TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
As a K-8 dance educator in a mostly urban area, I advocate dance for every child in schools across the country. To quote Margaret H’ Doubler, Founder of Wisconsin’s first dance program: “Everyone can feel emotions, everyone can learn, everyone can act, everyone has the will to do so, and so everyone should learn to dance (H’Doubler, 1998, p.65). It is my belief that children should be taught dance in school as movement encourages self-inquiry, artistic expression, and overall individual growth.
Believing that community in tandem with the students’ interests is necessary within the dance classroom, I implement a blend of the “society-centered curriculum” and “learner-centered curriculum” as noted in Arthur Ellis’s Exemplars of Curriculum Theory. By including both curriculums, I can address the interests of individual learners (Ellis, 2003, p. 42) as well as support students in addressing societal issues through citizenship emphasizing the whole group (Ellis, 2003, p. 72). I have implemented these approaches by creating works inspired by marginalized groups of people and through self-reflection.
As an educator, I truly see the value of the midway educational model described in Jacqueline M. Smith- Autaurd’s The Art of Dance in Education. This model features “The process of dancing and its affective/experiential contribution to the participants overall development as a moving/feeling being" (Smith-Autard, 2002, p. 4). It is important to me that students relate to the work they are creating on an emotional and personal level. I prefer allowing students to engage in an open method where they create and solve problems on their own. Each of my students bring different interests, cultures, and beliefs to the classroom and I would like to provide students with instruction that supports and develops their individuality. I am interested in guiding students through a learning process. Through this approach, I truly believe that I am meeting students where they are and allowing them to experience the beauty that is the world of dance.
should be taught dance in school as movement encourages self-inquiry, artistic expression, and overall individual growth. Believing that community in tandem with the students’ interests is necessary within the dance classroom, I will implement a blend of the “society-centered curriculum” and “learner-centered curriculum” as noted in Arthur Ellis’s Exemplars of Curriculum Theory. By including both curriculums, I can address the interests of individual learners (Ellis, 2003, p. 42) as well as support students in addressing societal issues through citizenship emphasizing the whole group (Ellis, 2003, p. 72).
References
Ellis, A. K. (2003). Exemplars of Curriculum Theory. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
H’Doubler, M. (1998). Dance a Creative Art Experience (3rd ed.). Madison, WI: University of
Wisconsin Press.
Smith-Autard, J. (2004). Dance Composition : A Practical Guide to Creative Success in Dance
Making (5th ed.). New York ;: Routledge.