonomy
to create a name tag of all things about themselves, transferring the power of knowledge to their own
self. Drawing can provide opportunity for creative expression and individuality. We will introduce
body parts only as a pre-assessment, without individual student assessments yet. Because this will be
the first class, we will provide open-ended questions to see the level the students are in relation to body
parts. Rhythm and music can help students in memorization and comprehension since they can use a
tune, and using this rhythm along with movement can create an embodied experience for students, and
an active learning experience. Closing class with a song that will be repeated throughout all classes can
help students build confidence in speaking and vocalizing in a group setting. This can also build
community through working with a group and as a group in a circle.

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Critical Essential Question (s)/Focus Questions

How can you demonstrate an introduction of yourself?

How can you explore your body parts?
Content:
Where are your body parts?
Where is your (arm, leg, etc)?
What is important about you?

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Corresponding National Core Assessment Methods for
Arts Standard(s) (NCAS) Outcomes

1.Students will demonstrate the
vocalization of “my name is…”
2. Students will explore moving their
own body parts/bony landmarks
2. DA:Pr5.1.K c. Move body
parts in relation to other body
parts and repeat and recall
movements upon request.
1. Day one will be based
in observation and
listening to students. I
will listen for
pronunciation, clarity,
and confidence in vocal
tone.
2. To analyze movement,
I will observe students
and look for not only their
knowledge of where the
bony landmarks are in
relation to their English
comprehension, but look
for their motor skills and
how they move their body
(coordination, etc).

Prerequisite Knowledge/Experience

unknown

Key Concepts/Vocabulary/ Terms

head
eyes
ears
mouth
nose
shoulders
elbow
hand

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knee
leg
foot
toes
fingers
arm

My name is...

Resources/Materials/Technology/Tools/Pre-Preparation Needed

pre-preparation: write teacher names, week day, and month/date on the board
whiteboard
blank papers for writing down body parts
Reflection papers: what did you learn today? with translation underneath
- if not photocopied, write question on the board with translation underneath and give blank paper

Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Description of Content, Pedagogy & Practice Time
(Vary order & repeat or add
transitions & components as
needed)
1. Focus and Review We will begin by being transitioned into the classroom
Warming up from a coordinator, and introduce ourselves to the class.

Warming Up 2. Name Game: We will make a circle, and introduce 15

5. Independent Practice
Creating-Responding-
Interconnecting
names. We will first, go around the circle saying our mins
names with a movement that uses the whole body to
accompany the name. The rest of the class will repeat
the name and movement. This utilizes the peer
education method of embodying another’s movement.
Beginning with the first verbalizations in class being
one’s own name can build trust and comfort with
students since their name is something they each may
have complete confidence with. We can repeat with
different movements.
We can also repeat with saying the complete phrase,
“my name is…”
3. Who are you?: Students will have the opportunity to 20
make “all about me” nametag posters in which they mins
must include their name in the poster, but everything

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 else drawn is up to them. We will share the posters with
Warming Up one another as a group.
Warming Up 3. Who are you?: Students will have the opportunity to 10
share their name tag poster with the class. They can mins
introduce their name and then anything else about
themselves that they can say in English, this will leave
it open ended. Here, I can see which English words they
know and can express as a pre-assessment. Students
will vocalize: “My name is…” and this phrase will also
be written on the board. Students can introduce their
likes and hobbies in their native language if
wanted/needed.
Transition 1. Call and Response: We will set up a call and 2
response as a class using clapping patterns. I will begin mins
by creating various clapping patterns and prompting the
class to repeat them.
BREAK BREAK: outside time/ free play 20
mins
2. Statement of Objective We will explain that this week we are learning about the 20
Exploring the Concept body. mins
1. Pre-Assessment: As a pre-assessment, we will ask
where various body parts are, and the students will
move the body part if they understand the vocalization
of the word.
“Where is your…”
Head, Eyes, Ears, Mouth, Nose, Shoulders, Elbow,
Hand, Knee, Leg, Foot, Toes, Fingers, Arm
We will give each student the opportunity to draw the
body part being focused on on the board, and then we
will write the body part next to the drawing. We will
pronounce the body part, and have the students vocalize
the body part with us. Then, students can write the
name of the body part on a personal sheet of paper, and
draw their own image of the body part.
From this pre-assessment, we will find out which body
parts the students know and from here we can create a
vocabulary list which will act as our student learning
outcome for the unit vocabulary list.

Transition We will repeat our call and response clapping pattern

and return to a circle.

3. Teacher Input 1. Body Parts Through Rhythm: We will introduce and

Developing Skills sing “head, shoulders, knees, and toes,” encouraging
students to join in with us.
We will then begin to replace “shoulders” with another

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 body part we will cue students to contribute. For
example, we could ask if anyone else has a favorite
body part, and we can sing “head, elbows, knees, and
toes.” Here, students will be touching their body parts,
moving their bodies, and vocalizing their vocabulary all
at one time.
Independent Practice Reflection: What did you learn today? Students will
write down at the end of class what they learned, which
is open-ended and can be interpreted individually. The
question will be written in Indonesian, and does also not
need to be answered in English.
Transition I will ask students to return to a circle to end class, after
collecting their exit slip reflections.

7. Closure/ Evaluation/Summary Closing: We have created a clapping song surrounding

Cool down-Centering
giving thank you and gratitude for class. We will repeat
this song each class to build community and
predictability for students. A song that is repeatable and
simple can help students feel confident with their
learning and confident with owning and knowing
something that is based in community. Our song will
have everyone thank one another for class. For
example, we would all sing “thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you for today, thank you (*person to
the left of us).

