Mary Vance

10/16/12
Dance 276
My Philosophy on Education and Dance
What is the purpose of education? Receiving an education is a very important
component to our society today. A few hundred years ago, only few had the luxury of
attending public schools to receive an education. Now great majorities of people in the
world are able to participate in this. When people are educated, creativity is expanded
and new and innovative ideas arise. Society becomes more successful and there are more
improvements in technology, government, and art. Overall, when more people are
correctly educated, we find prosperity in our societies.
Also, receiving an education cultivates the individual. Gaining and utilizing
knowledge can strengthen the character of a person and bring a joy to them which cannot
be experienced anywhere else. Knowledge brings a person out of ignorance and
empowers them. This, I believe, is the whole purpose for us coming to this earth. As we
gain experience and knowledge, we grow and become a better person. This in turn helps
the individual experience happiness and a greater sense of living.
That is why I feel teachers can have the greatest impact on the world that we live
in today. They help not only improve the creativity found within the world, but they help
individuals become better people. It is through their own personal preparation,
determination, and inquiry that we can see improvements in our world. I believe that
teaching should never be about the teacher. Teaching should always be student centered,
continually desiring the best for the individual they are teaching (Student Centered
Learning). When this nurturing attitude toward teaching is reached, educators have the
most effect on their students. Teachers should always be motivated to help their student
reach a high potential.
Achieving student-centered teaching can be a tricky process though. As a
teacher, there is so much to learn about how to properly cultivate an individual. Each
person has different needs, and those needs must be met in order for a suitable education
to happen. By finding the needs of their students and then striving to meet them, a
teacher has a lasting effect on their students.
A teacher must first realize that all individuals develop at different rates. Whether
the developmental range is within their own classroom or between different age groups,
an educator must be familiar with those developmental factors. At different maturity
levels, there are certain physical, cognitive, social, and emotional developmental
checkpoints. Teachers must know what those checkpoints are and cater their lessons
plans toward those developmental needs.
There are also various ways that people learn. Every person has certain strengths
and weaknesses. According to Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences, there
are nine different intelligences that an individual has inside them. These nine
intelligences are logical/mathematical, existential, visual, kinesthetic, verbal,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and musical. While one person may be very
good at developing the logical/mathematical intelligence, another may be good at
developing the intrapersonal intelligence. When teaching a group of individuals, it is
good to remember these various learning styles and that some people respond better to
one over the other. A teacher must be sensitive to these so they can teach to the
individual better (Theories of Multiple Intelligences).
There must be a proper balance in education. Within our public schools today,
there is a lot of emphasis being placed on teaching the academics. While this is great
knowledge to have, there are many other components besides those academic skills that
make up the individual. Those components must be held in balance against each other
for the development of the whole individual to be achieved. They are the physical,
cognitive, social, and emotional aspects of a human being. In order for a person to have a
properly balanced education, all of these needs must be cultivated together (The Whole
Child).
Students need discipline within the classroom to grow. Some may need more
discipline than others. Without this external system of governing, students may lack
motivation to learn, which hinders their progress. Teachers must give high expectations
for their students to meet and show positive encouragement toward meeting those goals.
Students usually will rise to meet those expectations. Discipline brings order to the
classroom and establishes a positive environment without distractions for students to
learn in. Discipline should be done in the most positive, loving way possible. It is not
meant for putting students down, but helping them achieve more. When good
management in the classroom is established, usually less discipline is required. Ways
that management can be established is through starting the semester with clear rules,
expectations, and routines. In sum, students need discipline to help motivate them to
reach high expectations and to provide a positive learning environment free from
distractions for them and their peers (Management and Motivation).
Helping students understand and practice good morals is another need that must
be met. Having good morals leads to a happier life. In a world where morals seem to be
getting more and more confused, teachers have the opportunity to shape students view of
what is right and what is wrong. This can be done through ideas and critiques as well as
through the example of the teacher. Good morals must be learned and put into practice in
order for our society that we live in to be successful. The teacher is a person who can
have the greatest affect on the way their student views morality because their student
often looks them up to. Morals shape the world we live in today (Dance and
Sexuality).
Teaching to the needs of the student for the sincere desire of their welfare should
be the main goal of an educator. This provides the student with the opportunity to be
cultivated and nurtured in a holistic way. Education should be the pursuit of every
human being. I believe that as an individuals needs are more fully met within education,
they begin to develop inquiry-based learning skills within themselves (McCutchen 15).
