Scheduled for Research Consortium Interdisciplinary Poster Session, Thursday, April 14, 2005, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Teaching Physical Education Majors to Dance and Teach Dance in One Course: New Lessons Learned and Applied (Dance)

Sylvia A. Moseley, North Georgia College & State University, Dahlonega, GA

This ethnography follows "When 'Too Little' is Not Enough: Lessons Learned and Applied From Teaching One-Credit-Hour Dance Methods Courses for Physical Education Majors" (Moseley, 2004), a qualitative research project involving preservice physical educators (PEs) taking a formerly "full" (i.e., five) quarter-credit-hour dance methods course that had been changed to one semester-credit hour, due to concomitant processes of semester conversion and curriculum downsizing at a state university in the Southeast. Major findings (lessons learned) from this study centered around two themes: "too little" (e.g., "too little background and education in dance to teach it") and "more" (e.g., "need more dance courses for majors"). Based in part on the results of this research, recommendations were made and accepted that (a) the dance methods course be changed from one to three semester-credit hours and (b) a within-class recreational dance practicum be piloted (lessons applied). The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of integrating the major findings and recommendations from this research project into the newly revised "full" credit-hour course, Methods for Teaching Creative Movement and Dance, the only required dance course for PEs. Respondents giving their informed consent to be participants in this study were PEs (N=21) taking the course. PEs individually taught creative movement and dance micro lessons (see Joyce, 1994) to peers during the first half of the semester and thereafter engaged in a Recreational Dance Education practicum. Constant comparison was used to analyze all data sources, which were journal entries, essays, interviews, teaching analyses, participant/nonparticipant observations, and pre/post written exercises. Trustworthiness was established through triangulation and member checks. Prevailing themes emerging from data analysis included (a) recognition of growth in confidence (e.g., "I gained a level of comfort from dancing I've never experienced before."), (b) learner-centered teaching realizations (e.g., "When we became the teachers, we had to remember how we felt as learners and apply that to our instruction."), (c) teaching/learning process discoveries (e.g., "I found teaching someone something makes you know it a whole lot better."), and (d) appreciation for the value and benefits of dance (e.g., "We taught, learned [with and from each other and the rec dance students—some of those guys can really 'cut a rug'!], got rid of stress, got fit, and you know what else? We had fun!"). During a final group interview, PEs unanimously recommended that the recreational dance practicum become a permanent part of the course. The teacher concurred.


Keyword(s): creative movement, dance education, research

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