Call and Response: elaboration for next time...Students will then have the opportunity to
create a clapping pattern themselves for the class to repeat. This creates a connection
between myself and students as well as students with other students to build a community
and structure within class in a nonverbal way. This will help in setting the class to be
based in a nonverbal way to enhance verbal communication. How can we build
communication nonverbally? How can we create communication between others without
the limits of spoken language?

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 APPENDIX B: AN EXAMPLE CRITICAL DAILY SELF-REFLECTION

Reflective Teaching Journal

Riley Lathrop

Date of Lesson: June 4th, 2019 Unit: 1 “My Body”

Lesson Taught: Lesson 1, Unit 1
Overview of the class (content and pedagogy)
● Students began at their desks when they first came into class, and once everyone
arrived we put our names on the board and introduced ourselves, and they
automatically repeated the names of the teachers without us asking. Then, they
went around and introduced their names saying “My name is…” as we passed
around the attendance sheet and they all signed in their name.
● I asked “how are you today?” and students repeated “How are you today?” The
Indonesian coordinator helped me, and he prompted them to say “I’m fine,” I then
added some other options for them with body language/facial
expression/embodiment such as “I’m good” with thumbs up and a smile and “I’m
sad,” with sad body expression.
● Next, we asked students to make a circle which took a bit of time for everyone to
finally create a circle. Students automatically held hands with the teachers and one
another once they arrived in the circle.
● I explained we are going to learn names. The coordinator helped explain how to
repeat movement after only some students caught on to repeating my movement. I
said “Miss Riley” with a movement. Then, students went around saying their own
names with a movement. Most students performed original movement and a few
students repeated movements from peers. Popular dances like the dab and floss
were used a few times as well.
● Thao asks when we will sing head, shoulders, knees, and toes to me and then a
student started to sing the song fully, and others joined in. So, we sang the song a
few times then, and then explained we will learn about the body later.
● We then had students return to their seats, and we showed them how to fold a piece
of paper to make a name tag tent. We showed them to write their name and color on
it. Students took about fifteen minutes independently to draw. Some trends were
fighting over markers, and saying “miss miss” for me to go over and see their
drawings.
● Students then went around one more time once their name tag was out and said “My
name is…”
● We wrote on the board: “my name is___” “I am ___ years old” “I like ____”
● Pre assessment “my name is” “I am ___ years old” “I like…” as a writing exercise only.
We had students copy the prompts on the board and fill in the blanks. They could all
write their names, and they could write their age after it was translated and some
drew pictures for what the liked.
● Break (students go to the store for snack, bike ride, games with teachers, etc)
● After break, we began our body movement and drawing exercise. I had all students

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 stand up, and we went through body parts one at a time. I asked “Where is your
head?” we then moved our head, wrote head and drew head in the books. Then,
students continued to write the body part and draw a full body. This day, we only
got through head, shoulders, eyes, mouth, and nose.
● We wrote on the board: What did you learn today? in Indonesian. Students all
copied down the question, so I asked for the coordinator to translate to them that
they should answer the question as well. After, they all wrote “English” for what
they had learned. I prompted them to think of body parts and they listed the body
parts from the board.
● To end, we made a circle and sang a thank you song. Students then gave me their
sheet of paper with their “what did you learn today” prompt, and their name tag and
left out the door.

Pre-Class Reflection
1. What will I offer to my students today?
Today I will offer joy and excitement. I will offer them my presence and ability to adapt to
what they need in the moment. I will give them an open heart and curiosity.

2. What am I most looking forward to for class today?

a. What am I most concerned about? (Do I need a strategy for this concern?)
I am most looking forward to finding ways to connect and bring joy to students. I am
looking forward to meeting them and learning names for the students that have been only a
concept until now.
I am concerned about the dynamics with my teaching partner and how it affects my
class flow. I can bring an openness to adaptation and other’s views of teaching to make the
experience best for students.
3. What am I most curious about class today?
I am curious about students and their personalities. I am curious how students will
respond to each activity and what they prefer within their learning.
4. What is a positive affirmation I can give myself today to guide myself in teaching
with passion and success?
I am trying something new and am brave.

5. Additional Thoughts

Post-Class Reflection

1. What went well? Why?

Students, when in a circle, were most visibly joyous and excited. Students were most

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focused when in a circle as well. I think this is because they could see their class, and a
smaller community was immediately built. When sitting at a desk, it is a more individual
experience. Students were able to listen to one another speaking when in a circle for the
most part. When at desks, students tended to shout over one another.
a. What was my best teaching moment? Why?
When I noticed students were getting distracted and had a lot of energy while writing
down their English vocabulary from the board, I had them stand up and for the rest of class,
I had them move thier body parts in different ways and introduce lightly levels and
demonstrated and had students also explore their body parts of different levels. Although I
wanted to introduce every body part today, it would not have been effective to keep going
through introducing new body parts when it was difficult for them to recall many parts.
Since I noticed it was difficult for them to recall many parts, I found that this was effective
to end class and students also found smiles and joy in this exercise.
b. When were the students most engaged? Why?
Students were most engaged when in active movement or doing an activity that
involved standing. When standing and being quizzed on where body parts were, they were
focused and fast to move that body part, yet almost competitively. Students would look to
me for what to move next, and when I demonstrated that I was moving my head in different
ways, students then moved their heads in different ways. I think looking into challenge
through movement will keep the students engaged and focused.

