The thinking dancer: Dance education reform and verbal instruction in dance technique classes in higher education.

摘要

This paper looks at the role of verbal instruction in university dance technique education by comparing the goals of traditional and progressive pedagogy, as well as their underlying theories of learning. It is argued that the role of verbal instruction in a university dance technique class is not only to teach a codified set of steps, as is practiced in traditional pedagogy, but to foster understanding and teach dance specific higher order thinking, as supported by progressive education theory. This is accomplished through a method of inquiry that uses students’ experience as an entry point, thereby providing opportunities for multiple ways of learning. Such a progressive approach to dance technique education serves the goals of a university education, which is to educate students to be critical thinkers to participate effectively in a democratic society.;Key words: Dance, Dance Education, Higher Education, Progressive Education, Educational Reform, Inquiry, Critical Thinking, Teaching Methods.