Kyle Georgina Marsh Teaching Philosophy

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Pedagogy & Essential Values
As a dance educator I view the primary purpose of K-12 dance education as being
an experience that facilitates the growth and development of reflective, communicative,
creative, and bodily-minded adults. Through teaching an essential aspect of my job is to
not only provide an environment that is both safe and engaging for learners, but also to
model a sense of value and understanding for humanity that prompts students to develop
individually in their own sense of identity, action, expression, inquiry, and
thoughtfulness. In my perpetuation of these desired outcomes there are six grounding
components from which my pedagogical practices draw: imagination, community,
cultural relevancy, democracy, accessibility, and body-intelligence sensitivity.
In working to achieve these desired outcomes, a review of the New Jersey
Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders suggests that my values for
pedagogical practice are heavily weighted in the following three content areas:
Standard Two Human Growth & Development
Standard Six Learning Environment
Standard Eight Communication.
Additionally, in the introduction to the National Dance Education Organization,
Standards for Learning and Teaching Dance in the Arts: Ages 5-18 it is stated that, to
study the art of dance is to learn the language of bodily movement as it expresses and
communicates the essence of humanity... all cultures organize movement and rhythm into
one or more forms of dance (NDEO, 2005; 6). As a result I choose to view and
understand dance as an innate part of human nature, even more so than reading, writing,
and arithmetic. This means that as an educator it becomes important for me to
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acknowledge students not only as individuals but also as creatures of culture. Therefore
through working to address positive learning and teaching outcomes, as they relate to
human growth and development it is essential that I teach in a classroom environment
that feels safe, democratic, communicative, and culturally inclusive to my students.
In her essay Seeking a Feminist Pedagogy for Childrens Dance writer and
educator, Susan W. Stinson states that, what we teach is who we are (Stinson, 1998;
24). In making this statement Stinson goes onto claim that who we are therefore
influences our methods of teaching and values in educational practice, which leads to
directly questioning, What does it mean to be human?(Stinson, 1998; 25). Similarly
some people ask what does it means to teach dance I in turn respond that it means to be
human; teaching students how to acknowledge the muscles and bones that compose our
physical bodies through using them as tools for expression in order to better know
ourselves both individually and culturally, while delighting in a creative process that
enables us to communicate more effectively with others.

Imagination
I believe in the necessity of imagination as an essential component to curricula
because of the fact that, the having of wonderful ideas is what I consider the essence of
intellectual development (Duckworth, 2006; 1). In the classroom and in life, wonderful
ideas do not spring from nothing. They build on a foundation of other ideas(Duckworth,
2006; 6). Yet this capacity to build and think creatively can only occur if it is correctly
fostered in students though their educational experiences. In choosing to embrace a value
for imagination, I seek to enable the development of independently minded creative
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individuals who feel confident and equipped with a set of readily available problem
solving skills.
Albert Einstein once said, Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces
the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand (as cited in Viereck,
Saturday Evening Post, 1929; 117). In reference to my students this notion implies that in
order for their learning outcomes to feel satisfying and fulfilling, that they must first be
provided with the opportunity to explore imaginatively the world that surrounds them.
Ideally, if nurtured correctly this process of exploration leads to the development of
individual experiences in inquiry and creation.
In her book The Art of Dance in Education, British dance educator Jacqueline
Smith-Autard defines creativity as: imagination actively fashioned so as to produce
outcomes that are both original and of value (Smith-Autard, 2002; 51). In beginning to
unpack creativity and the creative dance process it is important to consider the
interrelationship that arises between a students individual sense of identity and their
ability to express themselves. For me as an educator in this instance the goal than
becomes supporting students as good thinkers rather than good tendu doers. This
requires that the learning process become more active and as a result personally relatable
to the student.
In his book Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way: Lessons from an urban
classroom, writer and project-based learning educator Brian Schultz questions, what is it
that we can teach students that is worth knowing? Through a reflection in reference to
this dilemma Schultz comments that:
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The role of the teacher is to provide the opportunity and space to students. The
teacher ultimately must embrace intelligence, allowing students to leverage what
they know and what they can successfully accomplish. As the students develop this
essential opportunity, their imagination, interests, and creativity allow them to
create love for their learning that may endure the travesties and injustices they face
both in and out of the classroom (Schultz, 2008; 4).