2. What were challenges that arose?

One challenge arose within the name game, because many students did not want to or
could not say their name simultaneously with doing the movement. Most students said
their name and then did a movement. Most students needed a prompt, “can you do a
movement with that?” and me showing different movement. Also with the name game,
students did not catch on to the simultaneous repeating of the student’s movement. Once
the student said their name with a movement, I had to count 1,2,3, and then students could
repeat their movement. When not counted in, students did not repeat the movement.
With this name game activity but also throughout class in general, many students
spoke very quietly. One student was especially quiet in class and showed little interest, and
even fright, in speaking. With this student, she spoke quietly and then the rest of the class,
in harmony, repeated what she had said to me loudly. I felt the class was in support of her,
but I am curious how she might find confidence in speaking throughout the time.
There was laughter at one boy who could not say “my name is…” correctly, and I could
see he was frustrated. In general, there was a lot of commenting on what others say,
however not always in a negative way.
There were two boys in particular who had much physical energy and had difficulty
with independent work at their seats. They would often touch one another (not harmful,

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yet a playful fighting type of way) and stand up or go look out the window together.
A challenge was clapping patterns for an attention seeker. When I prompted students
with a rhythmic pattern, all students began clapping quickly without rhythm like a clap of
applause. I also tried teaching this right before break, so I will try again with another
approach tomorrow.
A challenge that is interesting specific to this population, was that explaining things in
different ways in English does not generally work. Since their vocabulary is so limited,
when students do not understand something, rather than explaining it many different ways
with words, an immediate physical demonstration works best. I actually surprised myself
with how quickly I transitioned to do this. Every single thing needs embodiment to
accompany it. “Can you find a piece of paper?” I accompanied with holding paper, touching
paper, bringing the paper around to students, and then they understood quickly. English
explanations is my default, so this was a challenge for me however effective when used.
a. When were students least engaged? Why?
Students were least engaged in copying words. I noticed some students took a very
long time to copy words or phrases, and I noticed some not remaining on task, or staring
into space. Copying words from the board, is extremely passive and I can see how students
would begin to play with their friends. Once there was an extrinsic goal of a sticker
involved, students were eager to copy down from the board.
b. What did I do in the moment to adapt (or not) to the challenge?
c. What is a strategy that could help adapt to this challenge in the future?
With the name game, I counted 1,2,3 before each movement, which helped students
repeat the movement. I also asked students to listen by putting my hand into the air then a
listening gesture that helped students.
I also asked students to speak louder by gesturing my hands upwards and saying
“nama” which means name, however I do not want students to feel pressure to speak
loudly. Since the classrooms are connected to other classrooms, there are often other
noises present as well, and speaking loudly in another language forces pronunciation to be
more vulnerable. In the future, I could have students break into smaller groups so they may
feel more comfortable with pronunciations.
When students were laughing at the boy with incorrect pronunciation, I said
something along the lines of “it’s okay,” although this was probably not vocabulary they
knew, and I just smiled at him and gestured him to keep going, however I could have
engaged in a deeper discussion, or we can integrate the everybody makes mistakes song
later in class.
Physical energy from two particular boys presented me with a challenge in which I did
separate them, however they may need physical engagements more often. Because they
could not sit still for long, maybe they need to be writing for shorter time periods.
With the clapping patterns, the students were not understanding to clap twice after I do the
clapping pattern, however I did not try many times because students were already

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distracted. In the future, I could have a more clear demonstration with another teacher to
see how I could adapt.

3. How did students respond to each piece of the lesson? (verbally and nonverbally)
Name game: physically moving in circle often (some girls standing still), jumping, smiles,
laughing
Song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes:” singing loudly, touching body parts
Body Part Movement: quickly answering verbally when asked “what is this?” and I move
and point to my head, when I ask “can you move your head,” most of the class moves
however some do not move it, which makes it dififcult to know whether they comprehend.
4. What is the relationship between the content and pedagogy of the original lesson
plan and what actually occurred? Why?
a. How was modifying the original lesson plan content and/or pedagogy
effective (or ineffective) and why?
This lesson was very close to the actual lesson plan. Some things changed such as we
sang the head, shoulders, knees, and toes song towards the beginning of class. This was
effective because students were excited about it and this prepared them to learn about the
body later in class. Also, we did not have students draw on the whiteboard images of the
body parts, we had students draw them in their notebooks. Students now were all able to
draw without being competitive over who would draw on the whiteboard. We were not
able to get through introducing all the body part vocabulary, however this was effective
because students were beginning to get irritable of copying down words from the board
and drawing them, so at the end of class we moved our body parts and reviewed them as
we moved and vocalized them together. I realized from this that learning outcomes that
may seem simple, are difficult for students and a success to them might be more simple
than I originally imagined. Reading their vocabulary list, writing it, and demonstrating the
vocabulary for the week is a lot for them.
5. How did students progress towards their student learning outcome? What evidence
do I have?
I saw almost all students moving their body parts upon hearing the vocalization of the
word. For example, when I said, “can you move your head?” almost all students did move
their head. A few students looked around the room. This may have been for affirmation, or
the student may not know the word yet. Students did write the body part words down,
however these were copied from the board. I did check every students’ notebook to see if
they had correctly spelled and labeled the body parts from copying the board one body part
at a time. All students successfully copied the words down, with the exception of one girl
writing “noes” instead of “nose.” When I helped her and corrected the word, she excitedly
thanked me. Now that students have copied words, I will move into reading and writing
without copying. I could work to assess how students can write the words based on
vocalization alone/hearing the word. I also want to work towards students reading the
word but also demonstrating the meaning of the word as well.
6. Were there any moments that were a big surprise? (teaching methods or student

