A Dynamic Multimedia Approach for Teaching Culture and the Flow of History through Folkdance

Summary

The scope of history and culture is so vast that educators must often break material down into circumscribed, manageable units. Because history and culture are necessarily presented in such a fragmented way, students often become so immersed in the specific elements or periods presented that they lose sight of the more general picture. The curricular unit outlined in this paper emphasizes dynamic learning and is designed to provide students with a relatively compact overview of history and culture. It is designed to help students develop a mental framework that can accommodate and integrate the various individual elements learned over the years. A multimedia approach that employs slides, music and dance along with active mental involvement to engage students in a meaningful learning process is described. The approach is designed to teach culture and history to any ethnic group having a rich dance tradition. Sample lessons demonstrate how the approach can be applied to the teaching of Jewish/Israeli culture and history. A series of dance lessons that reflect the flow of Jewish history from biblical to modern times are outlined. The paper analyses how such an approach can be used to deepen understanding of Jewish history and culture as a whole and to help students relate to people and periods often far removed from them in time, space and tradition.