Some pupils may have previous experience of some form of dance through their

involvement in Irish dancing, watching it on TV or watching music videos. They will

all have experience of music and have some understanding of moving to a beat.

However, none of the students have experienced contemporary or creative dance in a

school setting or media setting.

 

Students have completed schemes in previous years around fundamental movement skills and gymnastics. Skills such as agility, co-ordination, balance and rhythm are all skills that can be transferred to this scheme and should be of benefit to the students. Some students also have part taken in a dance of that takes place annually in the school and so will have experience in practicing, performing and choreographing a routine. 

 

This class has proven to be challenging with many students having a poor attitude towards physical education, particularly surrounding activities outside of invasion or court games. 

                                                                                                                        (Senior Cycle Physical Education Framework, 2011, p.25)

 

According to the Sport Development and Peace international working group “sport is seen to have most benefits in…promotion of

gender equality, social integration…peace building” (p.196). My rationale for choosing to explore this instructional model is that Ireland is a hub of diversity where social inclusion is of high priority. Irelands Census (2016) stated that of Irelands population, non-Irish nationals living on the island have come from over 200 nations. I believe schools provide the best setting to witness the interactions between these different cultures and physical education is a place where these vastly different cultures can be showcased through various activities that are unique to those cultures. I believe that the CIPA model allows students to explore and learn about the cultures of other students in their class, in a way in which wouldn’t be possible in other subjects. I choose this model as I feel it is important for the students in this class to develop an understanding of the attitudes, barriers and values that sport holds in cultures outside of Ireland. 

 

I choose Dance to approach this instructional model as dance “has the capacity to heal and can be used effectively in a multicultural context” (Carmichael, 2012, p.102). Almost every culture around the world has their own dance or movements that are unique to that culture. With every dance comes a story behind the movements and the history of the dance. I feel that by approaching the CIPA model through dance, students not only are exposed to the dance and physical movements of various cultures, but get an appreciation of their history’s and traditions that remain in many to this day

> GOLONKA CARMICHAEL, N., 2012. Turning Towards Multicultural Diversity Competence in Dance/Movement Therapy. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 34(2), pp. 99-113.

>  www.cso.ie 

Co-ordination                        Hopping 

Agility                                     Jumping