Practical Resources for Dance Educators! Using SEL Strategies in the K–12 Dance Classroom: Practices from Three Chicago Dance Educators

Abstract

Although the concept of social-emotional learning (SEL) is not new, SEL has become an urgent priority for school communities. In response to the pandemic, arts educators have seen an increasing need for supporting the social and emotional well-being of students. How do we embed SEL practices in a meaningful way while remaining connected to the content? Working collaboratively and individually, we, the authors of this column, are three dance educators who developed and implemented social-emotional learning practices in our respective Chicago Public Schools classrooms. We represent three unique public school environments: (1) a large, neighborhood elementary school with a bilingual English–Spanish program and a significant population of English language learners; (2) a selective enrollment high school in downtown Chicago that draws students from across the entire city; and (3) a Northwest side neighborhood elementary school with a fine and performing arts focus. We have worked together for four years as instruction specialists with the Chicago Public Schools Department of Arts Education, developing professional learning in dance and meeting with dance educators across the city. Our initial work together focused on bolstering student engagement and today we continue to pursue the same goal as our schools respond to the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen our students’ social-emotional well-being benefit from opening and closing routines, mindful moments, and engaging practices for performance preparation. In this column, we review the SEL definition, consider the importance of SEL in the dance classroom, and examine the successful strategies we implemented to increase student engagement in our elementary and high school dance classrooms.