DEL FIT PROGRAM
About the DEL Facilitators in Training (FIT) Program
DEL Facilitators in Training (DEL FIT) is an intensive professional development course specifically designed for experienced dance educators who are interested in acquiring and honing facilitation skills. Participants will learn how to develop and facilitate a professional learning workshop based on the DEL model and understand how to embody and apply DEL’s core principles and best practices.
The four workshop sessions include interactive learning and engagement, movement exploration, collaborative opportunities, practice facilitation, and peer feedback. DEL FIT sessions are held synchronously via Zoom. Participants are also expected to engage asynchronously on the DEL learning management platform to augment their professional learning in facilitation skills and strategies. Participants also receive personal one-on-one coaching in workshop design and facilitation and receive a copy of the DEL Facilitation Manual. During the final DEL FIT Zoom session, participants have an opportunity to present their DEL-based workshop to their peers and members of the DEL community! Upon completion of the program, DEL FIT graduates receive a Certificate of Completion and may be invited to lead and/or assist in a DEL workshop or course.
The DEL FIT program is led by DEL Founder, Jody Gottfried Arnhold, and DEL Professional Learning and Curriculum Senior Consultant, Ann Biddle. Priority is given to applicants who have completed the DEL Institute -Teacher Certificate Program.
The next DEL FIT program will be held in Fall 2024.
If interested, please reach out to Ann Biddle at [email protected].
Past DEL FIT Participants' Projects:
DEL FIT 2023 Participants designed the following DEL-based professional learning workshops in a wide range of content areas and dance teaching settings:
- Tina Christina-Price | Decode Ballet with LMA – Make It Fun
- Jiayue Guo | Threads of Cultural- Heritage Envisioning Chinese Cultural Heritage Through Creative Dance Making
- Danielle Lydia Sheather | Civic Engagement Through the Choreographic Process
- Rachel Murray | Creating a Dance Self-Portrait
- Susan Pope | Sankofa – Reaching Back to Look Forward: The Journey of BECOMING a Culturally Relevant Educator Through the Spirit of Sankofa
- Carol Press, Kyleigh Brine and Meredith Ventura | Strategies for Engaging Multi-Modal Learning in Pre-Professional Dance Settings
- Sarah Turner | Pop! Buzz! Zap! Wake-up Neurons! – The Neuroscience of Learning – An Embodied Exploration
- M.K. Victorson | Community, Relationships, Identity: Intro to DEL Model for Chicago Public Schools Arts Educators
DEL FIT Testimonials
“The DEL FIT program brought me home to my own teacher’s heart. It helped me remember why I began teaching in the first place and helped me to embrace once again many of the best practices that are part of DEL. I have wanted to present workshops for adult learners for a while and I now feel I have the knowledge, confidence, and support group to do so successfully.”
“The encouragement, love, and support I felt during the program was unprecedented! I think Ann and Jody are wonderful examples of teachers who both ask for the best in their students while modeling the deep pedagogy and support that is necessary for students to flourish. When working with teachers, I will be sure to help them make the connections and understand the methodology around a particular activity. I will continue to lead (and follow) with my teacher’s heart in everything that I do.”
“The DEL FIT program came into my life at exactly the right time. I gained insight into how the DEL model really lends itself to facilitating adults across multiple content areas. I gained a number of specific strategies for facilitation in both in-person and virtual settings. My brilliant peers in the program really inspired me to see just how far the DEL model can go.”