Teaching & Education Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Vocationally-Related Qualification Revision
Complete topic breakdowns, revision notes, exam practice questions, and adaptive quizzes for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Vocationally-Related Qualification Teaching & Education specification.
Specification Topics
Top Exam Tips
- Always reference recent, high-quality studies and explicitly critique their validity and relevance.
- Structure your response to first critically evaluate the literature, then clearly show how it informs your practical recommendations.
- Use real-world dance scenarios to demonstrate the application, ensuring your plan is realistic and detailed.
- Begin with a strong, well-researched concept and articulate how each choreographic decision serves that concept.
- Document the creative process meticulously: include rationale for movement choices, notes on rehearsals, and adaptations made for the group.
- Prepare to discuss or demonstrate how you used choreographic principles (e.g., spatial design, timing, dynamics) during an assessed presentation or viva.
- Ensure your programme plan explicitly addresses all stages of the teaching cycle (identifying needs, planning, facilitating, assessing, evaluating) and maps clearly to the ISTD syllabus requirements.
- Use a reflective model (e.g., Gibbs or Kolb) to structure your evaluation, and provide concrete evidence such as learner work samples, feedback forms, or peer observation notes to substantiate your judgments.
- When discussing roles and responsibilities, go beyond generic descriptions; embed references to current legislation (e.g., Equality Act, Health and Safety) and ethical considerations specific to dance teaching.
- Ensure your reflective journal or portfolio explicitly references the stages of a named model and shows deep critical thinking, not just surface-level description.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Summarising research without critical analysis or evaluation.
- Selecting evidence that is outdated or not directly relevant to the chosen dance context.
- Failing to link research to practical, actionable strategies for health or performance improvement.
- Focusing solely on complex step sequences without a unifying artistic intent, resulting in superficial performance.
- Neglecting to adapt choreography to the technical and physical capabilities of the chosen group, leading to unsafe or unattainable movement.
- Underestimating the planning phase, resulting in incomplete documentation (e.g., lesson plans, risk assessments) that does not meet assessment criteria.
- Confusing a scheme of work with a lesson plan—learners often fail to show the macro-level planning structure that sequences learning over time and integrates assessment points.
- Treating inclusivity superficially by only mentioning differentiation generically, rather than demonstrating specific adaptations for protected characteristics, learning preferences, or additional support needs in the programme design.
Key Terminology & Definitions
- LO1 Critically evaluate and communicate current dance science and medicine researchLO2 Apply current research and evidence to promote health and support the improvement development of an area of dance performance
- LO1 Demonstrate an applied understanding of the fundamental principles of choreography and the potential of the body as an expressive tool LO2 Conceive, plan and choreograph an original piece of dance on a chosen group
- LO1 Understand teaching roles and responsibilitiesLO2 Plan inclusive programmes of learning and assessment to meet the needs of learners
- LO1 Critically review and apply models of professional reflective practiceLO2 Be able to evaluate own learning and wider professional development
- LO1 Identify and analyse the potential of the dance class to support individual social, emotional and cognitive developmentLO2 Identify and analyse the importance of the group and environment in supporting positive psychological development
- LO1 Understand the technical and anatomical implications of dance practice in the classical ballet genreLO2 Be able to demonstrate an advanced level of teaching in the analysis and creation of sequences and steps in the classical ballet genreLO3 Be able to devise and apply sequences of movement to meet specific learning aimsLO4 Understand the role of musical accompaniment in enhancing timing, movement quality and expression
- LO1 Understand how to plan and structure a creative learning experience in danceLO2 Demonstrate effective delivery of a creative dance class, taking account of the needs of the learners and the educational context
- LO1 Understand the technical and anatomical implications of dance practice in the jazz and tap genresLO2 Be able to demonstrate an advanced level of teaching in the analysis and creation of sequences and steps in the jazz and tap genresLO3 Be able to devise and apply sequences of movement to meet specific learning aimsLO4 Fully appreciate the role of musical ‘style’ in enhancing movement quality and expression
- LO1 Deliver inclusive programmes of learningLO2 Apply a variety of communication strategies in a practical learning environmentLO3 Implement assessment systems in dance teaching and learning