Will students have to learn your terminology?
No, although it is easier
to communicate if we use the same terminology, this is not required.
Will students have to learn your movement vocabulary?
No. The method does not teach movement vocabulary, culture or history. It is
assumed that if you are ready to teach, you already have this knowledge. You will have to make the determination for
yourself if your movement vocabulary and knowledge is strong enough to begin a teaching
program. If it is not, you will not be able to pass the course.
If you are not teaching movement, what are you teaching?
The method teaches you how to teach
and gives you information that any basic level teacher should have. The
syllabus is available online. The method
will work with all levels of students and with any style of dance, so it
is very flexible. You can keep all your creativity and become better at
what you do. It doesn't matter if your class is geared to fun, spiritual
healing, exercise, or developing hard core dancers. This will help you to
achieve whatever your goals are. The course is designed to give you what
you lack and enhance what you already have.
How
will knowledge be assessed?
At the end of each chapter,
students are required to complete written, audio and/or video material
that shows that they understand the objectives of the chapter. This is sent
to me, Taaj the Belly Dance Trainer (SM) for assessment. I am not looking
for perfection, but the student’s understanding of the concepts. The unit
is scored on a pass/fail basis. Detailed feedback will be given on what
was done well and what could be improved. Since the chapters build upon each
other, the student will have lots of practice building confidence with the
material. It is important that the student not submit assessment material
before understanding is achieved as she will not pass, she will have to
create new material for re-assessment, it will cost an additional fee to
re-assess. In addition, it will make it more difficult to learn the new material if
she is still struggling with the old.
Do you have a return policy?
Since the materials are
easily copied, there is no return policy. However if materials are damaged
or defective, you can get a replacement by sending in the old material
within 30 days of receipt.
What if I have questions?
You can email me at
TaajFiQalbi@yahoo.com with your questions.
What
is the travel commitment?
The course is designed to
be completed at home at your own pace, so you do not have to travel
anywhere.
What materials are required to complete the course?
You must be able to read and write in English.
You must have access to a CD player.
You must have access to a DVD player.
You must have access to a video camera so that you
can record yourself.
You must have access to students to demonstrate
your teaching skills. (They can be mock students).
You are required to purchase the course materials.
What style are you teaching?
None. The coursework is on
teaching Middle Eastern dance, but can be used with any style.
Are there levels of certification?
No. Completion of the entire course is required for certification. Once you are certified you
can teach any style and any level for which you have the knowledge base.
Are there any pre-requisites?
You cannot pass without clean basics and body alignment. It is up to you to determine whether you
have this or not. If you are struggling with basics and body alignment,
that should be your focus, not learning how to teach. The first time your
dance skills will be viewed is during the video assessment for Chapter Two. If it is
determined at that time that you do not have the basic level of movement
to be an instructor, you will be informed of that in your assessment.
What if I fail? Can I re-take the test?
Yes. Once you purchase the
educational material, it’s yours forever. You can take as long as you need
to complete the certification process.
What do I have to do
for
recertification?
Since certification is an assessment of your
current level of skill, recertification must be completed every 2
years. Complete the
recertification assessment,
fill out a sheet
showing your 20 hours of continuing education in the last two years, and
send in the recertification fee. The 20 clock hours of continuing
education can be acquired in many ways: reading books or articles,
watching videos and shows, taking classes and workshops, and attending
teleseminars on the topic of belly dance. If you feel that another
activity would fall under the category of "continuing education" that is
not listed here, email me for approval for those hours.
The
re-certification requirements state that the submitted material must
show growth. What if it doesn’t show growth?
Since the material is
conceptual, your skills should get better with use. You are also required
to complete continuing education. These two things combined should result
in growth. If there is no growth, it likely means that the material wasn’t
used and/or you didn’t actually complete the continuing education. To get
re-certified, you must submit material that reflects learning. This is
a quality control issue. Since I am the one sticking my neck out to say
that you are a qualified teacher, you must prove that to me.
Once you become certified, all upgrades to the written material will be sent to you free of charge.
Since I am asking you to keep current, I will also keep current and
do my part to help you do the same.
I am
concerned about long term commitment. What exactly do I have to do to
re-certify?
The objectives for each chapter, along with what you will need to pass the
chapter, are
posted online.
This is also posted for
re-certification.
Basically, you have to show knowledge of materials from all
chapters in written, audio, and/or video form. Re-certification
questions can cover any of the material throughout the course.
What
if I get certified then choose not to re-certify. Can I use the title
“certified BELLY DANCE TRAINER (SM) or some variation of it?”
No. It is the industry standard for mediators, hypnotists, and many other professionals to
certify current levels of ability. Although you may state that you
have completed the requirements to obtain certification from years X to Y,
you may not use the title “certified Belly Dance Trainer (SM)” without
current certification.
Once
I am certified, can I call myself “Aziza, the Belly Dance Trainer”?
No, your title is “certified BELLY DANCE TRAINER (SM)”. Taaj is the only one who can use “the
Belly Dance Trainer.”
How long will it take to complete?
It really depends on you. The "quick" students seem to take about two
to three months to complete each chapter. I would not advise moving faster
than that because each chapter builds on the one before. If you go any
faster, you may not have time to adequately absorb the material before you
are challenged with something new.
This looks really time intensive. Why should I do this?
Because once you are
finished, you will have something that no one can ever take away from you.
You will have knowledge that will make you a better teacher and better
dancer. Yes, it will take a commitment from you, but one that is worth it.
You will also benefit from my referral service. All certified belly dance
trainers who wish to be listed on my website may do so free of charge. I have
a LOT of traffic, so this is very good advertising for you.
I am not interested in becoming a teacher, but I would like the information in some of the
chapters. Is it possible to purchase just one or two of your chapters?
Yes. You can buy whatever
you like in whatever order you like, but if you are interested in
completing the certification program, the chapters must be completed in
sequence.
Who's taking the certification program?
The people taking the course are from the USA, Canada, Japan, the
Caribbean, and South Africa. Some are long time teachers. Some are new
teachers. Some have not yet begun teaching. Some ask no questions. Some
have a lot of questions. All seem to be interested in increasing their
knowledge and skill.
I designed this program
because I had a demand for my teaching skills that I could not keep up
with. I wanted to be able to refer those students to someone, but who? Who
could teach what I teach? Now there is a way to do that through The BELLY
DANCE TRAINER (sm) CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. So it’s not only knowledge that
you will be getting, but credibility. I have a track record of 36 awards
in 4 years and many professional students to back up my method. Why
wouldn’t you want to put that power to work for you?
Taaj