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 response)
I was surprised with how physical students were on the very first day and how they
interacted with me as the teacher even on day one. When we made a circle within the first
few minutes of class, a few students ran to stand with me, and held my hand and hugged
me closely. At the end of class, every student automatically lined up, and shook my hand
along with bringing my hand to their forehead and then the girls additionally gave me a
hug.
I was taught about this during orientation however a few students do the middle finger
often because they know it is American/Western however since it does not hold any
meaning in Indonesia they will joke around often and point the middle finger to others, but
not in a rude way. I have been told to remind them that it does not mean “cool” which many
think it does mean.
I was pleasantly surprised that students knew head shoulders knees and toes as a
song very well and they sang it all together.
Students are eager to copy down what is on the board, and it is their automatic
response to written things on the board. They also have a set vocal repetitive response. I
began to spell “hello” on the board and I said “H,” and without prompting them they all
repeated in harmony “H.” Students can repeat letters however when asked what a letter is
they do not know the individual letters.
We did, as a pre-assessment, ask students to write I am — years old and see if they
knew what it meant. Most of them wrote their ages. In Bali, birthdays are celebrated twice a
year so the person is twice their age (if you are 20, you are 40) which I had learned
however when students were writing numbers in the teens my immediate response was to
be confused and try to help them with understanding the prompt. Most students did write
their age as single digit (7 or 8) however writing their other age would be equally valid.
I was surprised that when we came in, it was so quick that students went around and said
“my name is...” like they were trained often to do so.
I wrote “what did you learn today?” in Indonesian on the board. Rather than answer
the question, they all copied the question down and said “miss miss” to have me come over
for approval. This makes me think about their amount of copying they do each English class
typically. I had the coordinator translate that they should answer the question. Then,
students all wrote that they learned “English” today. Then, I prompted body parts to see if
they wanted to write down anything they remember from the day that they learned. A few
students asked “list?” because the body parts were already on the board from earlier.
Students showed that I believe they are used to memorizing patterns rather than
owning their knowledge of each vocabulary word. I was doing an activity with students
where I went through and said “Can you move your head?” “Can you move your eyes?” And
kept adding on body parts but going back to the beginning for review frequently. Through
this students were writing and drawing their body parts. One time, I switched the order
and said “can you move your head?” “Can you move your nose?” And they all pointed to
their eyes because that had been next in the pattern. So, I observed students were not
needing the listening of the word because they were more so memorizing a pattern rather
than memorizing what the word sounds like.
I was surprised because this was the time I was most hyper focused on my words and
English than I have ever been. When speaking, I noticed the huge difference between saying

143
“foot” and “feet” and “arm” and “arms” and I realized how important consistency is in plural
and singular nouns and how they can affect student learning. I also noticed how when class
got loud or a transition was not very smooth, I began to speak faster. Speaking faster
actually slowed the transition process down. In the future, shorter, slower sentences may
help students understanding. I defaulted to “Come on over, let’s make a circle, you can leave
your things at your desks.” This sentence, is too long for this class to comprehend based on
vocalization. In the future, I would say, “let’s make a circle” slowly and repeated.
7. How did I provide feedback to students?
Today, feedback was through simple gestures of thumbs up, saying “good job,” or
pointing to a word written and saying “yes.” I also helped students erase and fix words
that were incorrectly spelled and helped them.
b. How did I differentiate for students? (special need, level/ability, etc.)
c. How effective or ineffective was the feedback?
For the two boys who were physical with one another and disruptive through talking,
I did ask one of the boys to sit one seat back from his friend. When in a circle, I sometimes
needed to stand in between them. After the boys were separated at their desks, both
showed more focus in independent writing practice.
There was one girl who was shy, and barely spoke or moved. Even when I went over
to her desk one on one, she did not speak. I gave her affirmations when she was writing,
however she did not respond to the affirmations. I wonder how I can connect with her. I
wonder how I can encourage her to have more confidence without being forceful. My
feedback to her, she may have heard however she did not show that she heard it, therefore
I am unsure of how effective feedback was. When in the circle, she did not want to say her
name, so I got down to her level however she still did not want to say her name. She said
her name softly and the class repeated. I wonder if the class repeating what she has said
loudly is a trend that has happened throughout the year and now she is used to the class
speaking for her.
8. How did I create or reinforce a safe learning environment for students?
Today, all students vocalized together rather than calling certain students out. I also
based much of class on circles and creating community through putting myself at the same
level of students. When students were at their desks, I placed myself down to the level of
students rather than standing over them. This helped me make eye contact and further
connect with students one on one.

9. What was my own inner attitude and energy towards coming into class today?
(nervous, excited, tired, stressed, etc) And, How did/could it affect students and
teaching ?
Today, I was a little nervous for class. Before class, I journaled and completed my pre-
teaching reflection which gave me more confidence and ease going into class. I also
breathed and focused on giving myself to the moment despite being nervous about

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teaching for the first time. Once I arrived at the school, I was excited and I think my
excitement transferred to students, and the energy could be shared through smiles and
gestures.
10. How did I apply what I learned in my previous class to today?
a. How did it impact my teaching?
b. How did it impact student learning/engagement?

11. How will I use the information I learned in class today to guide tomorrow’s class?
Students need depth over breadth. Students have bits of English vocabulary however
need a variety of activities to actually remember vocabulary. There will be lots of repetition
needed for certain activities and vocabulary/concepts. With creative movement based
class, each student can repeat an exercise however this does not mean their movement is
repeated. I will encourage endless possibilities through creativity.

12. Additional Thoughts

APPENDIX C: CLASSROOM CONTEXT:

SPACE

145
 APPENDIX D: OVER/UNDER
PREPOSITION DRAWING EXAMPLES

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 APPENDIX E: DAILY STUDENT REFLECTIONS

Monday What did you learn today?

Tuesday What was your favorite part of today?

Wednesday What was difficult about today?

Thursday I am happy in class when ___

Friday I am special because ___

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 APPENDIX F: STUDENT EMOTION REFLECTIONS

When do I feel happy?

