Arts Integration Research
Dance in the Elementary Classroom Aids in Cognitive Development
Dance in the Elementary Classroom Aids in Cognitive Development
In recent conversations relating to creative dance in public education, much has been said about the benefits of dance as it relates to physical activity and creativity in children. However, some educators and administrators overlook the cognitive benefits that children receive when dance is included in the education of elementary school students. In addition to enhancing creativity and providing physical exertion, dance can enrich cognitive processes in children. Though the value of human movement is manifest in many forms, this paper focuses on two. The first is the ability of movement to make abstract ideas accessible to children, and the second is movement’s ability to motivate student learning. Explanations of these values and examples of how they may be achieved will be addressed below.
Preface
Dance in education often occurs in a specialist setting, where students leave their classroom once in a day, or week, or month, to learn from a dance specialist. In this paper, dance in education refers to dance used in the actual classroom, taught by the normal instructor. It is also assumed that movement in the classroom is used in conjunction with the curriculum to help children learn what is already being taught. This can be done at the same time as students are introduced to new curriculum material, or as a culminating review to solidify what students have already learned.
Accessibility
The first benefit of dance education I would like to address is that dance provides opportunities for abstract concepts to become accessible to children. Dr. Quincy Surplin, a professor of Science Education at the University of New Mexico, asserts that “Children learn by making connections to what they already know and have experienced” (Regency 9). Assuming that Dr. Surplin’s statement is true, I add that the most difficult concepts for students to grasp are often those which seem the most detached from what students already know. Because the body is known and experienced by all students at all times, dance can be used as a tool to link the familiar (bodies) with the unfamiliar (new concepts from any subject). Difficult concepts become relatable to children when the body becomes involved. Some things which are usually only spoken of in a classroom can become more meaningful to students by giving them physical properties that exist here and now.
Using this idea in a history classroom, for example, dance can convey a relationship between two geographic locations by assigning each location a spatial boundary within the human body. For instance, after (or in the middle of) a lesson about the Civil War, a teacher could prompt students to move the top half of their body as if it were the Northern United States during that time. The teacher could ask students to physically show characteristics of the North (What attitude did they have towards the South? What did they believe in? What were they fighting for? Who were their leaders? Etc.) Students could then experience the Southern point of view with their lower bodies. Sensing the opposition between these two points of view in their bodies and in their minds, students can more fully understand what they have already learned from their teacher.
Another example of making abstract concepts accessible for elementary aged children could take place in a math classroom. Creating bodily shapes for each number in the equation “13+22+16+13=?” can help students concretely understand that two of the numbers are the same. This understanding can then lead to a problem-solving strategy of adding the identical numbers (13) first. Because dance exists in time, space and energy, certain things learned in school lend themselves to movement. It needn’t take too much extra effort to include in the classroom, but the benefits can have a lasting effect on the understanding and remembering of movement. Embodying abstract concepts can help elementary school students grasp what they learn.
Motivation
In addition to accessibility, dance can also support cognitive development by increasing students’ motivation to learn. Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, and physician/educator Maria Montessori both agree that “children’s motivation to learn is intrinsic,” especially in the elementary years (Ault 176). This intrinsic motivation seems to come from the assumption that “children are active rather than passive participants in their own development... [and they] inherently try to make sense out of their environment” (Ault 7). From this we know that children actively perceive their environment through the use of their senses. Educators can achieve their teaching goals by encouraging exploration in their students, rather than lecturing and testing the curiosity right out of them. Doing this can encourage students to learn in their current state of cognitive function, as opposed to pushing them in more adolescent-appropriate ways (Ault7-177).
Sara C. Broaders, the assistant director of undergraduate studies in the Psychology Department at Northwestern University, provides a great example of how student motivation can increase when movement is included in public schools. Along with three other college professors and researchers, Broaders has done extensive research on the effect of gesturing on math comprehension in children (Broaders). Without going into too much detail, the researchers conducted several experiments with control groups, and other groups who were told to gesture while figuring out math problems. The gestures were very simple, such as pointing, establishing simple spatial relationships, etc. Among many things, they found that “producing a correct strategy in gesture did seem to make the children more receptive to the later math lesson” (Broaders). This tells us that movement has the power to motivate students to pay attention. As students become more invested in subject matter, “learners [become more] receptive to instruction” (Broaders). This invested receptivity through movement brings with it a motivation for learning more material in the future.
Conclusion
To many administrators and fellow teachers, dance advocates sometimes imply an opinion that dance can fix every problem and that it should be included in every classroom, school, and district in the world. This may seem like a daunting, unfruitful task. My hope is that this paper provides at least a glimpse of how dance in education can be fruitful as it enhances the cognitive processes of children through increasing accessibility of information and motivation to learn. I also hope that the examples of instruction provided above show that the process of adding dance to the classroom can be simpler than many think. It is important to note that small changes can realistically be made in every classroom to include human movement and bring positive, constructive consequences to student thought processes. Movement of the body can relate new, abstract concepts to students and also motivate students to become engaged in their own learning. Every student has a body, and it can be utilized by teachers to encourage their students’ cognitive development.
