Okay, of course your students are going to learn in your ballet class. It's pretty much impossible to spend 60-90 minutes with a teacher who has a lesson plan and not learn something. But I'm talking about encouraging learning in more ways than just having a solid curriculum and plan for the year.
Learning happens best when students trust their teacher. According to people who complain about "kids these days," apparently kids way back when just inherently trusted adults. I'm not sure I buy this. I clearly remember adults that I wouldn't have trusted to keep a Tamagotchi alive, much less give me meaningful advice. (I have one harrowing memory of an adult trying to impress me by showing me his Furby. And while it would have been even worse---and illegal---if "Furby" had been a euphemism for something, it still really screamed not trustworthy.)
Trust is not something you just get when you assume the job title of "teacher." You have to build it. And every class is an opportunity to build or break down trust. Just like with ballet technique, small actions add up to big results. Some ways to increase trust include:
Be vulnerable. It is okay if a student asks a question and you admit you don't know the answer. "That's a really good question, and I'm not sure," is honest and validates the student's thought process---two very important parts of a trusting relationship. Plus, this sets you up really well for the next point:
Follow through. If you say you will look up an answer to a question, look it up. Don't think your student will forget. They never do. (It's okay if you forget the first time and they remind you. But make a note in your phone or something because follow-up matters.) If you say you are going to give a consequence to anyone who doesn't secure their hair neatly, you have to give that consequence to everyone who doesn't follow the direction. You can't make exceptions.
Get to know your students as individuals. These are people we get to work with, not un-programmed ballet robots. Learn their names. Learn their favorite color or snack or class at school. If you, like me, have trouble learning names quickly, it can be really helpful to ask their name and their favorite _____ for a few classes. Having more information to associate with a face seems to make their name "stickier" in the brain.
Ask your students what their ballet goals are. And then (see "follow through," above) help them reach their goals. Everyone is more motivated to learn when we get to focus on things that interest us. Even if your students are setting goals that are a few years off, there are things you can do in today's class to help them get closer to that goal.
Give individual feedback. Class-wide corrections and praise are useful and definite time savers. But they don't hit as hard as hearing your own name, followed by proof that you have been seen. One of the best bits of teaching advice I ever got was, "praise every student, by name, every class." Bonus: requiring myself to do this helps me learn names faster.
Being a teacher is more than just giving information; the best teachers intentionally create classrooms where students are eager to accept the information and grow from there. If you're worried that the students won't learn as efficiently as if you stuck to more old-school approaches, I promise you that in the long run they will learn more. In the next 4-6 months, they will learn less because building trust takes a little time each class. But as long as you're planning on working with kids longer than that, I promise you won't lose any ground by investing this little bit of time each class.
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