M2 Playing a game Eat chocolate **
M3 Playing a game To serve Eating ice cream
I’m happy when
M4 playing I’m happy when learning **
M5 ** play** Playing game
M10 I am a friend I play **
M13 Play Play kites Eating ice cream
Eating chocolate with
M15 My friend When playing football friends
M19 ** ** **
M20 ** ** **
M21 I have a friend I play ball **
M22 Loved play Eating
F2 When study When writing When sing a song
I’m happy when I’m happy when meet with
F3 playing with friend miss I’m happy when studying
I’m happy when I’m happy when meet with
F6 playing with friend miss I’m happy when studying

F7 When meet with Riley When playing game When I’m studying
I’m happy when I get I’m happy when playing
F8 first champion I’m happy to study/learn game
When I’m playing
F10 game When eating chocolate When eating ice cream
F11 Get champion Get first champion Buy a bag
F12 When I play ** **
F13 With my mother Eat chocolate playing
F14 ** ** **
F15 Play Play bicycle Play butterfly

F16 When meet with miss playing When studying

F17 Get a champion Get a first champion Belted
F18 Get trophies Get first champion Get a new bag
F19 Get a trophy Get first champion Buy a bag

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When do I feel sad?
M2 Can’t make a kite Can’t go to the market The bicycle is broken
Someone leave me
M3 alone My mother leave me My bicycle is broken

M4 My friend mocked me My friend mocked me My friend kicked me

M5 Lose something I fell down Someone mocked me
I don’t have any When I come in front of
M10 friends I fell down the class

M13 My bicycle is broken My ice cream fell I fall

If I don’t have any
M15 friends When I just stay at home When I want to play
M19 ** ** **
M20 Happy Brave Fell down
M21 ** When I fell down When I was hurt
The teacher angry to
F2 me Left by sister Left by mother
I fell down from the
F3 My friend mocked me bicycle I fell down

F6 My friend mocked me My bicycle is broken Parting with miss

When parting with
F7 miss Left by sister Left by father
I fell down from the
F8 My bicycle is broken I fell down bicycle
F10 Get a bad news I feel sad No one want to play
F11 Left by sister Left by father
When my friend angry to
F12 Someone angry to me When I fell down me
F13 Fell down alone Left by mother
When my friend angry to
F14 Someone angry to me When I fell down me

F15 My friend mocked me I fell down My friend push me

F16 Parting with miss Left by sister Left by father
F18 Punished Don’t get the first rank I fell down

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F19 Punched Fell down from the bicycle Don’t get the first rank

When do I feel worried?

M2 See ghost The lamp turned off Fear in the night

M3 The lamp turned off Dark Scared

Worried about
M4 Worried about mother Worried about father grandmother

M5 Alone at home No one want to play Someone leave me alone

M13 See ghost See my parent sad See my brother sad

M15 See ghost I am alone Someone leave me alone

M19 ** ** **
M20 ** ** **

F2 I am alone My parents leave me alone Someone feel angry to me

I forget to make the
F3 My friends leave me My mother angry to me homework
When my friends leave I forget to make the
F6 me My mother angry to me homework
My father not coming My sister at my mother’s
F7 yet My mother is not at home home
Someone leave me
F8 alone Someone leave me alone Someone leave me alone
F10 Get a bad news Lose something Someone left me
F11 See ghost Alone at home Back at home alone
Someone leave me I have quarrel with
F12 alone I feel sad at home someone
F14 I feel worried I feel worried Alone at home

F16 My friends leave me My mother angry to me My mother leave me

F17 Back to home alone Scared at home The lamp turned off

F18 Back to home alone Alone at home The lamp is turned off

F19 Back to home alone Alone at home The lamp is turned off

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When do I feel excited?

M2 Get a new bicycle Find money in the road Get a champion

M3 Can get the train Can get a bike fighting

I am excited when I I am excited when friends

M4 am playing I am excited when day off ask me to playing
M5 I am excited When playing football **
M13 encouraged Loved by parents Proud
Because I am too Because I am playing Because I am playing
M15 excited football badmitton
M19 ** ** **
M20 ** ** **
Because playing with Because I am not ___ with
F2 miss Because I am not sick friends **
I am excited when I I am excited when I am excited when
F3 am playing studying/learning jumping
I am excited when I I am excited when I see I am excited when I meet
F6 am playing miss with friends
F7 When play When study/learn When play a doll
I am excited when I
F8 get bicycle I am excited to learn/study I am excited to play

When I get a new When I go to Kintamani When I visit my uncle in

F10 bicycle (town in Bali) the hospital
F11 I like eating I like writing I like to see miss
F12 I like eating I like eating I like eating
F14 I like eating I like eating I like eating
F16 I like eating I like writing I like to see miss
F17 ** I like writing I like to see miss
I am excited when I I am happy when I am I am excited when I see
F18 am playing writing you miss

F19 I want to swimming I like writing I want to buy a bicycle

No name Playing Holiday Eat

When do I feel angry?

151
M5 On my birthday Get a gift See someone fall
Surprised because I am Surprised because see
M9 fall Get a gift someone fall
M15 On my birthday Get surprise Get a gift
M20 Fire Myself Like rice
No name Birthday Get a new bag Get a new clothes

F2 Get a delicious food Get surprised Get a gift

F3 On my birthday When play hide and seek Surprised by friends

F4 On my birthday See a snake Bitten by ants
Surprised on my
F6 birthday When play hide and seek Get a new bicycle
F7 On my birthday When play When meet my dad
F13 Get a gift Get a cake Get a doll
F14 On my birthday Get surprise See someone fall
F15 Get a cake Get a gift Get surprise
F16 Get a cake Get a gift Get surprise
F19 Birthday When travelling Get a gift

When do I feel scared?