Works Cited
Ault, Ruth L. Children's Cognitive Development. 2nd ed. New York City: Oxford University Press, 1983. 7-177. Print.
Broaders, Sara C., Susan Wagner Cook, Zachary Mitchell, and Susan Goldin-Meadow. "Making Children Gesture Brings Out Implicit Knowledge and Leads to Learning." Journal of Experimental Psychology 136.4 (2007). Web. 28 Oct 2010.
Cook, Susan Wagner, Zachary Mitchell, and Susan Goldin-Meadow. "Gesturing Makes Learning Last." Cognition 106.2 (2008). Web. 28 Oct 2010.
Regency, Hyatt. "Designing Materials and Methods for Teaching in Our Cultures and in Our Communities ." NSF Rural Systematic Initiatives Lead Teacher Conference: Draft. The Mckenzie Group, Inc.: Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2001. 9. Web. 3 Nov 2010.
A Comparative Paper Which Explores
Parallels Between the Renaissance Man and Dancers Today
The humanism movement in the 15th century led to a search for mankind’s endless capabilities. This interest in skill and knowledge led to the development of “Renaissance men” such as Leonardo da Vinci. Similarly, the technological advancements of today’s society have led to globalization. As a result, professional dance has become more competitive and the expectations of professional dancers have changed immensely, leading to a constant effort for dancers to become, essentially, “Renaissance dancers.”
Beginning roughly in the 13th century Middle Ages, people were content to be categorized in groups. Groups of social stature, guilds, families and churches were common and accepted. “This communal consciousness of the Middle Ages gradually gave way to the individual consciousness of the Renaissance” (Strong and Davis 11). The shift of though from group to individual potential came because of the idea of humanism. Humanism was a movement which “emphasized secular concerns as a result of the rediscovery and study of the literature, art, and civilization of ancient Greece and Rome” (“humanism”). As cultural concerns shifted from strictly religious to more secular subjects, people in Europe became more concerned than ever before with the development of man’s abilities and knowledge. Consequently, guilds no longer held much prestige when compared to individual artists such as Masaccio, Brunelleschi and Donatello, who each developed great skill and progression for the field of art. Their talents were developed as they became proficient in painting, sculpting and architecture. But it wasn’t until the High Renaissance that creativity and diversity of expertise reached their climax.
As a product of humanism, Leonardo da Vinci is considered the bridge between the Early and High Renaissances because he was extremely proficient in multiple fields of study. As Giorgio Vasari put it, “The most heavenly gifts seem to be showered on certain human beings. Sometimes supernaturally, marvelously, they all congregate in one individual. . . . His [Leonardo da Vinci’s] talent was so rare that he mastered any subject to which he turned his attention” (Strong and Davis 28). Da Vinci is considered by many to be the ultimate Renaissance man because he made significant advancements in multiple fields of study: painting, engineering, science, math, military technology and more. Not only was he engaged in a wide variety of disciplines, but he was markedly influential in several of them.
The term “Renaissance man” is used to describe people who are proficient in multiple subjects. Over time, however, subjects can change in depth and breadth. If someone wanted to become a Renaissance person today, he/she could spend an entire lifetime studying physics, chemistry, actinology, cytology, endocrinology and the list goes on and on. Once he/she became an expert in the sciences, he/she will likely run out of time to master other fields of knowledge as well. It is clear that the term “Renaissance man” has changed meaning since the Renaissance time period, as the vastness of knowledge has broadened exponentially. It has come to be used in a more specialized, yet similarly deserving way. In today’s world, going along with the science theme, an astronomer who has discovered something new, and who has also made advancements in other fields such as arachnology and craniology could be seen as a Renaissance scientist.
Just as the scientific domain has broadened since da Vinci’s time, so too has the field of dance. Modern dance, essentially created as a rebellion to ballet, is now incorporated into many ballet performances. Jazz style was once seen as purely showy and audience-driven. People thought that it was therefore inartistic. Now, several stereotypes are dissolving. It is common to see elements of jazz technique in a ballet, ballroom or modern dance concert. Those who seek professional careers in are often faced with the task of striving to become competent in multiple subdivisions of dance. They strive to become what I refer to as Renaissance dancers. I certainly don’t use the term “Renaissance dancer” to suggest that 2010 is the Renaissance of dance, because that can only be determined in retrospect. I am, however, suggesting that the breadth of skill and knowledge that is required by professional dancers today is similar to the breadth of talent that was established during the Renaissance. More than ever before, dancers need to adjust to their quickly-growing field.
