ERIC Number: EJ1224663
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1464-7893
EISSN: N/A
Five Years of Integrating Science and Dance: A Qualitative Inquiry of Constructivist Elementary School Teachers
Valls, Rebecca; Black, Carolyn; Lee, Mimi Miyoung
Research in Dance Education, v20 n2 p113-129 2019
What can we learn from K-5 science teachers who have integrated science and creative dance for a five-year period? In this paper, the preliminary findings of the qualitative research conducted by a constructivist elementary charter school principal, a university dance professor, and an educational researcher is presented.This research highlights the experiences of science teachers who were given professional development in science/creative dance integration each semester and implemented arts integration strategies in the science classroom. To conclude the five-year period, the six teachers completed a questionnaire and participated in a videotaped interview to document their reflections on the project, Dance of Science Project (DoS), which serves as the primary data source for this paper. An interpretive methodology is used as a framework for interpreting the interviews of the teachers. Of interest is how teachers developed arts integration practices on their own in the classroom without being in partnership with a dance educator, and how arts integration in the science class supported their constructivist teaching practices which include elements of co-operation, autonomy, experimentation, play, and interest. In addition, the article discusses how creative dance aligns with the elements of constructivism.
Descriptors: Dance Education, Science Education, Elementary School Teachers, Constructivism (Learning), Charter Schools, Faculty Development, Universities, Teacher Attitudes, Personal Autonomy, Learner Engagement, Play, Experiments, Cooperative Learning, Integrated Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Approach, Creative Activities, Movement Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas (Houston)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A