Math and Dance Integration

This week has been exciting already as we learned activities to incorporate drama with mathematics, but what about dance?  Is it possible?  Well, from the activities we participated in it definitely is possible and is fun too!  The lessons my colleagues have been creating are extremely creative and liven up the atmosphere in our class, so why not incorporate it into future teaching?

The Theory and Curriculum Connections

The connections for today’s lesson are based on the creative process and the various elements of dance. 

These elements allow not only for us, as educators, to use effective terminology to describe the various components of dance, but give students ideas on what to incorporate in their creative dance routines.  Much like the other arts subjects, these different elements allow for more creativity in order for students to demonstrate their knowledge thoroughly.

Additionally, we looked at the creative analysis process and what it entails.   The process is cyclical and begins with a reaction from what was observed.  From this observation, students will analyze and interpret what they say.  This will be subjective so it will allow for many diverse interpretations and give students opportunities to explore the interpretations from their peers.  The third allows for discussion and consideration of the cultural context and how the activity can be associated.  Lastly there is an opportunity for students to express themselves from what they’ve learned.  Throughout this process there is constant reflection to allow students to structure their interpretations as well as develop the necessary skills to perform the tasks.  Reflection is key not only in drama, or for that matter in the classroom, but in any situation that we are involved in.

The specific curriculum expectations of this activity, taken from the Ontario curriculum of both Math and the Arts are as follows:

Geometry and Spatial Sense – Grade 5

-          Create and analyse designs by translating and/or reflecting a shape, or shapes, using a variety of tools

Dance

A1.1: translate into movement sequences a variety of images and ideas from other classroom subjects, including the arts

The Activity – Mirroring

Today’s activity has strong connections with spatial sense and geometry.  The activity requires to rows of participants where one row will be creating a movement while the other must ‘mirror’ that movement.  This was a fun and engaging way to get the audience out of their seats and start participating in the class.  It was difficult to anticipate the other’s movements in order to accurately mirror, however the challenge is what made the activity enjoyable.  The mathematic connection was through understanding lines of symmetry.  The two groups were in two separate lines opposite of each other.  As a result, a line of symmetry was formed between almost acting like a mirror (hence mirroring).  Altogether this activity was very enjoyable and the challenge aspect is what could motivate students to learn future concepts not only in dance, but math too!

Wrap Up

From both dance and drama, learning ways to incorporate the arts into math class is not an easy task, however from the activities learned it is definitely do-able.  Understanding the various theories associated with the arts is crucial because it offers evidence to back the different strategies that are implemented into lessons.  What I look forward to for next time is learning new strategies in order to strengthen my ability to incorporate dance into my future classroom!