Watch the documentary PS Dance. (This hour-long documentary is linked above, and again here. You can also find it in the Kanopy database through the MTSU James Walker Library).

Visit the National Dance Education Organization website, and look at the sections on professional development, online education, and advocacy.

Write a minimum of 100 words in response to the following questions. What do you think the role is of dance in education? Did you experience dance education in your K-12 schools? How can dance be both an area of study and a means to develop creative and cognitive skills? What moments in the documentary stand out to you? What skills and training does it take to teach dance in a K-12 environment? What is required of certified teachers? How do dance educators advocate for the field? Would you consider advocating for dance education? Why or why not?

Create an original thread and write a minimum of 100 words. Respond to two classmates’ threads and write a minimum of 50 words in each response.

classmate 1

I think the role of dance in education is to teach kids to be themselves and give them an outlet to express things in their own way. For me, I experienced dance a couple of times throughout my schooling; first in 4th grade when I took dance as an elective. Back we were just taught about different kinds of dance and would do simple things. The second time was in 11th grade when I took dance as a class, and we went more in depth about the history of it, and learned specific movement routines. Dance can be an area of study because of the history behind dance, and how different cultures have used it differently, but also is a way to be creative and recreational because people are always dancing, even if its just a simple sway back and forth while listening to music. Dance also. helps develop cognitive ability because it can help in things like muscle memory and hand eye coordination. I think the moment in the movie that stood out the most was when it showed the students and how dance helped them in various ways. I think depending on the age, the certifications for teaching dance vary from just a decent knowledge when teaching younger kids in elementary, and more certification and experience when it gets into middle and high school. Personally, I would advocate that dance education is available and is an option for those who want to take it, but I wouldn’t standardize it for all students.

classmate 2

I think the role of dance in education depends on what we are learning about. if you are a dancer and is strictly learning about dance then it is very vital to learn about the people who came before you and crafted something you love.i did experience dance throughout my k-12 education. I loved dancing and coming up with dance moves.i think dancers are very creative and need a lot of cognitive skill to always remember the dances they are taught. its very hard to do trust me ive tried. I think a moment that stood out to me in the movie was how they showed the dancers in the school and how dance helped them. you need a Bachelors degree in fine arts to teach dance. I think they advocate the filed by telling them to do what makes them happy and what they love. I would advocate dance education because everyone deserves a chance to do something they love for the rest of their life and if that’s dance then I support it.