The Benefits of Incorporating Dance and Movement into Core Classes

Authored by Alayna Vilardi

What is the first thing that comes to mind when dance and movement are mentioned? Most likely, things such as a dance studio, ballerinas on a stage, a P.E. class, or a sports field come to mind. A classroom, however, is probably far from most minds when these things are mentioned. Despite this, there are many benefits of incorporating dance and movement into core classes.

Learning Targets

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to…

Give three examples of ways to incorporate dance and movement into core classes.
Describe a reason that art programs get removed from schools.
Name two benefits of incorporating dance and movement into core classes.

Ways to Incorporate Dance and Movement Into Core Classes

Firstly, it is important to understand how dance and movement can be incorporated into core classes in order to gain a grasp of what exactly is being spoken of here. This incorporation can actually be done in a wide variety of ways. Students can create dances that physicalize how a process occurs, they can connect vocabulary words to movements for memorization purposes, and much more. Robelen (2010), to give another example, describes a public school in Minnesota being aided by the Perpich Center for Arts Education to bring life to a lesson on the Underground Railroad through dance. There are things that have to be taken into consideration when developing means of incorporating dance and movement into core classes. McMullen et al. (2016) speaks on a study in which elementary school teachers incorporated programs for movement integration in their classrooms and mentions how certain constraints must be taken into consideration such as allotted time and how much space is available. However, while keeping things of this nature in mind, it can be seen that the possibilities for how dance and movement can be incorporated into core classes are vast and provide great opportunities for students and teachers alike.

Click below to view a short clip giving a great example of a way to incorporate movement into a core class as students participate in a program by the name of Math and Movement.

Movement Incorporation Example

The Removal of Arts from Schools

Robelen (2010) describes how often arts programs are the first to be removed from schools when money issues arrive, and how this problem is particularly harsh in the area of dance. Hawkins (2012) speaks specifically about how budget cuts have negatively affected art programs in public schools residing in poor communities and displays the sadness in this while showing how these programs are beneficial. These examples show how budget cuts and financial troubles often lead to the removal of arts from schools. This being said, Robelen (2010) notes how integrating movement and dance into core classes serves as a means to retain the use of arts in a classroom setting. This can be extremely beneficial for schools that have lost their other means of providing arts opportunities to students, and gives a wonderful example of a benefit that can result from the incorporation of dance and movement into core classes.

More Benefits of Incorporating Dance and Movement into Core Classes

Scroll through the content below for an interactive way to view this information.

Closure

As future educators, it is of great importance to understand how dance and movement can increase students’ classroom experience and be very beneficial to their academic development in core classes. This incorporation truly helps cultivate wonderful learning opportunities and allows students the ability to learn in creative ways. As a dancer, I can see all of the amazing possibilities that this concept brings into the classroom and have witnessed first-hand how dance and movement can be extremely helpful to students. All this being said, it can be seen that the incorporation of dance and movement into core classes most certainly provides many benefits.

Questions

What was the main reason presented for the removal of arts programs from schools?

a. budget cuts

b. lack of available teachers

c. lack of student interest

d. parental petition for removal

Mrs. Amanda is focusing on incorporating dance and movement into her lesson plans for the core classes she teaches this year. Which of the following activities is she most likely to include in her lesson plans?

a. Having her students create motions that physicalize the steps of cloud formation.

b. Having her students sing about the levels of government.

c. Taking her students on a field trip to the aquarium.

d. Taking her students to watch a play.

References

Hawkins, T. (2012). Will less art and music in the classroom really help students soar academically? The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc /post/will-less-art-and-music-in-the-classroom-really-help-students-soar-academically/2012/12/28/e18a2da0-4e02-11e2-839d-d54cc6e49b63_blog.html.

Kirchner, N. (2014). The anti-art education stance. Sites at Penn State, https://sites.psu.edu/nicolekirchnerrcl/2014/03/06/anti-art/.

Koontz, S. [Suzy Koontz]. (2012, November 11). Math & Movement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HdDRh0Ohvk.

McMullen, J. M., Martin, R., Jones, J., & Murtagh, E. M. (2016). Moving to learn Ireland–Classroom teachers’ experiences of movement integration. Teaching and Teacher Education, 60, 321-330.

Robelen, E. W. (2010). Schools integrate dance into core academics. Education Week, 30(12), 1.

Webster, C. A., Russ, L., Vazou, S., Goh, T. L., & Erwin, H. (2015). Integrating movement in academic classrooms: Understanding, applying and advancing the knowledge base. Obesity Reviews, 16(8), 691-701.

Answers

Page updated

Report abuse