This type of learning is intrinsically motivated. Students begin to learn on their own and
are always exploring for the mere sake of becoming a better person. They begin to notice
the benefits of learning and how it can make them feel happier, empowered, and think
more freely. Those individuals who have developed inquiry-based learning skills will
experience life-long learning and growth. This is the ultimate goal of gaining an
education. In conclusion, to restate my philosophy on education, I believe that a holistic
form of education can be achieved through student-centered learning and focusing on
meeting the needs of the individual.
Dance in Education (Observations done in grades K-12)
Dance is one form of education that, if taught correctly, can develop and
strengthen the whole individual. As a dance instructor focuses on meeting their students
needs, they can leave lasting impressions and changes on their students lives. I have had
the opportunity to observe dance educators in the K-12 setting and have seen my
educational philosophy in practice. The purpose for the rest of this paper will be to show
from my observations the ways I saw dance being taught as a holistic form of education
through student-centered teaching. I will show this by comparing and contrasting the
different rates at which the elementary, junior high, and high school grade levels
developed and how the dance teachers were able to meet their physical, cognitive, social,
and emotional needs.
Individuals Develop at Different Rates
Recognizing how individuals develop at different rates can be clearly seen
through careful observation of different grade levels. Physically, the elementary students
I observed were less developed in their maturation. They had less balance, gross motor,
and locomotor skills than the junior high and high school level students. Their muscles
were less developed as well. The elementary aged students were very active. Because
of these things, I saw elementary dance educators not focus very much on specific
strengthening programs or using large movement, but rather on keeping the students
active and moving. They seemed to focus a lot on creatively moving through space with
locomotor steps and using different energy qualities and levels. I saw within the junior
high level an increased amount of balance, gross motor skills, and coordination. Muscle
mass, strength, and endurance seemed to have increased by this point. Because of this,
sequences were taught in class that were more structured and used bigger more
coordinated movement patterns. Conditioning programs were starting to be implemented
within the curriculum at this point, such as plie sequences and sit-ups. By high school,
students were ready to be engaged in larger movement patterns, more intense
conditioning programs, and more complex sequences that require fine motor skills.
Cognitively the various grade levels were at different developmental stages.
Students at the elementary age had a shorter attention span. Because of that, the teacher
always seemed to keep them moving in an active and improvisational way. The teacher
also connected dance with more logical terms rather than abstract terms. This was seen
as the teacher connected their academic curriculum with the dance movement (examples
were dancing about bacteria, light, and Johnny Apple seed). That is one way that dance
could have meaning for those students at that age. The older the individual got, the more
it seemed they could think in abstract terms. This allowed the junior high students to find
meaning within what they were personally presenting through their bodies. Their
creative and critical thinking skills were more developed so they could be given small
composition assignments. This was seen at Butler Middle School when the students were
given a compositional assignment that was supposed to show friendship and trust among
their peers. The teacher gave each group some guidelines to help along with the process.
These guidelines were to implement lifts and weigh bearing with a partner. Students also
had a longer attention span at the junior high level. Because of this, structured and more
complex dance sequences could be taught without losing their attention. Sydney at Vista
Heights Middle School showed this as she taught her students a sequence that was fast
paced and more complex. Her students were all engaged and wanting to follow along.
Students found more expression in their movement as they entered into the high school
age. Even more complex sequences and terminology were taught. I believe this was
because they started understanding dance in more abstract terms. An example of this was
when Janica at Westlake High used the brain dance movement sequence and
terminology. Teachers demanded more from them at the high school level as far as
composition went because they knew their students could compose and create abstract
meaning within movement. At the high school age as well, students were becoming a lot
more independent and risk taking. This is another reason why I feel that teachers gave
more composition assignments and taught more elaborate movement.