M2 See ghost Alone at home Left by mother

M4 Someone angry to me Someone is chasing me See a snake

M5 I am scared Someone surprise me See ghost
M6 Father angry to me Mother angry to me Brother angry to me
Kentilanak/ Indonesian
M9 Ghost Tuyu/Indonesian ghost ghost
M10 See ghost I fell down Alone
M19 I am scared ** **
M20 Cna /** Cna /** Cna /**
Afraid of being
F3 punished When I fell down Afraid of being kicked
F4 See wolf See snake See tiger
F6 See a snake See a wolf See a mouse

F7 Back to home alone Left by parents Alone at home

F8 See ghost Left by parents See ghost

152
F9 Mother angry to me Father angry to me Sister angry to me
F10 Alone at home Someone scared me See ghost
F13 ghost alone Cockroach

F14 Mother angry to me Father angry to me Sister angry to me

F15 Back to home alone Alone at home Left by parents

F19 Alone at home Back to home in the night Left by parents

F16 Back to home alone Alone at home Play alone

No name Back to home alone I am scared See ghost

When do I feel proud?

M1 Get a champion Get a champion Get a champion

M2 Because I got the gift As a winner in the class Got a book

See friends
Get a book
M2 Get winner/champion Get a new bicycle Get a new watch
M3 As a winner Got a gift **
I am proud to be
M4 soccer player I am proud when playing **
M5 Be a winner Smart Reading

I feel proud because I Because I am winner from

M6 am a first champion bicycle race Because I am smart
M7 ** ** **

M9 I get a first champion I get second champion I get third champion

M10 ** ** **
M14 winner Football **
M15 Get the first winner Playing football As a winner
M21 Playing game Playing football Playing basketball
M13 As a winner Proud to get a gift **

M15 I have a new sister I like learning/studying I have lots of friends

M19 ** ** **

153
 I am proud because I like
eat
I am proud because like a
champion
I am proud because I I am proud because I like I am proud because I like
F3 like playing studying to write
Proud when get a Proud when get a charter I am proud when I get a
F4 champion (?) compliment

I am proud when I win

draw
When win written
I am proud when I get I am proud when I get I am proud when I get
F6 a win praise praise from my friends
I am proud to get a
champion of the drawing,
I am proud to get a writing,
champion of the I am proud to get a I am proud to get a 9th
F7 balloon champion of the singing champion
I am proud when I get
praise
I am proud to have I am proud when I win to I am proud when I get a
F8 won draw bicycle

I am proud when my
father gives me present
I am proud when my
brother gives me gift
I am proud when miss I am proud when my I am proud when my
F9 give me presents mother gives me gift friends give me gift

Because I am studying
Because be a first Because I dont like
F10 Because I am happy champion Because I am smart
When I am the first
F12 winner I am happy I am happy
When I am first
F14 winner ** Make my family happy
I am good student
F16 I won first place I got the result of the exam I bought new clothes
I am good student
F19 I won first place I get the result of exam Got new clothes

154
 I am proud because I
am to be a first I am proud when see my
No name champion big value**? **

APPENDIX G: DAILY STUDENT REFLECTIONS

WHAT DID YOU

LEARN TODAY?
JUNE 4th, 2019 JUNE 10th, 2019 JUNE 17th, 2019 JUNE 24th, 2019 JULY 1st, 2019

(M1) Body parts English language, Happy, sad, parts of body,

155
 body parts, the English, body
weather parts English, playing
Today I was
English, body English about drawing the English,
(M2) parts body parts animals I love Indonesian
learn about drawing, writing
(M3) English in English
English; head, eyes, English language,
nose, mouth, lesson about
(M4) shoulders, arms, hands Body parts body parts
learning about
(M5) colors
English; head, eyes, English, Body
nose, mouth, parts, happy, sad,
(M6) shoulders, arms, hands Body parts excited, worried
Body parts, I like studying
(M7) animals and drawing
(M8) rewrites question language English

English language, I was learning

(M9) English Body parts body parts colors in English
blue, yellow,
(M10) rewrites question green

learning about
(M11) English body in English
(M12)
Body part, English, about body and
English, about greeting, also greeting in
(M13) English Body parts the weather body parts English
(M14)
English,
(M15) red, blue, yellow Indonesian
Body parts in
M16) English
(M17)
(M18)
English language,
English, Body weather, body
(M19) parts, football parts illegible English
English, foot,
(M20) head, animal rewrites question
(M21)
(M22)

English language,
(F1) weather, body

156
 parts
Body parts,
English language, learning body English, singing,
Body parts in know the parts, typing writing, drawing,
(F2) English weather body parts make our name
English, body about color, about body,
parts, and atmosphere, learning about
(F3) Animals weather English singing
English, Head, eyes, English langauge,
head, mouth, nose, Body parts in body parts, English, singing,
(F4) shoulders, arms, hands English, animals weather dance
(F5)

English, singing, English, learning

(F6) Body parts dance about singing
Body parts,
English langauge, coloring, writing, English, drawing,
know the English, coloring writing, coloring,
(F7) weather person make our name
I've learned I've learned
English, I've English, I've
English; head, eyes, learned body learned parts of
nose, mouth, shoulders, body part, parts, I've the body, I've
(F8) arms, hands Body parts weather learned happy learned English
English; head, eyes,
nose, mouth, shoulders, learning about
(F9) arms, hands Body parts body parts about body
body and
English; one head, body parts, about news, greeting in
(F10) eyes, mouth, nose Body parts weather about happy English
drawing and
(F11) Body parts writing

body parts and about body and

(F12) rewrites question English colors in English greeting
(F13) rewrites question English
learning body
English; head, eyes, body parts, parts and colors about body, face,
(F14) nose, mouth English weather in English and drawing
English; head, eye,
head, mouth,
shoulders, nose, arms,
(F15) hands English language draw, write

drawing, writing, about English,

(F16) coloring drawing, writing
I am learning to
English; head, eyes, draw, and
head, mouth, nose, learning about
(F17) shoulders English

