Teaching Children Dance-3rd Edition

Teaching Children Dance, Third Edition, assists both student learners and practitioners in understanding the components and benefits of children’s dance and in developing the skills required for enhancing or initiating dance as part of a physical education or arts education curriculum. A comprehensive text for both students and practitioners in elementary methods courses, Teaching Children Dance, Third Edition, offers a framework for presenting creative dance lessons to elementary-aged children in a variety of settings.

In this updated third edition, respected authors Purcell Cone and Cone identify how dance experiences assist children in cultivating 21st-century skills of creative thinking, collaboration, communication, global awareness, and self-direction. The authors present dance as a mode of learning that involves the whole child, using the body and the senses to gather information, communicate, and demonstrate conceptual understandings.

Teaching Children Dance presents the fundamentals of program construction and delivery, guidelines on tailoring a dance program to fit various teaching situations, and advocacy strategies for maintaining and developing a program. Sample unit plans as well as ideas for planning yearlong unit plans and lesson outlines are included. Readers will find protocols for maintaining a safe and productive learning environment as well as strategies for encouraging students’ feedback, demonstrations, and observations.

Teaching Children Dance presents 31 challenging and enjoyable dance experiences. These ready-to-use learning experiences are divided into 12 activities for children in kindergarten through second grade and 11 activities appropriate for students in third through fifth grade. Eight dance experiences designed for inclusive or self-contained dance classes are also detailed along with strategies to ensure successful experiences for children with disabilities.

New chapters on inclusive dance for children and classes for children with disabilities and interdisciplinary connections provide strategies and tools for successful implementation. The third edition of Teaching Children Dance also includes 13 new learning experiences, additional assessment examples, and a menu of instruments for teacher assessment, peer assessment, and student self-assessment.

In addition, Teaching Children Dance features a bonus CD-ROM with PDFs of the learning experiences included in the text, plus additional learning experiences from previous editions. Using the learning experience index, instructors can easily select an age-appropriate learning experience and print it for use in the class. The CD-ROM offers instructional support materials used in elementary methods courses, including worksheets, assignments, end-of-chapter questions, and assessment tools.

Each learning experience includes a listing of the learning outcomes, organization of the activity (individual, partner, or small-group participation), and required equipment. A four-part learning experience details the introduction, development, culminating dance, and closure sections of the dance experience. Key points to observe; ideas for extending or varying the lesson; specific interdisciplinary connections; and suggestions for student self-assessment, teacher assessment of student learning, and peer assessment are also included.

Usingg the lessons, strategies, and tools in Teaching Children Dance, Third Edition, teachers can offer exciting opportunities for children to express themselves through dance and experience the joy of dancing with others. Whether in a physical education, dance, or elementary classroom, Teaching Children Dance will assist teachers in developing learning experiences that cultivate creativity, positive social interactions, and motor skill development for elementary children of all ability levels.

Theresa Purcell Cone, PhD, is a physical education and dance teacher at Brunswick Acres Elementary School in Kendall Park, New Jersey, where she also directs a children’s dance company. She is an adjunct professor at Rowan University in New Jersey and a teacher and choreographer at the Princeton Ballet School.

Dr. Cone is a past president of the National Dance Association and was named its first K-12 Dance Educator of the Year. She is also a member of the National Dance Education Organization, the Alliance for Arts Education New Jersey, and numerous other professional organizations. Dr. Cone was coauthor of Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Physical Education (Human Kinetics, 1998).

In 2004, Dr. Cone was awarded a Presidential Citation by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She also was awarded the Margie R. Hanson Distinguished Service Award by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Dr. Cone received her doctorate in dance from Temple University.

Stephen L. Cone, PhD, is a professor in the department of health and exercise science at Rowan University in New Jersey. Previously, he was chair of the physical education department at Keene State College in New Hampshire.

Dr. Cone is past president of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and received their Honor Award in 2000. He is also a member of the New Jersey AHPERD, the Alliance for Arts Education New Jersey, and numerous other professional organizations. He has written dozens of articles for physical education publications and was coauthor of Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Physical Education (Human Kinetics, 1998).

Dr. Cone was made a charter fellow in the North American Society for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance Professionals in 2000. He also was named an American Council on Education fellow in 1993-94. He received a Presidential Citation from the National Dance Association in 1995. Dr. Cone earned his doctorate in motor learning and sport psychology from Texas A&M University.