Teaching the Dance Subject in Australian High Schools

ABSTRACT

This article discusses qualitative research investigating experiences of school teachers delivering the dance curriculum in high schools in the state of Victoria, Australia. We questioned teachers on their day-to-day professional experience and its rewards and challenges. Interpretation of the data suggests that the participants in our study can gain substantial satisfaction from their work as they observe their students’ development through dance, sometimes building long-term mentoring relationships and relations of trust with their students in the dance studio environment. Nevertheless, the wider school environment, discourses, resources, and facilities can present difficulties or can even be lacking; rigorous forums for debating the aims, meaning, and practicalities of dance in high school education are few; and teachers often feel on their own in confronting challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• School dance teacher
• Australian high schools
• dance curriculum
• dance teacher experience

Notes

1. Dimmock (1999) describes restructuring in terms of “(1) changes in the way teaching and learning occur in schools, or the core technology of schooling; (2) changes in the occupational situation of educators, including conditions of entry and licensure of teachers and administrators, and school structure, conditions of teachers’ work in schools, and decision-making processes; and (3) changes in the distribution of power between schools and their clients, or in the governance and incentive structures under which schools function (p.11)” (442–3 citing Elmore 1990). Dimmock noted that new tasks and functions associated with restructuring have included “ … school development planning, new forms of school level review, evaluation and accountability and, in many system, the introduction of performance management and appraisal” (443).

2. See Peers (2011) for a discussion of the importance of historicizing the terms for discussing arts education.

3. There were initial responses to our call for participants from two male teachers who did not proceed to interview.

4. All three were sent the questionnaire to their e-mail addresses current as at interview but did not return it despite reminders or because they were no longer at that teaching address.

5. The three researchers are Dr. Sally Gardner, Dr. Shaun McLeod, and Dr. Olivia Millard. Researchers would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution and advice of Dr. Jo Raphael and Dr. Sheridan Lang.

6. “Safe dance” is a key component of the Victorian secondary school dance curriculum framework.

7. This perception could be a function of the small sample of teachers interviewed. As noted initial responses included two male teachers who did not proceed to interview.

8. Currently, these issues would to some extent be common to all school teachers regardless of their teaching method. See, for example, Peers (2011) on the visual arts.