Experiences of Unit 1
June 3, 2024
In this blog, we hear from two recent Unit 1 candidates Lachlan Snow and Claire Cunin.
Reflections on a new way forward - Lachlan Snow
I’m a recent convert to SCD, and only started dancing two years ago. Having trained as a music and French teacher, and through my work as a choral conductor, I naturally started to think about how I might share the joy of SCD in my own way. Thus, the Manual come into my life – the fabled Manual! I had heard this document referenced reverentially (and irreverently) in my SCD classes. When I read the Unit 1 exam would be changing from a closed book paper exam to open book online, I was filled with confidence to start my teaching journey.
Thanks to the Sydney Branch (Australia), fantastic trainer Diana Hastie and fellow students, I really enjoyed exploring, discussing, and sometimes debating the Manual without the artificial pressure of needing to remember information that I could refer to easily online outside of exam conditions. Through this process of making conscious the things we often do subconsciously in class, I’ve gained a better understanding of the nuances in the shared language that underpins SCD.
The exam itself had no technical glitches and was well laid out. A lot of thought had clearly been put into its preparation to gauge our level of understanding and not solely our level of rote recall. I congratulate the RSDCS on taking this important step to remove the potential barrier of a closed book exam. I hope this will encourage the next cohort of prospective teachers.
Now on to Unit 2!
Unit 1 feedback - Claire Cunin
I am super happy to finally be able to get into the Units process towards becoming a SCD teacher! I have passed Unit 1 recently in its very new format and will share with you how it went.
First of all, not being a native English speaker, the online format is amazing. I felt confident enough to not having had to ask the translation of the exam, but still, writing with an actual pen English sentences on a piece of paper is so stressful. No modern tool like autocorrect, no chance to check just the meaning of one word, having to rely just on a stressed brain who can easily get distracted and forget how to say basic things…
Open book format was also amazing as we are not all the same kind of “learners”. If I learn something by heart, you can be sure I’ll forget about it probably the day after. If I learn how to use a manual, where to look for information, I will be able to remember more about the content and for a longer period of time as I will visualize figures and information, and eventually will have a deeper knowledge of it. The manual is an amazing source of information for dancers, teachers and also musicians. It can also give you some help on how to build a good dance program.
Plus having the open book format can help a bit with the language barrier, as it is helping to put words in their correct order.
I am glad that the RSCDS has adjusted the format of this exam to be more modern, as it has helped me to successfully pass the exam.
