Many people who wish to become teachers need flexibility in the structure and format of their training. We believe the way to acheive that flexibilty is to organize our teacher education around a set of graduation criteria which are comprehensive, explicit and detailed. This approach allows our programs to be both flexible and rigorous. These criteria provide both faculty and students with a clear, consistent and ongoing reference for knowing where the student is on their journey toward becoming a skilled teacher. |
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| The San Diego Model | Individualized Study Programs |
| Courses | Graduation Criteria |
| The San Diego Model The Performance School conducts a teacher education program in Dan Diego (Encinitas) California. The program is organized around the Performance School Graduation Criteria. One of the faculty conducts a weekend workshop monthly based on the Performance School teacher education curriculum. The program integrates these workshops with continuing work by the students. Students work on their own and with each other, and take regular private lessons with local teachers. In addition, special areas of TPS Online are open only to students in this program. The workshops are also open on a space available basis to people outside the program. Please contact us for more details. Individualized Study Programs Currently, Teacher Education at The Performance School in Seattle is through our Individualized Study Programs and is open to anyone who has studied the Technique for long enough to know they want to commit to the time and discipline required to become a teacher. Applicants to the Individualized Study Programs will meet with one or more of The Performance School faculty to evaluate where they are in their study of the Technique and to design a program that will allow them to reach their goals. The amount of time required to complete an Individualized Study Program will vary depending on the applicant's background and prior experience. Criteria for successfully completing an Individualized Study Program are the same as for the Teacher Education Program in San Diego. Contact us about an Individualized Study Program. Course Work at The Performance School (The following is excerpted from the Student Handbook given to the participants in our San Diego Teacher Education Program.) Introduction At The Performance School, the practice of the Alexander Technique is grounded in a thorough understanding of the principles of the Technique. We believe that it is essential for students to have an active understanding of those principles, and an ability to apply those principles in their daily lives, to articulate them clearly and to convey them to others. What characterizes our teaching is the conscious intention to actively engage the pupil in the learning process, and to always keep the principles of the Technique primary in our work, so that our practice of the Technique is always an expression of our best understanding of those principles. We challenge students to develop their personal understanding of the Technique by constantly exploring how the way they work embodies their conception of the principles involved. Our goal for our students is that they see their understanding of the principles of the Technique as something that will continue to evolve and deepen, and at the same time as something in which they can have genuine trust as the basis for their teaching practice. At the Performance School, teacher education is designed to allow students who are independent and self-directed learners to develop a program that fits their individual needs. Students who have had experience with the Alexander Technique and who wish to become teachers are invited to contact us to undertake a program that will qualify them to become teachers. Alexander Technique classes and supervised teaching play primary roles in teacher education. Students are also typically asked to include work in anatomy, physiology, communication and teaching skills, and business practices. Students are also encouraged to work with a variety of Alexander Technique teachers to insure knowledge of the diversity of viewpoints and teaching approaches within the Alexander Technique community, and a comprehensive acquisition of skills. Courses Course work at The Performance School includes the following topic areas: - a practical exploration of the theory, principles and practice of the Technique - observation skills - literature by and about F.M. Alexander - group and private practice teaching skills - communication skills - movement forms - voice and presentation skills - anatomy and physiology (available from local universities) - supervised teaching Included throughout the program will be explorations of how to analyze performance and then use the principles of the Technique to remove obstacles to free and effective performance, how to organize a lesson to teach the principles of the technique in a practical way and how to engage a group of students in the learning process. The following are offered in an integrated fashion by one or more of the faculty or visiting faculty on an ongoing basis: Movement Form This class explores the way in which the Alexander Technique helps us in learning new movement forms, and how the movement form itself can help us extend our freedom in movement. Form in movement asks us to conform ourselves to particular shapes and qualities of movement. The Alexander Technique can help us find freedom in these forms, by enabling us to build the movement from within, actively choosing the movement at each moment. Students will be encouraged to pursue independent study of a movement form (for example tai chi, aikido, yoga, dance, etc.). The Movement Form class will then consist of two parts: in one part of the class each student will, in turn, work on a selected movement phrase from their independent study, receiving help in applying the principles of the Alexander Technique. In the second part of the class, the group will learn and perform a movement form together. This part of the class will start with Stacy teaching a short tai chi sequence, but, as the term progresses, each student will have the opportunity to teach a selection from their independent study. Working Toward A New Science Lessons in the Alexander Technique seemingly show us that we can't trust what we feel, we barely know what we think, and we certainly don't know what we are doing. In Working Toward a New Science, we will work toward an understanding that can help us find our way through the seeming conflict between self observation as a tool for personal growth, and the fact of "faulty sensory appreciation." The class will consist of thinking, experimenting and sharing experiences together. Principles in Practice Principles in Practice is a laboratory where we can explore in a personal and practical way the writings and ideas of F.M. Alexander. We will use his writings as a basis for deepening our own understanding of the Technique, and for transforming how we teach. The goal is for students to be knowledgeable about Alexander's own process in developing his Technique, be able to talk and write about their own understanding of the work, make choices about learning and teaching the work, know how those choices fit or do not fit with Alexander's choices, and, most of all, relish the question: What is the Alexander Technique? We will also look at Alexander's contributions to the fields of education, philosophy, science and human behavior, and see if his work still has relevance for these fields today. Teaching Principles Teaching Principles explores how our clarity of intention when teaching determines the effectiveness of our