Socially the different age groups were at various levels. The elementary age
students seemed to show an admiration for their teacher. I could tell that their interaction
with the teacher was a benefit to their learning and growth. They wanted to follow the
directions and please the teacher. This was seen in a moment at Butterfield Elementary
School when Kori demonstrated and asked her students to move in more creative ways,
such as using a leap or going upside down and on the floor. Students responded with
bigger more creative movement and tried to imitate what she demonstrated. Another
moment where I saw the importance of the teacher and student relationship at this age
was when we asked the students at William Penn Elementary School what their favorite
part of the dance class was and one student replied, It is you Mrs. Shumway and he
pointed to his teacher. Students needed partner interaction with their peers at this age,
but it was not as meaningful to their education as the teacher interaction was. As students
reached the junior high school level, peer-to-peer interaction became a lot more important
to them. The teacher gave them more partner work. They started to talk more to each
other in class. They still valued their relationship with their teacher, but socializing with
peers started to hold more value to them. The teachers at the junior high level often put
them with a partner as they danced. An example of this was seen at Willow Creek
Middle School when the teacher had the students do an improvisational lead and follow
activity with their partner. I could see how the students learned new ideas of movement
and creative thinking skills from each other as they watched and followed their partner.
As students entered the high school age peer interaction became very important to their
growth. They had stronger relationships among one another and they interacted and
talked more. They began to care more what their peers thought of them. Teachers at this
level would often place students in groups to choreograph with one another and solve
specific dance related problems. At Hunter High School, Kelly exemplified this when
she put the students in groups of four. She had them choreograph a short phrase together
and then had them perform it together at different energy qualities. The students had the
chance to learn a lot from this peer interaction as they came up with the movement as
well as when they analyzed together how to change the energy quality. Teacher
interaction still was important at this age, but students had begun to rely more on their
peers for growth at this time in their life.
Emotionally students were at different levels as well. At the elementary school
level, students were a lot less worried about what others thought of them. They were
more open to the exploration of movement and had a great sense of curiosity. Fewer
students seemed to be depressed at this age. They danced around with less inhibitions.
Jana Shumway at William Penn Elementary School tapped into this emotional part of her
students. She led them on exploration activities that were very magical and imaginative
for her students. Continuing to build upon this curious and explorative emotion is
necessary for the growth of the child. As we approached the junior high level, students
started developing a right and wrong approach to life. They become more aware of how
people perceive them and started to build approval based reasoning. They began looking
for ways in which they could find approval from others. While some still have that
explorative nature, most start to feel judged by their peers and others at this age. I
recognized that it was very helpful for some students when they received positive
comments about their dance or when their teacher called them specifically by name. I
recognized this at Willow Creek Middle School when the teacher called on a girl by her
name. The girl perked up and I could see a greater drive and passion in her movement
from that moment on. At the high school level, students experience a lot more emotional
changes due to the hormone fluctuation within their bodies. Because of this, you will
find a variety of emotions among the high school students. Some are more depressed
while others are angry. Some may be happy while others are cranky. Whatever the
emotion is, these students need to feel like they are loved and understood. One teacher
who I felt was really good at doing that was Annie Hughes at Provo High School. She
showed a lot of interest in the lives of her students. One simple comment that she made
to her class, but I felt helped the students a lot, was after she explained to her class about
the journal assignment. She told the class that she wanted to read their amazing stories.
She also walked around the classroom as her students took a quiz and showed specific
interest in her students. She laughed with her students, which I felt was a good way to
help her students feel comfortable around her.
As a dance educator, it is very important to remember that it is not just dance that
you are teaching, but it is a human being you are teaching. Students will come in all
shapes and forms, each having their own specific set of needs. Teachers should be
sensitive to those needs so that the whole individual is educated and developed properly
and not just certain parts. Student-centered teaching should always be about the
development of the individual. In a dance class, teachers can meet physical, cognitive,
social, and emotional needs. It may take some creativity and thinking on the teachers
part, but as they strive to be student-centered educators, they will find that they have the
greatest effect on the individual and on the world that we live in today. As my personal
philosophy on dance education, I believe that dance is a subject that can be taught in a
holistic way, which in turn can change the world that we live in today.
What I believe about Dance Education
1) I believe dance education should be student-centered and taught to the physical,
cognitive, social, and emotional needs of the individual in order for it to have the greatest
effect on the person.
2) I believe dance education should be taught differently according to the students
developmental level.
!) I believe dance education lesson plans should be carefully and creatively thought out
and should revolve around the students different learning styles "particularly #o$ard
%ardners &heories of 'ultiple Intelligences).
() I believe dance education has the potential to cultivate the $hole individual
"physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally).
)) I believe dance education should be taught $ith discipline $hen necessary in order to
help motivate learning as $ell as provide an environment free of distractions.
*) I believe dance education should implement good morals $ithin the teachings.
+) I believe that dance education can inspire in,uiry-based learning.
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