In development
Whole Class Mode Program
Every student dances every song. One projected screen shows three levels of steps side by side, and each student dances on a taped grid in the zone for their level. No dance machines to buy: it runs in a web browser.
Works best in Chrome on a laptop, Chromebook or Android TV box connected to a projector. Use the arrow keys or a Bluetooth TV-box remote.
Pick a level to jump to it. With the sound on, you hear each level’s steps.
Music: “Techno Celebration” by Eric Matyas, www.soundimage.org
One song, three levels
Each square is half a beat. Filled squares are steps.
How it works
Set up in a few minutes
Everything except the tape is already in most schools.
Open it in a browser
Any laptop, Chromebook or inexpensive TV box. Connect the projector and the gym speakers, then set the beat delay once for the room.
Tape a grid for each student
Four squares to step on (left, down, up and right) around a center square where the student stands. Painter’s tape or floor tape works, and the grids can stay down for the whole unit.
Pick a song
Use a Bluetooth remote made for a TV box, like the one that comes with it, from anywhere in the room. Or use the laptop’s arrow keys. The teacher or a student can be the DJ.
Everyone dances
Each student follows the column for their level. Same song, same beat, so the whole class moves together.
The room
Stand in your level’s zone
Students dance in three zones that match the columns on the screen. Moving up a level means moving to the next zone. Short on space? A school can also run it as one station in a rotation.
Reading the screen
Follow your column
- 1Targets at the topArrows rise to the outlines. Step on that square of your grid when an arrow lines up.
- 2Easy has fewer arrowsAbout one step every two beats, a good start for anyone.
- 3Hard has more, faster stepsUp to two steps a beat, on the beat and in between.
- 4Pick a column, change any songStudents choose their level each song. Nobody is scored or ranked.
A 45-minute class
About 33 minutes of dancing
A sample plan. Teachers set their own songs, breaks and goals.
- Warm-up. Two slow songs, everyone on the Easy column.
- Set 1. Three songs. Each student picks a column.
- Water break. A student DJ picks the next set.
- Set 2. Three songs, with a new step pattern of the week.
- Water break.
- Challenge set. Try the next column up for at least one song.
- Cool-down. A slow song, then stretching.
- Wrap-up. Effort check from 1 to 10, and a goal for next time.
The CDC recommends moderate-to-vigorous activity for at least half of PE class time.
No scores, still progress
Progress you can see
Zones are levels
Easy, Medium and Hard are places in the room. Moving up a zone is a goal every student can see and reach.
A goal each week
Week 1: learn the four squares. Later weeks add longer songs, the next column up and routines groups build themselves.
Class goals
Five songs in a row without stopping, or the whole class on Medium for one song. Wins the class shares, with nobody ranked.
Controls
Run it from anywhere in the gym
| To do this | Remote | Laptop |
|---|---|---|
| Move through the song list and menus | Direction pad | ↑ ↓ ← → |
| Pick a song or a menu item | Select | Enter |
| Go back, or stop a song | Back | Esc |
Any Bluetooth remote made for a TV box should work. It only needs a direction pad, a select button and a back button. Projectors and wireless speakers add a short delay. A one-time sync step, tapping along to a beat, lines the arrows up with the music in each room.
Why it works
Built on what PE research found
Nobody waits
In one two-week dance-game unit in PE, students were motivated but not very active: moderate-to-vigorous activity filled about 5% of class time (Gao, 2012). In Whole Class Mode, every student is on a grid for every song.
Footwork is real exercise
Lab studies found dance games reach moderate intensity, and games played with the legs burn more than games played with the arms (Bailey and McInnis, 2011; Biddiss and Irwin, 2010). Whole Class Mode uses the same kind of footwork, without the machine.
Kids like it
Elementary students enjoyed interactive dance games more than tag in PE class (Gao, Zhang and Podlog, 2014).
What we still need to learn
No study has tested a whole-class version without scores. Students who felt they had mastered a dance game were more active (Gao, 2012), and taped grids give no feedback. The first classes should measure active time and enjoyment, and see whether zones and class goals keep students trying. Read all the research
Interested in Whole Class Mode?
It’s in development. PE teachers and principals: tell us about your classes and your space.
Whole Class Mode is in development. Details may change.