Tessa Homer and Kate Monson, Department of Dance
Introduction
As a dance education major at Brigham Young University (BYU), my constant goal is to improve my teaching strategies by studying methods of effective teaching and observing my professors. Through my dance and education courses at BYU, I have developed a personal teaching style and toolbox of different strategies and methods. The opportunity to travel to China and participate in prestigious dance courses expanded my knowledge of diverse teaching methods and styles. This project enabled me to recognize, study, and compare the various strategies of effective dance education in the United States and China and implement those techniques into my own teaching methods and curriculum.
Methodology
I participated in the China Dance Study abroad during the spring of 2016 to experience the unique culture of China, progress my dance abilities, and expand my dance education knowledge. With the other students, I observed and took dance courses from the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy, Central Minority University, and other dance academies in China. Along with dance courses, I participated in classes on traditional Chinese art forms, including calligraphy and the bamboo flute from distinguished professionals and masters. Another aspect of the dance learning experience was the opportunity to collaborate with Chinese students to create and perform original choreography and develop collaborative skills, learn choreographic strategies, and practice teaching methods.
While studying abroad, I performed research on the variances between dance education in China and the United States. With the help from my BYU dance professor and program director, Kate Monson, I used the information and research gathered abroad to develop a more effective personal curriculum for dance education. After each day of classes, I recorded information on my improvement and developments as a dancer and observations on the instructor’s teaching teaching methods.
Results
From my observations and classroom participation I found vast differences between the teaching techniques and methods of the United States and China. The average class time in China was spent rehearsing combinations that combined high performance standards and new technical phrases. Following each combination, the teachers gave corrective feedback that focused on perfecting technique and improving performance. Classroom procedures were routine and orderly. Students clearly understood the behavioral and performance expectations during class because each day was a strict routine. This layer of order in a dance class is utilized in both Chinese and American classrooms, however in China there is no exception or variance to the classroom procedure set in stone on the first day of class. This leaves little room for studentcentered learning or allowing the lesson plan to vary based on the students needs, a teaching style encouraged in the United States.
Another difference that influenced me was the set formations and order while performing combinations. Students knew exactly where to stand and which group to join when performing each movement sequence, which takes away the simple freedom to choose your performance space in the studio. This order kept the class moving efficiently, but did not give each student a spot at the front of the classroom or provide them with the power to make simple decisions.
The teacher-student relationship was another difference I observed and experienced at each school in China. Both teacher and learner had great respect for one another, specifically in the universities. The teachers were all knowing and the source of all information in a classroom. The role of the student was to be a learner who absorbed all of the information the teachers had to offer. This differs in the United States where I have experienced the role of the teacher and learner to be less strict. Students become the teacher to one another through discussion and peer feedback. When a teacher and student become involved in discussion with one another, even the teacher learns which creates an open learning environment for everyone in the classroom.
Discussion
The differences between China’s teaching methods and strategies and those of the United States stem from the different learning objectives and end goals. The United States places a greater focus on arts as a tool to express, explore freedom, and make personal decisions. My experience with dance in the United States has included a more creative classroom environment with improvisation and creating choreography. Students are given more opportunity to dance out the emotions they are experiencing inside. From choosing where to stand in the classroom to performing movement that they created, dance classes in the United States place a greater emphasis on dancing to express individuality.
In the universities in China that I observed and participated in, the main objective of class was to perfect an established technique that preserves tradition and impresses audiences. The classes I participated in China emphasized technique and performance that remained within the realms of tradition. Students were trained efficiently to become masters of technique, with little opportunity to create movement based on their personal experiences. China’s culture of order and treasure of a deep history plays the main role in the classroom where students perform traditional routines and master perfect technique.
Conclusion
As I prepare my teaching tool box and seek out effective teaching methods I will reflect on my experience in China frequently. Though vastly different, both teaching methods benefit students on varying levels. I will attempt to capture China’s efficiency and classroom order, while still allowing for student centered learning and opportunities for simple decision making. I will also incorporate their value of tradition and heritage, while still allowing students to create something new that expresses who they are. As I continue to reflect on the beneficial aspects of dance pedagogy in China I will consider what my foundational beliefs are and what my end goal is for my future students.