157
 English; head, eyes, English lesson,
head, mouth, nose, learn about
(F18) shoulders, hands English
drawing and English, drawing,
(F19) writing writing
(F20)
(F21)
(F22)
(F23)
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVORITE PART OF
TODAY?
June 4th, 2019 June 11th, 2019 June 18th, 2019 June 25th, 2019 July 2nd, 2019
(M1) cycling over and under nothing too easy
English and
(M2) English playing game English language drawing
drawing,
drawing and coloring, and
(M3) drawing drawing writing drawing, writing writing
playing with my
playing up and I like learning, I friends, learning playing, learning,
(M4) English down like playing game English drawing
happy, happy,
(M5) rewrites question I like drawing playing color like
(M6) English
I like learning,
I like drawing playing, learning
(M7) drawing over and under and playing drawing
English language,
(M8) play ball playing football coloring English, drawing
playing and
(M9) English drawing
English language,
(M10) drawing coloring
(M11) English language
(M12)

coloring with all drawing, playing,

(M13) playing game my friends and learning
(M14)
(M15) English language drawing
M16) drawing
(M17)
(M18)

158
 playing over and English language,
(M19) rewrites question under playing learning English play, school, body
(M20) rewrites question drawing rewrites question rewrites question
I like to study, I
like to play
football, I like
(M21) basketball
(M22)
study/learn and
(F1) drawing meet you . meet with miss
meet with miss,
coloring, make a learning, singing,
(F2) coloring hide and seek circle coloring
play, learn
(F3) English English English
drawing, writing,
learning, reading,
(F4) English lessons English counting
drawing and
(F5) English English writing, English
drawing, English language,
learning, writing, play, learn learning drawing,
(F6) English lessons English count English learning singing
learning English, English language,
playing hockey, learning to write,
(F7) English lessons English playing tennis learning drawing
I like to learn
about high, I like body parts and
to learn about body parts and drawing and
(F8) color the letter over under high and low drawing coloring

playing up and coloring and drawing and

(F9) English down drawing a human studying

coloring and I love all the drawing, playing,

(F10) English over and under drawing a human things today and learning
(F11) learning English

coloring and
(F12) rewrites question drawing, playing drawing a human body parts
English, drawing,
(F13) apple drawing singing
I am happy when
drawing and I am learning drawing, playing,
(F14) English playing body parts learning

travelling/walking and drawing, writing,

(F15) break time English language English and playing

159
 studying/learnin body parts,
(F16) travelling/ walking English language g drawing, coloring
English and draw
(F17) rewrites question the body

learning English
(F18) drawing and drawing
learning English,
and drawing and English, drawing,
(F19) English language writing writing
(F20)
meet with miss,
coloring, make a
(F21) circle
(F22)
teaching time,
(F23) play when break time drawing
WHAT WAS
DIFFICULT ABOUT
TODAY?
June 12th, 2019 June 19th, 2019 June 26th, 2019 July 3rd, 2019
studying and
(M1) studying playing are lit

new words, reading, drawing,

(M2) nothing else drawing, coloring writing
drawing and
(M3) learning, writing writing
(M4) body parts English, game
new words, hands, counting,
(M5) writing, drawing drawing
drawing, writing,
(M6) body parts reading

difficult to learn
(M7) studying the ball game
(M8) studying English
body parts and coloring and
(M9) gymnastics writing
(M10) legs English
learning English
(M11) and writing
(M12)
answer the
question on the drawing, playing,
(M13) body parts board writing

160
 drawing, writing,
(M14) playing
drawing and
(M15) studying learning English drawing, writing writing
M16) ears
(M17)
(M18)
new word,
(M19) English coloring reading
(M20) illegible illegible rewrites question
(M21) drawing, writing
(M22)

I love you miss, new words,

(F1) drawing learning English drawing, singing

game, body parts, coloring, come

(F2) English circle, English forward, playing

new vocabulary,
(F3) games game, English singing, games
drawing, writing,
reading, making
circle, come to
new words, the front of the
(F4) playing game, English singing, games class
(F5) playing
new words,
(F6) playing game, English singing, games
play badmittion, drawing hands,
basketball, tennis, vocabulary, counting, singing,
(F7) English marbles singing, drawing coloring, writing
most difficult is
learning body a lot of drawing,
parts, most drawing, parts of drawing people,
difficult is the body, drawing body
(F8) body parts learning English drawing a person parts
drawing hands,
(F9) body parts body parts
question on the
board, and body body, parts of drawing hands
(F10) body parts part body and writing
(F11)
answer the
question on the
(F12) body parts board
(F13) B English surprised

161
(F14) body parts drawing
drawing, English, writing, drawing,
(F15) English writing playing
drawing, English,
(F16) English writing
I am learning new vocabulary,
about English and singing and writing and
(F17) learning/ studying drawing games drawing
drawing and
writing and writing and
(F18) learning/ studying English drawing
English language,
learning English drawing, writing, writing, drawing,
(F19) and writing and English counting, cutting
(F20)

game, body parts,

(F21) circle, English
(F22)
(F23)
I AM HAPPY IN CLASS
WHEN ______
June 7th, 2019 June 13th, 2019 June 20th, 2019 June 27th, 2019 July 4th, 2019
I like studying studying and
(M1) study/learn and drawing playing
I like studying, I
like knowing the
drawing and parts of the body learning,
(M2) study/learn studying is fun and drawing drawing, coloring

I like drawing, studying and learning writing

(M3) study/learn football, and yoga studying playing and counting
I like to play with
the teachers and learn about
they teach me English and learning English
(M4) English playing language

studying, writing, playing, learning,

(M5) I study drawing reading, writing
studying, English,
(M6) study/learn studying body parts
I like to do yoga,
English, body I like to learn I like studying, I like learning, I
(M7) study/learn parts, football how to write writing like playing
(M8) tutoring English language

