Though it sounds cliché, empathy is built by “stepping into another’s shoes.” When we take the time to listen and learn from others, we often find commonalities that would otherwise remain hidden. Opening space for students to share their personal experiences with their classmates without fear of judgment creates a more equal and inclusive environment. When students go beyond sharing what they know to teaching a group or a partner something more in-depth about their experience, knowledge becomes understanding, which lends itself to greater empathy for another.
***There is usually no need to reinvent the wheel when creating activities that teach or reinforce social and emotional learning. Many of these lessons have been in circulation for years. In fact, if a student is familiar with the activity, it provides even greater opportunity to focus on the SE skill being explored***
Movement
Learning a movement phrase that someone else created/teach them your movement phrase
Object: To share in another person’s experience by learning their work.
Supplies: Music and space for students to move.
Process:
Provide a theme or idea that students can use as the inspiration for their work.
Ask students how this theme or idea affects the way their bodies feel.
Have them create one movement that conveys that feeling or their thoughts about the theme.
Working individually, have students use their one movement to build a movement phrase that conveys their experience or feelings about the theme or idea provided. (Sometimes I like to use their movements from the Circle Dance warm-up to give them a “seed” that gets them started.)
Students can take one movement and develop it to create something larger. They can use dance elements such as repetition, tempo changes, level changes, and shape to build their phrase into a more complete work.
Once students have established and practiced their movement phrase individually, divide them into small groups or partners.
Instruct students to teach their movement to their partner(s), and partners should learn and memorize the phrase. Repeat this until everyone knows each others’ phrases.
If you wish, you can ask for volunteers to perform either their partner’s work, or their own phrase.
Debrief either in small groups or in the larger group.
Discussion Questions:
What did you observe about your partner’s movement phrase? What was it like learning your partner’s movement phrase? What did you learn about your partner when you learned their dance? What movements or feelings did you feel you could relate to your own experiences? What was it like teaching your phrase to someone else?
From this experience, students can work together to create a large piece of work, adding their phrases together or combining them in creative ways to build a full-length piece. Students can break their phrases apart to create new phrases. Some may choose to perform their own phrase but find ways to compliment their partner’s phrase. Encourage students to use creative elements such as repetition, canon, locomotion, stillness, tempo changes, etc.