Teaching Philosophy
As a student of dance, creative movement was a driving force in my dance classes that allowed me to foster my own voice and expression through movement. I want to foster these same skills in my own students through creating a safe space that is inclusive and creative. Students will walk into my classroom feeling a sense of belonging and knowing that they have a voice. I will strive to accomplish this through implementing a learner-centered curriculum where the student initiates their learning experience. This pedagogical approach links to create and connect national dance standards. When learning episodes are created through the students' lenses they're able to find connections to themselves and their outside worlds throughout their creative processes. Students need to come into the classroom and know that they're contributing to their own learning experiences. I believe that students’ interests should be at the forefront of their education no matter the content. Creative tasks in my class would be deeply connected to students’ personal, cultural and community assets. In order for students’ creative tasks to be deeply connected to these assets, students would need to be involved in their creative process from beginning to end. I would become more of a facilitator during the process to help them hone their own artistic voices. This would allow me to create a space that would involve students learning how to create work that speaks to who they are as individuals and how they fit inside of a larger community.
Teaching dance is much deeper than just learning steps. It encompasses the physical body, the mind and soul of an individual. Dancers learn how to express themselves verbally and nonverbally, how to constructively express their emotions, how to thrive as an individual and how to embrace differences. Throughout my life, I have experienced these profound benefits of dance, which ultimately fostered my passion for teaching dance to children and adolescents.
As a student of dance I was able to develop self-confidence and explore my creativity through movement under the guidance of amazing dance educators. I reflect back on my time as a young student and realize that without these teachers creating a safe space for me to learn, I wouldn't have been able to develop my creativity or life skills in the manner that I did. Due to this, I believe that through dance education, students can engage in life skills that will last them a lifetime.
At the end of the day, dance education is essential in students’ daily lives. It is my goal to provide all students the opportunity to step inside a dance class and learn about themselves and the world around them. Through dance, I can include interdisciplinary connections, which allows students to learn a variety of concepts through movement. Each connection made that is cross-curricular, personal, cultural or community based would help mold each student into a well-rounded individual who can learn from these relationships for a lifetime. Cross-curricular learning episodes in my classroom may look like using poems as inspiration for choreography or implementing geometrical shapes into formation designs. Dance curriculums can reach across any interdisciplinary connection and incorporate concepts from various subjects to include in technique, creative, history or somatic lessons.
Every student that steps into my classroom may not want to be a dancer, but they will leave my program with lifelong skills that can be used in their future careers. Through providing a safe space to hone their artistic voices, students are entering into a dance class where anything is possible.