In this way, my value and experience with imagination in the classroom comes from a
place that desires to give students power over their own education and learning processes.
Especially for students of dance it is a teachers ability to foster imagination through a
stimulating environment that permits experimentation in the form of creative process.
This creative and choreographic process in itself is extremely vital to the development of
young artists sense of identity, artistic voice, and deeper understanding of the art form.
Whenever possible I encourage and embody the use of a project-based learning
practices in dance. This dictates an environment where student interests and inquiries
serve as a major consideration in my approach to designing curriculum and assessment.
What this means in physical practice is that through the use of actively fashioned
imagination, students are invited and empowered to engage themselves as researchers,
choreographers, artists, and individual people. While there are national and state
standards that guide our required learning outcomes as educators, my employment of a
project-based learning pedagogy seeks to achieve these measures in the most creative and
individually relevant method possible. Specifically in reference to my designing of
curricula and student-based assessment this pedagogical practice dictates that I
continually strive to present opportunities that stimulate students meta-cognitively by
empowering them as contributors to the construction of their learning and assessment
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processes. Therefore in working towards this goal it becomes a primary concern of mine
to not only acknowledge students as individuals, but to simultaneously develop a sense of
community and cultural relevance within my classroom that is relatable to students both
individually and as group members.

Community & Cultural Relevancy
My value of a sense of community within the classroom is derived from the necessity
that students feel safe and supported in their learning environment while they are with me.
Hence in order for students to experience individual and enriched learning outcomes,
school needs to be a place where kids want to be (Michie, 2009; 14). From this
perspective in many ways a communitys challenges become the schools challenges,
because there is a collective effort and responsibility on behalf of both the community and
the institution to mold a childs character and intellect (Michie, 2009; 14). Similarly,
embedded within this appreciation emerges an inherent responsibility on behalf of the
institution to be as culturally responsive and inclusive as possible.
Having taught in an urban school district during my student teaching internship I
feel hyper sensitive to the importance of culturally relevant teaching practices that aim to
address and acknowledge diverse demographics and perspectives (Cross & Donovan, 2002;
Ladson-Billings, 2009). In this manner I view my value for community as being directly
linked to the necessity of culturally relevant teaching practices as an integral component to
classroom curriculum. Similarly, I chose to view the primary role of our schools as being,
the development of the full potential of each individual...successful education is that
which promotes successful problem solving, sensitive human relations, self-
understanding, and the integration of ones total life experience (Remer, 1996; 16-17).
Within this context it becomes important that the preexisting cultural knowledge and
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values of my students be considered in the generation of student assignments and
projects.
Making the effort to pursue culturally relevant curriculum, implies wholeness and
unity rather than separation and fragmentation, in students formation of understanding
and appreciating new material (Schultz, 2008; 138). As a result my goal in generating
culturally relevant curriculum that is founded in community awareness and support, is to let
my students, confront personally meaningful questions and engage in experiences related
to those questions experiences they can integrate into their own system of meanings
(Schultz, 2008. p. 138). Ultimately, through this process I aim to facilitate a democratic
approach to learning that strives to make my curriculum more accessible to every type of
learner.

Accessibility & Democracy
Within the context of my classroom I view every student as being individual and
unique. The manner in which students learn cannot be standardized or categorized, because
of the fact that every student is different. In working to address this issue I feel it becomes
my inherent responsibility as an educator to, discover the individual capacities my students
already have and build upon them (Oyler, 2001; 29). The key to supporting learning and
curriculum accessibility in this regard subsequently becomes a matter of working to build
on students strengths and prior knowledge, while attempting to connect new information to
their preexisting understandings in a manner that is contextualized and individual. (Oyler,
2001; Schultz, 2008). The process for achieving these desired outcomes, in order to be
effective and inclusive must therefore be democratic in approach and execution.
Through the promotion of a democratic classroom I aim to facilitate a systematic
approach of question and discovery. Asking students to fist ascertain what it is they
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know in order to determine what it is that they dont, and in turn leading them to decide
what they would like to discover. In this way students are encouraged and expected to
take an active role in their learning process (Dewey, 1938). Similarly within the context of
a classroom that values community and culturally inclusive teaching, a democratic
approach to learning and classroom management aims to address multiple modes of
research, inquiry, and presentation. As a result the use and incorporation of technology
within my classroom when appropriate it highly valued and encouraged.
Through school students start to learn what it means to be part of a community,
and subsequently what it means to be a member of modern day society. ...Every
experience lives on in future experiences(Dewey, 1983; 27). Hence through participation
in a classroom that facilitates a democratic learning process students are provided with the
opportunity to develop confidence and autonomy in their learning and success.

