“It bears the same relation to education that education itself
bears to all other human activities.”
from John
Dewey's introduction to
The Use of The Self
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Information
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Application Form
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We are currently accepting applications for our Teacher Education Program that will begin in
Seattle in September 2007. The Program will consist of several weekend intensive workshops from
September to June, extensive independent study and an optional week-long summer intensive.
This program is designed for dedicated self-directed learners. It is conceived as a continuous
course of study under the guidance of the Performance School faculty. The
curriculum will include systematic assigned reading, writing and experimenting between the
workshop sessions. Students will have the opportunity to interact with faculty members by a variety
of means as they continue their exploration of topics raised at each workshop and prepare for the next.
While the anticipated duration of the Program is at least three years, qualification as a teacher depends
greatly on the individual student and the intensity of the work they do between monthly workshops.
Unlike most other teacher training programs, graduation from The Performance School does not depend
on a specific amount of time spent in class. Instead, students qualify as teachers when they have satisfied
The Performance School Graduation Criteria.
Most students will need a minimum of three years of study; however,
students who enter (for example) with extensive background in anatomy,
teaching or a study of the Technique may qualify in less time. All
students receive annual written evaluations of their progress, based on
the Graduation Criteria.
Program Curriculum includes:
F.M. Alexander Technique: Practical application of the principles
of the F.M. Alexander Technique in every day and specialized activities.
Principles in Practice: a detailed investigation of the literature
written by and about F.M. Alexander. (Emphasized in years 1 and 2)
Teaching Principles: a continuation of Principles in Practice
looking specifically at the art of teaching. (Emphasized in years 2 and 3)
Voice and Presentation Skills: applying the principles of the Technique
to the development of effective verbal communication and presentation skills, for both one on
one and group settings. (Emphasized in years 1, 2, and 3)
Human Structure and Function: An exploration of the anatomical, physiological
and kinesiological basis of human movement. (Emphasized in years 1 and 2)
Professional Development: Developing the skills necessary to create and sustain a
successful teaching practice including ethics, marketing and promotion. (Emphasized in years 2 and 3)
Supervised Teaching: Individual instruction in how to communicate
the movement discoveries of F.M. Alexander in both private and group settings. (Emphasized
in year 3)
FM Alexander Technique: The basis of all our work at The Performance
School is an active, conscious consideration of the principles of the Technique and how
to put those principles into practice. The underlying premise of our Alexander Technique
classes is the belief that applying the fundamental principles of the Technique to ourselves
in our activities is the basis for applying them in our teaching. In Year One, we will
explicitly be developing observation skills-how to see the quality of movement, how to observe
a student's thinking in what they say and do, and how to describe what we see. We will
experiment with how adopting different specific intentions affects the quality of our action,
and learning to use clear intention as a tool both for directing our observations
and for making conscious changes to our own coordination. In Year Two we will begin applying
our skills of observing to working with our hands, and learn how to ask questions manually
as well as verbally.
Principles in Practice: We will use Alexander's writings as a basis for deepening our own
understanding of the Technique and for transforming how we teach. Our 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. 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.
Voice and Presentation Skills: Voice and Presentation Skills will explore
the connections among voice, coordination and effective teaching. Students will become
familiar with and skilled using the "Whispered ah" and develop a flexible and clear
speaking voice. We will examine how inhibition is the key to creative spontaneity in teaching,
and the basis of how we can empathically connect with our pupils. Students will create
a presentation on a topic of their choice and present it publicly.
Human Structure and Function: The focus of anatomical and physiological
study at The Performance School is how we as humans function in movement. To fully
understand how we function, students must know some basic anatomical and physiological
information, including some aspects of neuroanatomy, embryology and muscle and bone development
and functioning. Some of this basic information will be presented during the first year of
training; students are also expected to take an anatomy/physiology course on their own
to supplement what they are learning on the training course.
Professional Development: During Year Two, students will begin formally
discussing the ethics of teaching. We will compare and contrast teaching the Alexander
Technique with other techniques for improving human use and functioning that involve touch,
discuss boundary issues and how to recognize and deal with possible concerns, and explore
through role plays some challenging ethical situations. Year Three of Professional Development will
focus on helping students develop a marketing and promotional plan for their business.
Supervised Teaching: Supervised teaching opportunities will be developed by 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.
Graduation Criteria
Students who successfully complete The Performance School Teacher Education
Program 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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