If you were a ballroom teacher, this includes Latin, taking a class. Would you make each dancer do the steps being taught individually to music, boys and girls. I mention this because in the medal classes i attended this is how it was done. That was many years ago. By individually i mean one at a time. Anybody who could not manage was sent to dunces corner where another teacher took the not so bright. I can't remember anybody once they joined ever dropping out of the class.

THat technique (of sending 'failures' to the dunces corner) breaks all the accepted rules of good teaching technique. It is a very de-motivating approach. It's saying "you're a failure and i'm going to prove it by sending you to a special place where failures are sent"

Phil. As I said nobody left the class. Can you think of a better way to teach a class and to make sure everybody in it new their steps. Or would you have the class held back by somebody who finds the steps a little difficult. This particular teacher had a hugh reputation as a great teacher. I wont go into his succeces in the competition field, but they were very immressive. He also was very severe on who would be taking the next medal. If a person was not up to standard he would inform them that they would not be taking that medal untill they completed another course.

Hi quickstep
If you read my posting again you would see that i said nothing about anyone being held back. If you're going to segregate a class based on ability (and i'm in favour of that in general)this can be done without telling those segregated that they're failures.
It depends entirely on the overall aims of the teacher and the environment he/she is teaching in.

Phil. Not faliures, just not ready for the medal or the class they are in. Speaking on this subject. How many times have you been in a class in which some person has put themselves and should not be there. The best thing for that pupil is to be put right straight away. This came up only recently. A couple who had been dancing for several years, and not taught correctly in the first place. It came as a shock to them to find they had been dancing from a Whisk in the Waltz the Progressive Chasse on the second step as side together side. When they found that they had been doing the fourth step wrong in the Waltz, they were taken to the step five in the Foxtrot Reverse Turn. Same mistake. As we all know at the end of a toe heel there should be a flexing of the knee
( we call it recharge ) If the fifth is is taken to the side square the sixth step will most likely overturn and the lowering will not be right and the recharge missing.If they had gone to the previuosly mentioned teacher in the beginning, or the like of, this would never have happened as they would have done the step solo and the fault picked up. Girls also find out where step four in the Waltz Progressive Chasse should be, plus step five in the Reverse Foxtrot and consequently step six.