Using Student Field Observations in Dance Pedagogy Coursework: Learner and Teacher Perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACT What happens when undergraduate dance pedagogy students observe dance educators’ teaching practices in diverse dance education sectors? Traditional field observation focuses primarily on the teacher, teaching methods, and classroom management. Comparatively, critical field observations examine teacher and learner action equally through rich description of relationships between teacher and student, student and student, and the whole group, including communication patterns and equity, engagement, and pedagogical values and priorities. The authors, a recent undergraduate student and a dance professor, discuss their respective experiences and insights on immersive, experiential learning gained from conducting critical field observations. Discussion also covers informed understanding of pedagogical theory and practice through a social foundations lens. Insights from the critical field observation project are shared from student peers in the dance pedagogy course (n = 18), complementing and expanding the authors’ perspectives in conversation with the diverse range of learning outcomes and deepened classroom-based knowledge.