Similar to the Renaissance man of the late 1400s and early 1500s, the call for Renaissance dancers began with a shift in cultural thought. The globalization outburst we are in today is similar to humanism of the Renaissance times because it has changed the way we live and think in our society. Globalization is simply defined as making something worldwide in scope (“globalization”). To make something global, it has to be able to extend to other or all countries of the world. Due to the technological outburst of the 20th and 21st centuries, making a business or an idea available to a worldwide audience is not too difficult. The ability to email and hold webcam conferences has changed the world of business forever. As the cultural meshing and technological advancements spread, the world shrinks in a way because it’s so easy to gain access to far-away information in a very short amount of time.
The dance world has also been affected by globalization in several ways. In her master’s thesis, Amanda Maria Nora addresses the expansion of fusion forms of dance, and she shows that dance is steeped in tradition. Yet at the same time, she asserts, innovators are constantly expanding the walls of creativity in regards to dance. An example that Nora uses to show this is: the ballet traditionalists, such as Cecchetti and Petipa, who have codified techniques are very sturdy in their methodology of teaching. Innovators, such as Balanchine, Tudor and Robbins, were more exploratory and open to different styles of movement. As innovators find new ways to move, dance is changed. With globalization upon us, dance innovators are very prevalent.
The most obvious and powerful tools for the globalization of dance are found online and on television. Through means such as youtube.com and TV shows, people (dancers and non-dancers) all around the world are exposed to multiple dance genres. The popular television shows, “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars” are only two among over fifty in Northern America ("Category: Dance Television Shows"). Because of the global exchange of dance that is happening, studios are becoming more abundant. Higher education programs are also becoming larger and more prevalent. There are over two hundred dance programs in post-secondary education in the United States (Finkelstein). Unique to our globalized era, an acceptance of diverse dance genres as art has developed.
This recognition and attractiveness of dance, especially in professional performance has brought about many reasons for the need of Renaissance dancers. As mentioned above, professional dancers today must usually be trained in a variety of genres. Bobby Boling, professional dancer, teacher, choreographer and artistic director states in his book A Dancer’s Manual: A Motivational Guide to Professional Dancing:
"You should know that it’s important not to specialize in one particular area
of this profession because different jobs can require different styles of
dancing. A dancer that is versatile creates more opportunities for work. You
can certainly make a living in one area (e.g. jazz, ballet, tap, modern,
hip-hop, etc.), but to be successful on a long term basis, you need to be
efficient in many different styles and techniques. It is the ability to be a
chameleon that enables you to be successful in an ever changing art form and
business" (45-46).
Because the field of dance is expanding, it is also becoming more and more competitive. Dancers often need to have a backup plan in another field of study just in case the professional dance scene does not turn out positively, especially with the uncertainty of today’s economy. Choreographically, Renaissance dancers must be open to anything. Props and costumes are increasing in innovation; dance composers are more open to speaking and singing within a movement piece; acting, acrobatics and uncommon facial expressions are often desirable as well. Renaissance dancers are ones who are capable of all of the above. They strive to develop qualities that will help them stay in control of their movement no matter what the choreographer or director wants. Renaissance dancers also strive to become proficient in other areas to make them marketable in this competitive, increasingly globalized field. The famous men of the Renaissance were similarly invested in multiple fields at once.
During the Renaissance, sponsors played a big role in the exploration of art. The Medici family in particular donated a lot of money for the furtherance of art in Florence during the 15th and 16th centuries (Halsall). Sponsors allowed artists to explore different ways to create. Without the funding necessary to make the arts flourish in Florence during this time, the Renaissance may have turned out completely different. Artists such as Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and da Vinci himself may not have become as practiced in the arts, and history would have been forever altered. It is clear that sponsors were essential in the development of the Renaissance man. Likewise, the accessibility of our globalized society is essential for the development of Renaissance dancers. Anyone can learn to dance with technique, but Renaissance dancers are needed in the professional realm to cultivate a wide range of proficiency in dance.
Works Cited
Boling, Bobby. A Dancer's Manual: A Motivational Guide to Professional Dancing. Toluca Lake, CA: Rafter Publishing, 1999. 45-46. Print.
"Category: Dance Television Shows." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 Apr 2007. Web.
Finkelstein, Richard. "University Dance Programs." Artslynx International Arts Resources: Dane. 16 Oct 2009. Artslynx, Web. 10 Dec 2009.
"globalization." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 10 Dec. 2009.
Halsall, Paul. "Culture and Recreation - Why Was The Medici Family Important To The Renaissance?." ENotes. Web. 9 Dec 2009.
"humanism." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 10 Dec. 2009.
Maria Nora, Amanda. Fusion of dance forms in the United States of America: original + original = fused hybrid; or, fusion + fusion = another fused hybrid. MFA Thesis University of California, 2005.
Strong, Brent, and Mark Davis. The History of Creativity in the Arts, Science, & Technology 1500-Present. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 2006. 9-42. Print.