teaching. We will look at what Alexander wrote about teaching, examine how what he wrote reflects the principles of the Technique, whether his ideas about teaching changed over time, and the nature and significance of those changes. We will also examine models of teaching other than Alexander's to understand the principles and belief structures underlying them. Throughout the class we will experiment with how working from a particular model affects what we say and do to teach, and most importantly, how we transform our own understanding of the principles of the Technique into our personal model of teaching. Personal Science Relying on the discoveries of FM Alexander and others, we will consider the natural principles underlying the workings of a whole human individual as a natural system and explore what it might mean to take conscious account of these principles in directing our personal actions. We will also examine our own personally constructed models of the world and ourselves, and will work toward elaborating our personal theories about ourselves. This is a laboratory course in which we will combine these two perspectives by experimenting with ways in which our actions, in whatever activity (from sitting or walking to singing to teaching) are embodiments of our personal models of ourselves. The Art of Observing A practical exploration of how applying the fundamental principles of the Alexander Technique to ourselves in our own activities is the basis for applying them in our teaching. The Alexander Technique, like any science, begins with observation. We will be explicitly developing observation skills--how to see quality of movement, in ourselves and in others; how to observe a student's thinking in what they say; how to observe with our hands. We will gain practice in the art of asking questions--both verbally and with our hands. We will learn how these questions give shape and direction to our observations. Supervised Teaching Supervised teaching opportunities will be developed by the students in conjunction with the faculty. These may include classes or workshops the students develop themselves, introductory presentations to community groups, informally working with friends, and teaching on other workshops or courses offered by the faculty. Students will meet with one or more faculty members beforehand to plan their teaching, and afterward to analyze and discuss what they did. Anatomy and Physiology Although Alexander Technique teachers do not need the detailed anatomical and physiological information that a massage therapist needs, we do need to know about how we function, because our ideas about how we function--how we are "put together" and "work"--directly influence how we move. A clear understanding of how we function allows us to deepen our teaching skills, and enables the teacher to answer pupils basic questions, and point out more resources if the pupil wants even more information. The Performance School does not currently offer an anatomy and physiology class, although discussions of both topics play a large role in classes at the School. Students are encouraged to study anatomy and physiology on their own, through self study, or by successfully taking a recognized anatomy/physiology class offered by a college, community college, massage school, or similar institution. (The following is excerpted from the Student Handbook given to the participants in our San Diego Teacher Education Program.) Graduation Criteria Students who successfully complete a teacher education program at The Performance School are characterized by: 1. qualities of patience, compassion, honesty and respect in interaction with peers and students, as observed by their fellow students and faculty. 2. an embodied understanding of the commonly used Alexander Technique concepts and principles by consciously allowing a positive change in their own psycho-physical coordination, i.e.allowing their head to move in relation to their spine in a way that results in a quality of increasing pliability throughout their body; moving which is characterized by a natural sequencing of muscular response, allowing them to respond in a fluid and continually adaptive way; an increasing alertness, awareness, fluidity and poise, and voice which is clear and resonant, free from habitual vocalized pauses (e.g. um, er, like, y'know) and gasps for air. 3. their confidence in discussing Alexander's ideas, their own understanding of the Technique and how Alexander's ideas have influenced their development as a person and a teacher. Forms in which students may demonstrate their knowledge include: a. preparing and presenting a talk on the Technique to a select group (e.g. a psychology department, education department, community group, etc) b. writing a paper discussing their understanding of the principles and how they work c. developing a wall chart or other visual aid outlining and explaining the principles d. other means of the student's choice which will demonstrate this knowledge. 4. an ability to teach the Alexander Technique by clearly and simply communicating the concepts and principles of the Technique by giving clear demonstrations and verbal explanations that are appropriate to the pupil's learning in the moment; by forming a clear teaching intention, and carrying that intention through each teaching moment; by providing opportunities for pupils to begin to examine their own beliefs and thinking; and when using hands, by using their hands sensitively and appropriately. Both verbal explanations and any use of hands will allow pupils to effect a positive change in their psycho-physical coordination, most of the time. 5. an ability to observe themselves while teaching, and later articulate to an observer the choices they made with regard to using their hands, verbal explanations and physical demonstrations. 6. an understanding of anatomy and physiology as they relate to human movement and behavior, be able to help pupils understand how mistaken ideas about their structure interfere with their best use, answer pupils' basic questions about anatomy, and refer them to other sources for more detailed answers. At a minimum students should: a. know the basic properties of muscle, bone, tendon and ligament b. be able to explain how muscles work and c. be able to look at a picture of a muscle in an anatomy book and be able to deduce from that picture how and what the muscle is able to move. 7. an understanding of ethical issues, an appreciation of safety issues, and a knowledge of when it is appropriate to refer a pupil to another professional. 8. an understanding of the business and marketing skills necessary to begin a teaching practice. Students must have the skills necessary to set themselves up in their own business. They must have the marketing skills to differentiate themselves from other techniques and practitioners, particularly those that the public perceives to be similar to the Alexander Technique. To demonstrate these skills students must a. be familiar with local and national tax requirements, and business forms b. be able to fill out the appropriate forms c. write a position statement expressing who they are, what they do and how they are different from other practitioners in their marketplace and d. produce either i.) a brochure describing themselves and their work, or a flyer for a workshop or class and ii.) a design for a business card Any business and marketing information students develop should allow a person unfamiliar with the Alexander Technique to get an initial understanding of the basic concepts and principles of the Technique. (Students who are already in business for themselves may waive a through c). |
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