I like body parts, studying and can learning,

(M9) study/learn and counting in writing and drawing, writing,

162
 English drawing coloring
(M10) rewrites question smell studying English
(M11) rewrites question
(M12)
I like coloring,
yoga, and body learning with
(M13) study/learn parts miss Riley
(M14)
playing games,
because my
(M15) learn/study there are friends friends and miss
I like to play
football and
M16) drawing
(M17)
(M18)
I like learning
(M19) illegible jelly English good, good
I like to be in the
(M20) class I feel the class I feel happy
play ball, I like
studying, I like
(M21) playing ball
(M22)
meet with miss,
drawing,
(F1) learn to write coloring, English
I like when I am
studying and studying, singing,
(F2) study/learn playing playing with miss
studying, playing,
(F3) study/learn studying English singing
learning, playing,
studying and studying, dancing, make
(F4) study/learn learning drawing, singing circle
(F5) study/learn
meet miss,
learning, meet
meet miss, meet my friends,
(F6) study/learn study/ learn friends, studying singing
I like to learn studying English,
English, cycling, counting, sing a
jumping, tennis, song, drawing,
(F7) study/learn and I like running study writing

163
 I like studying, I
like knowing I am happy when
parts of the body, learning, I am
I like studying I like learning I like learning happy when
(F8) learn English and drawing and playing English playing games

I was taught by a
(F9) study/learn good teacher, you
I like English,
body parts,
drawing, and I was taught by a
(F10) study/learn coloring good teacher, you taught by miss
play, study,
singing with
friends also
moving together
with Riley and
(F11) Thao
(F12) rewrites question study together
playing games,
(F13) study/learn learning
I like studying
(F14) tutoring and drawing study together learning
because you miss,
because my
(F15) friend, playing
learning with
friends, playing, writing, drawing,
(F16) and singing singing
happy at the
because I have school, English
I like drawing learned English Because studying language,
(F17) tutoring and coloring and drawing English drawing
(F18) rewrites question when I study
learn with
friends, and learning, playing, learning,
(F19) playing study/learn drawing drawing, writing
(F20)
(F21)
(F22)
(F23)
I AM SPECIAL
BECAUSE...
June 14th, 2019 June 21st, 2019 June 28th, 2019 July 5th, 2019 week 1
because I am in right and in the
(M1) becoming smarter respect

164
 I'm a good
person and
honest, I'm
because I got gifts, I polite, I'm smart, honored to be
(M2) can learn English happy treats, respect **
practice playing
(M3) English and football champion smart middle
I feel very special
when my parent
bought me a learning English,
because I got gifts and bicycle when it playing, writing,
(M4) food was my birthday. helping miss English, I play **
I'm honest, I'm
smart, I'm the
have a lot of champion, smart, excellent,
(M5) friends writing, reading intelligent
(M6) I study
I got gift, I can play I love learning
(M7) football and playing
(M8)
I can learn I can write and
learn body parts in writing and draw and write
(M9) English drawing, exercise and color
I'm a good
person, I'm
polite, I'm smart,
(M10) I'm happy
I have a lot of
(M11) friends
(M12)
I am happy because I
had been taught by taught by Miss ___ by miss Riley
(M13) Riley and Thao Riley miss Gigi
(M14)
have a lot of
(M15) friends I am handsome
because been taught
by Miss Riley, and get
M16) gifts
(M17)
(M18)
I am a good
person, I am
(M19) illegible polite **
(M20) because I got gifts me illegible
(M21)

165
(M22)
meet with you,
and meet my
(F1) friend

because they give me

(F2) something often
(F3) meet with miss
meeting miss, have miss, meet
being the miss, have
champion, I have brother,
you miss, I have cherished,
when I study and the coordinator, respect, in
(F4) play the game seeing you respect
(F5)
I am special
because I am a
champion, I am
special because I
have praise, I am
special because
I'm the best in have miss, have
drawing, I am friends, meet
special when I'm parents, meet
studying, I am brother and
special when sister, meet
meet with miss, learning how to granny and
(F6) meet with friends read. grandpa
because I'm
great, because
I'm honest, I am smart, I am
because I'm beautiful, I am
meet with miss, smart, because honest, I am
meet with I'm smart, friendly, I care
I am happy because I friends, meet because I'm about my sister, I
(F7) got gifts with family pretty am in class
I am special
because I am the
champion, I am
special because I
met you, I am I am special
special because I because I am the
am the best in champion, I am
I feel special drawing, I am special because I
because I am special when I got a bike, I am
learning, I feel am studying, I am special because I
because I am the special because I special when I am the champion
(F8) champion have champion learn reading in drawing
because of
studying and feel proud of
(F9) flying myself

166
 Because I'm the
champion, I am smart,
I been taught by miss Miss Riley and because I've been because I am
(F10) Riley and Miss Thao Miss Thao taught by miss happy
study together with
friends in the class, my
English is getting
(F11) better
when I play the miss Riley and
(F12) game miss Gigi
great, honest,
smart, good,
(F13) pretty I am smart
Because I'm the
second
champion,
when I play the because I'm miss Riley and
(F14) my English is smarter game smart miss Gigi
because I'm
great, because
I'm honest,
because I'm
smart, because
I'm special,
because I'm
(F15) pretty write, draw, learn
because I'm
great, because
I'm honest,
because I'm
smart, because
with friends in the I'm special,
class, my English because I'm
(F16) getting better pretty write, draw, play
study together in the
class, studying English learn English,
(F17) and writing drawing, woman

study together with

(F18) friends in the class
meet miss Thao
and miss Riley,
because I can
draw, I can play,
with friends in the have a lot of playing with because I learn,
(F19) class learn English friends miss, I can color draw, write
(F20)
(F21)
(F22)
(F23) study/learn and

167
 write

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