Creating Peak Experiences: Contemporary Dance Student-Centered Practices for use in a Studio Setting

Abstract

This research investigates holistic and student centered teaching practices for use in a contemporary dance studio setting. With examination of published literature in the area of dance curriculum, general education curriculum studies, and holistic and student-centered learning approaches, this project culminates in the development of creative questions and discussion prompts for the dance classroom. While initially the author set out to create activities it was discovered via a teacher self-study that in order to facilitate holistic student centered practices collaborative languaging and planned moments for discussion were needed for students’ self-discovery. The author concludes this paper with an infographic which illustrates goals of holistic learning along with student-centered discussion strategies and prompts. From this undertaking, the author hopes that dance teachers can utilize this research and its findings to create concrete and cooperative learning experiences in their own classrooms.