One of the ideas I’ve been tossing around for a while is the possibility of organizing a structured approach to focus on and evaluate specific skill development with our students. Based on the feedback I received from the recent survey, I’ve decided to give this a try for the next several months and see how it goes. I think it will be a lot of fun, and will produce some excellent results in our studios! So, here’s the plan:
For each month, there will be a specific emphasis. We’ll all put our [virtual] heads together to come up with creative and effective ways to help our students improve in this particular area. There will be several different components to help us do this:
Fresh and Fun! – this should be a simple idea that involves little or no preparation, and that can be incorporated in private lessons throughout the week to help reinforce the particular emphasis for the month. I will post the idea on Friday and then we can incorporate that idea into our teaching the following week.
Guest Posts – anyone who wants to can write a short article pertaining to the emphasis for the month. Both bloggers and non-bloggers alike are welcome to contribute! The articles can be inspirational, philosophical, practical, humorous, or any combination of the above. 
Progress Report – at the end of the month, I’ll have an open post where we can all share observations and reflections on progress that our students made in the area of emphasis, which activities were most successful, what didn’t work, etc.
So, to get started, February’s theme is: Feeling the Pulse. If you have something you would like to contribute for the month of February – a Fresh and Fun! Idea or Guest Post related to Feeling the Pulse, just send me an e-mail with your contribution. Also, if you have a blog or website with a game, worksheet, or other resource relevant to Feeling the Pulse, please let me know so I can post a link to it!
I’m sure this idea will continue to develop and evolve as we try it out over the next few months. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to let me know. Now…let the brainstorming begin! What are your best ideas for helping students develop the skill of Feeling the Pulse?
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