Home MembershipSpecial Interest GroupsSIGTel (Telelearning)SIGTel Online Learning Award 2003

Spotlight on the 2003 SIGTel Online Learning Award Winners

Marion Rex

Tinikling: Sharing the Dance Marion Rex

St. Marguerite School
Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
mrex@ecsrd.ab.ca

Project Summary

This exciting project had Canadian students learning Tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines. This dance involves hopping between 8' long bamboo poles as they move horizontally at floor level. Two of the teachers met while attending an inservice relating to mentorship in the schools. During coffee break, it was discovered that there was a common interest in dance. The topic of tinikling arose; intrigued by the novel nature of the activity, the teachers discussed the possibility of sharing resources. Two other classes were invited to participate and a telecollaborative project was born. After the Jazz Dance 15 (Grade 10–12) class learned the dance, the Communication Technology 20 (Grade 11) class created an instructional video for use at the Grade 5 level in two other schools.

Objectives

The purpose of this project was to introduce students to dance from another culture. They developed an appreciation of a variety of dances by comparing Tinikling, from the Philippines to jazz dance, line dance and social dance from their own country.

Necessary Telecommunications Resources

Opportunities for utilizing technology in this project were varied. Internet research and e-mail correspondence (Outlook Express/Hotmail) were used to plan and evaluate the project. The music was downloaded from the Internet and played on a tape recorder. Students used both digital photography and digital video to record the various steps of the dance. The instructional video was created using video editing software (iMovie) and graphics were created for the Web using graphic editing software (PhotoShop and MS Photo Editor). Word processing (MS Word) was used to create the evaluation questionnaire. Students created cards (MS Publisher) to exchange with their counterparts. Finally, students highlighted their work using Web editing software (MS FrontPage/GoLive)

Role of Telecommunications

Tentative plans and a timetable for the project were made by email. The project started with the Jazz Dance 15 (Grades 10–12) students who learned how to do the dance, then broke it down into components for filming. The students then worked in collaboration with the Communication Technology 20 (Grade 11) students to create the various instructional sequences. Together, these high school students worked to create a storyboard for the instructional video, shot digital video of the various steps, then used video editing techniques to create a final product that was shared with the Grade 5 classes. Feedback from one expert in video editing and another expert in Tinikling was given to the high school students through face-to-face conferences and e-mail. The high school students created an evaluative questionnaire then distributed it to the elementary classes through e-mail. Once the elementary students had learned the dance, they completed the questionnaire providing constructive feedback to the high school students on the quality of each of the instructional sequences. Each classroom was connected with the other classrooms through both traditional and email correspondence. All three schools involved made support Web sites to highlight their participation in the project.

Curriculum Area(s) Involved

Jazz Dance: High school students in Jazz Dance 15 used this project as a way to learn an ethnic dance.

Communication Technology: Grade 11 Communication Technology students organized their work through storyboarding, learned filming and editing techniques to make the instructional video, created video clips for the Web site, and developed evaluation techniques as they created questionnaires to obtain feedback from the elementary students.

Music: In participating in this traditional ethnic dance, the Grade 5 students learned rhythmic movement in music and used planned body movements to illustrate rhythmic and melodic patterns.

Physical Education: As part of their Physical Education curriculum, students selected, performed and refined more challenging locomotor sequences. They also demonstrated communication skills and teamwork through cooperative participation in this physical activity.

Language Arts: Depending on their grade level, students used writing skills to complete any of the following: organize the storyboard and script, develop the evaluation questionnaire, share their ideas, provide feedback, communicate their involvement, and highlight their successes on the class Web site.

Grade Level(s) Targeted

This project involved elementary students at the Grade 5 level as well as high school students in Grades 10–12.

Planning Requirements & Procedures

A project of this nature requires careful overall planning with respect to scheduling and participation in the various components. The 8' bamboo poles had to be special-ordered from a garden nursery. The beater bars were donated from the local hardware store. The instructional video created by high school students included instructions for the following: the origin of tinikling, materials required, basic pole pattern, the basic step, the crossover step, the tinikling step with a quarter turn, the box step, dancing between four poles and an integrated sequence of steps to demonstrate the complete national dance. The Grade 5 classes then used the video to learn the various steps and provided written feedback to the students at the high school about the effectiveness of the video. Cards were exchanged between the two Grade 5 classes. The Grade 5 students also created "Thank You" cards for the high school students. Excitement ran high as students at all grade levels learned this innovative dance, not only by the students themselves, but also by all students who happened by when the students were practicing. The Jazz Dance class performed it as their final selection in the Spring Recital held at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove.

Print Materials Needed

Students researched the origins of this native dance online, then used the information found to create their own storyboard for the instructional video. The print materials used were those created by the students themselves.

Class Management Strategies/Required Activities

Because video was being taken of each of the students involved, necessary FOIPP forms were required for all participants before filming could begin. These forms gave permission to video and photograph the students. When posting photographs and video clips to each of the Web sites, students were identified by what they were doing rather than by name. Student comments about the project were separate from the photos and listed by first name/last initial. Those students who did not have permission to have their photos or opinions posted to the school Web site took part in the project but were not included on the Web page.

Suggested Class Time & Project Duration

Overall, this project took a very busy three and a half months. Teachers spent the first month planning the various components of the project and obtaining the necessary materials. Once the materials arrived, the jazz dance students spent the next two weeks learning the dance. Then it took a month (80 minute classes held every other day) for the high school students to create the storyboard, film and edit the instructional video. The original intent was to create the instructional video, pilot it with one Grade 5 class, edit the video as suggested by the feedback, then send the updated video to the second Grade 5 class. As a strike (and subsequent school closures) limited the number of available instructional days, the video was created then sent simultaneously to both Grade 5 classes. The elementary students spent two weeks learning the dance, responding to the evaluation questionnaire and creating thank you letters for the high school students and notes to their elementary counterparts. The Grade 10–11 students appreciated the comments they received, but there was insufficient time to complete any further edits of the video based on the feedback. Finally, all classes involved spent two weeks posting the results of their participation online.

Method(s) for Evaluating Student Achievement of Objectives

Students were evaluated for timely and successful completion of each component. Both self and peer evaluation were used to provide formative feedback on the video's storyboard. Communication Technology students were graded on their ability to create a useful instructional video (breaking down the various parts of the dance, creating a storyboard, filming the various sequences, editing the work to create the video, etc.). Using summative evaluation, the high school students were evaluated using rubrics that assessed the quality of camera use and editing techniques. The elementary students provided written feedback to the high school students on the effectiveness of the video (i.e. effectiveness of various instructional sequences, sound, their perception of the project, etc.) Grade 5 students were graded on their ability to learn the dance, as well as on the quality of their feedback and the work involved in creating their Web site. Using self-assessment, students commented on their progress throughout the project. Peer assessment throughout not only increased student accountability, but it also made the experience more meaningful for the participants.

The Grade 5 students involved in this project are now in Grade 6; the best feedback of all is their eagerness and enthusiasm to participate in a similar project again this year. The project will continue this year under the title Tinikling: The Next Generation, in which this year's Grade 6s will create an instructional video to teach the new Grade 5s at our school and at other participating schools. Our band teacher is creating a music score that will be performed and recorded by his Grade 8–9 band students. One Grade 5 science class would like to research bamboo and grow bamboo plants. The Grade 6 students would like to find epals from the Philippines. The most gratifying part of this entire experience has been the quality of the students' work and their enthusiasm for the project.