Body-Intelligence Sensitivity
As an art form dance is grounded in the physical elements of expression and
communication. Jane Remer echoed this idea when she wrote, ...the arts are one of
humankinds most vital forms of language (Remer, 1996. p. 22). As a result in addition
to fostering the creative, cultural, social, and analytical skills of my student, it is of great
importance that they also be offered the opportunity to learn about the body through
their practice of dance. I do not wish to indicate that my goal in this regard is to only
produce professional dancers. Rather it is my desire that through studying dance,
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students of varying abilities be presented with the opportunity to learn more about the
bodys health, function, and sensitivity.
In order for students to make relevant connections between the functions of the
mind and the body there must be a component of experience and experimentation, built
into their understanding of movement, form, and technical execution. Therefore within the
spectrum of my dance classroom there must be a balance between valuing creative process
and developing students kinesthetic intelligence through their approach and practice of
physical dance technique. Evidence supporting this value system, was expressed by
Martha Graham when she made the claim that it takes ten years to make a dancer. Ten
years of handling the instrument, and material with which you are dealing before you will
be able to know it completely (Graham, 2006. p. 84). In making this statement I recognize
that Graham was speaking explicitly to the training of professional dancers, and that it
was not meant to address the differentiated needs of K-12 students. However the
significance of what Graham recognized is that foundational technical training in some
fashion is an essential component in varying degrees to studying the art of dance.
Similarly, another important aspect of developing students body-intelligence
sensitivity is providing them with opportunities to discover and discern the connections
that exist between their physical bodies and intellectual minds. In talking about this
Joseph Pilates wrote that, to achieve the highest accomplishments within the scope of
our capabilities in all walks of life we must constantly strive to acquire strong, healthy
bodies and develop our minds to the limits of our ability (Pilates, 1998;136). In this
regard I strive to embody a value for my students that suggests, in order to have healthy
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minds we must also have healthy bodies. So often in our society we are taught to
differentiate between the intellectual mind and the physical body. This value system has
proven detrimental not only to the physical health of Americas greater populous but
more importantly our individual understanding of ones self.
In this manner dance technique serves as a necessary means to inform not only
students physical execution of steps, but also the development of their bodies and health.
Since dance is a performance based art form, performing and performance technique
should also be included in my address of dance curriculum and technical execution.
However, as students engage in the process of learning about dance and performance
technique it is essential that they also be presented with relevant information regarding
anatomy, kinesiology, and somatic practices. The purpose of exposing students to this
type of material regardless of their intentions to continue professionally in dance or not,
is to equip them with the information necessary to maintain and improve their overall
health throughout their lives beyond the dance classroom.
Not all students are expected to become masters of the dance techniques that they
will study, because mastery is not the soul purpose of this movement education. Clearly
illustrating this belief Margaret HDoubler expressed:
It is to be expected that not everyone will be a great dancer, and that dancing of
course, will be experienced as a complete art form more by some than by others;
but, as every child has a right to a box of crayons and some instruction in the
fundamental principles of drawing and in the use of color, whether or not there is
any chance of his becoming a professional artist, so every child has a right to know
how to achieve control of his body (HDoubler, 1889. p. 66).

Similar to Joseph Pilates, what HDoubler defines with this statement is the innate human
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right that each person had to study the art of dance, as a means of better understanding
their individual relationship to the body and mind. In this way, with a balanced
implementation of foundational dance technique and educated body awareness, studying
dance has the ability to inform students lives in multiple ways. By exposing students to
the physical study dance we foster their appreciation for the art form by allowing them to
participate in creating, performing, and viewing dance.
In this way I view the purpose of K-12 dance education as being a process that
enables students to develop both emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Through
active exposure and utilization of imagination, community, cultural relevancy,
democracy, accessibility, and body-intelligence sensitivity students will be supported in
becoming more physically aware, self-reflective, communicative, and able to work with
others. In this manner education and learning should not be limited to the mind, but rather
seek to address students as whole human beings; this in turn requires that students learn
not only about their minds, but also their bodies, and subsequently themselves.




References:
Cross, Christopher T., & Donovan, Susanne M. (Eds). (2002). Minority students in
special and gifted education. Washington, DC. National Academy Press.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience & Education. New York: Touchstone.
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Duckworth, E. (1987). The Having of Wonderful Ideas and Other Essays on Teaching
and Learning. New York; Teachers College Press.
Graham, M. (2006). An Athlete of God. In Allison, J. & Gediman, D (eds.), NPRs
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (pp.84-
86). New York: Holt Paperbacks.
HDoubler, M. N. Dance a Creative Art Experience. Madison: University of Wisconsin
Press, 1940. Print.
Ladson-Billings, Gloria. (2009). The Dream keepers: Successful teachers of African
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Michie, G. (Fall 2009). Another Path is Possible: Two Chicago principles keep an eye
on what matters. Rethinking Schools 24 (1):
(http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/24_01/24_01_path.shtml)
Oyler, C. (2001, Spring). Democratic classrooms and accessible instruction.
Demoncracy and Education, 14 (1): 28-31.
Schultz, B. (2008). Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way: Lessons from an urban
classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.
Smith-Autard, J. M. (2002). The Art of Dance in Education: Second Edition. London: A &
C Black.
Stinson, S. Seeking a Feminist Pedagogy for Childrens Dance. Dance, Power, and
Difference; Critical and Feminist Perspectives on Dance Education. (1998): 23-47.
Viereck, G. S. (October 26th, 1929). What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by
George Sylvester Viereck. The Saturday Evening Post, Vol. 202, 117.
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