Integrating Dance: Moving Outside the Box
(Video)
After a lengthy discussion about the possible reasons why dance art is not considered an important subject in our culture, the students watched the video Arts Integration: the Elements of Dance (LINK ABOVE). The video emphasized the importance of using dance through the learning process of other subjects. The video introduces teacher Debra Kapp who explains in detail the different aspects of the process: Warm Up, Analysis and Reflection and Feedback. Based on the explanations given by the children it is evident that the process used by Kapp works.
TAL students were then given a task:
They were divided in groups, making sure they worked with students they had not worked with before.
The groups had to brainstorm to come up with the idea they wanted to teach.
Then the wrote the objective for that class.
They agreed on the activities that would allow the students to learn the objective.
They structured the way in which movement or dance could illustrate the concept they planned to teach.
RESULTS
Group 1
Megan, Kelly, Stephanie L., DeAndre, Paige F., Alex and Bryce decide to illustrate the process of photosynthesis by giving each member of the group a role (glucose, sunlight, H2O, etc)
Group 2
Casey, Nicole, Paige D., Sarah, Stephanie G., Jacqueline and Drew decided to introduce the concept of fractions y having students use 8 counts as the whole, while 1/2 = 4, 1/4 = 2 and 1/8 = 1.
Group 3
Devon, Ariella, Conrick, Danielle and Melanie created the Anatomy Bone Dance, an interesting way for students to become familiar with the bones in the human body.
Group 4
Karla, Danielle, Amanda, Mae, Sami and Michel decided to teach the life cycle of a butterfly by having students create movement for each stage of the cycle (egg/larva, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly).
Dance is something that is important for young students to learn because, like Debra Kapp said, it provides a way for students to express what they are learning, but entirely kinesthetically. This is a different type of learning, where there is no right or wrong and students are encouraged to use their imagination instead of searching their mind for the singular right answer. Dance is also interpretive, and can take on many meanings. This inspires even more creativity on the part of the students interpreting each movement.
ReplyDeleteYes, it allows students with multiples intelligences, specifically kinesthetic intelligence, to have a space, within the general curriculum, where they can learn by moving.
DeleteI believe that dance is very important and it is something we should incorporate more in the ways kids learn. When I was younger my mom put be in ballet and it was a way for me to express myself and just be able to let go of everything going on in the outside world. I had one teacher in middle school that played music and let us have times to just get up and move around just to be able to relax our minds and let loose.
ReplyDeleteThe class assignment made me immediately think of a certain episode in Hannah Montana. There is an episode where she has an anatomy test and she wasn't sure that she could remember everything so she made up a dance called "The Bone Dance" and it helped her learn and understand the lecture to help her pass the class.
Thank you for sharing Hannah Montana's episode. It makes more sense than 100 words!
DeleteLearning can be effectively accomplished by dance and movement. Remembering information can be difficult and dance can help lay a foundation of memory and an understanding of information. Using dance or movements to represent history or teach a math lesson, can make all the difference. Students have different learning styles and dance/movements can help improve students' understanding while engaging their attention. -Megan S.
ReplyDeleteEngaging students' attention is becoming more difficult as their attention span diminishes with the proliferation of touchscreen devices. I agree with all your points. It is particularly important to acknowledge, as you express, how dance can contribute to engage student's attention and understanding.
DeleteDance has been an important form of self-expression to me starting at a young age. Using dance in a classroom setting is a great way to get students involved and moving. This is very different then the typical teaching style of students sitting and listening as a teacher lectures them information to memorize. Dancing can be another form of memorization and could be a more effective way of learning for students who like to be hands on. I think all of the different lessons the groups above used and taught through dance could actually be applied in elementary classrooms. I remember my 2nd grade teacher having us stand and do a little dance to remember a lesson she had taught us. - Alexandra G.
ReplyDeleteIt is so useful to have had experiences in which the arts have facilitated one's own learning. Teaching it and embracing an arts-making methodology is more effective if one has been able to enjoy the wonders of art-making as a learning process. I am glad that dance has been a form of self- expression for you.
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