Creative Dance for Learning

The Kinesthetic Link
Mary Ann Brehm, Ph.D. & Lynne McNett

Creative Dance for Learning is a comprehensive teaching guide that addresses the “what”, “why” and “how” of creative dance. It provides theoretical and practical guidance on teaching creative dance, particularly in educational settings. It is both a textbook for dance education courses and a resource for current dance and non-dance teachers. The authors speak from a passionate, lifelong commitment to arts education and thirty years of experience as dance specialists in elementary school, community and university settings. It is steeped in the influence of Barbara Mettler’s work along with the theories and practice of two other dance educator/theorists whom she admired: Margaret H’Doubler and Rudolf Laban. Their theories are combined with the authors’ own insights to:

• validate dance as art education, adaptable to all ages and abilities
• explain a conceptual framework for teaching dance in common language
• highlight the kinesthetic sense as a guide for creating dance forms
• provide methods of linking movement across the curriculum
• address cultural material through creative dance
• outline teaching progressions that develop student skill and understanding
• guide readers into building and presenting lessons of their own.
• provide models for assessing student learning
• relate creative dance instruction to achievement standards in dance and other disciplines
• offer over 25 ready-to-use, well-tested lesson plans and 40 lesson adaptations that extend the lesson material

Published by McGraw-Hill (2008) 0-07-295497-3 / Softcover / 416 pgs

To read an excerpt from Creative Dance for Learning, click here

How to obtain Creative Dance for Learning:

From McGraw-Hill Higher Education: Click here  or call 800-338-3987 --McGraw offers a 25 % discount with a teaching certificate.

From Amazon.com:  Click here 

As an electronic book from McGraw-Hill:  Click here 

Table of Contents:

Preface

PART I: A KINESTHETIC APPROACH TO DANCE AS CREATIVE ART ACTIVITY
1: Breaking Ground
2: Principles of Dance as Creative Art Activity
3: Creative Dance: A Collage of Learning

PART II: A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING THE ELEMENTS OF DANCE
4: The Instrument of Dance: The Body
5: The Material of Dance: The Force Element
6: The Material of Dance: The Time Element
7: The Material of Dance: The Space Element
Table: Elements of Dance

PART III: LINKING DANCE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
8: Linking into the Elements of Dance
Table: Inter-Disciplinary Links to the Elements of Dance and Linking Lessons }
9: Connecting to World Cultures
10: Engaging Multiple Intelligences

PART IV: BUILDING MOVEMENT LESSONS
11: The Lesson Planning Process
12: Creating a Learning Environment for Dance
13: Assessing Student Progress

PART V: CREATIVE DANCE LESSONS
14: Foundation Lessons
15: Extension Lessons from the Body Element
16: Extension Lessons from the Force Element
17: Extension Lessons from the Time Element
18: Extension Lessons from the Space Element
19: Crossover Extension Lessons

Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Influences
Appendix B: Musculoskeletal System
Appendix C: Formats for Group Work
Appendix D: Creative Dance Performance Objectives
Appendix E: Quick and Easy Activities
Appendix F: Teaching Resources
Bibliography
Index