Pedagogical Philosophy for the Twenty-first Century
Christine Knoblauch-O’Neal, PhD
Laying the foundation for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century requires a certain amalgam of traditional and contemporary pedagogical methodologies. This process aligns with the main tenets of my pedagogical philosophy: the opportunity to blend the traditional underpinnings of training in classical ballet with the more contemporary theories of empowerment and studies of Anatomy and Somatics. At first blush, the study of classical ballet may appear permanently rooted in the system of courtly behavior through which French King Louis XIV ruled his country. The studio with the teacher as the authority figure, the focus of the class directed toward that authority figure, and the structured pedagogy presented through the master teacher/authority figure to the student/dancer all support this preliminary observation. These are elements of ballet history: they are part of our pedagogical DNA; however, although prominent elements in the expectations of the studio setting, the teaching of classical ballet has evolved, progressed, and been inclusive of a variety of interdisciplinary studies.
For the twenty-first century, the central tenet of my teaching philosophy is well-rooted in my teaching lineage. My lineage which is multifaceted, a tree of many branches some long, and some short. I have a branch extending into the Royal Ballet through Ben Stevenson. One branch extends into Ballet Russe through Frederic Franklin; and, certainly there is a branch to Maggie Black and David Howard in New York, and Carmen Thomas and Michael Simms in St. Louis, and my kindergarten teacher, Miss Gordor. Some of these instructors were intimidating, some had great humor, and some were teachers at heart having had only minor performing careers. Miss Gordor was my first academic teacher, kindergarten actually; she had a voice that was melodious, she wore chandelier earrings and her hair up in a French twist. She was tiny, and she had what I considered then a European look. I believe I became a teacher because of her. And, as much as I pride myself in being my own teacher, I am an amalgamation of craft and skill to understand and to influence students shared by all of these master teachers. beginning with Miss Gordor.
In further deconstructing my teaching philosophy, I find that my teaching lineage and inclinations align within the philosophy of teaching and, therefore, I believe that, for me, within the pantheon of dance educators of the twentieth century John Dewey’s career and legacy remain an exemplar, and a guide. He was the educator who revolutionized the American system of education most interested in making education an active pursuant, an engaging, hands-on, experientially-based, positive moment in the child’s life. I agree with his theory which challenges teachers to reconsider the traditional schema of teaching: “as not imposition from above but rather expression and cultivation of individuality; as not learning from texts and teachers but rather learning from experience; [as not] from acquisition of isolated skills and technique by drill to acquisition as means of attaining ends which make direct vital appeal; as not preparation for a more or less remote future to making the most of the opportunities of present life; [or] as static aims and materials to acquaintance with a changing world” (5-6). Dewey suggests a “direct, vital appeal” (Dewey 5-6) in the learning process.
Furthermore, a salient feature of his philosophy Dewey describes in his book, Experience and Education, as “the need of a theory of experience”, (12). Not specific to, but certainly aligned with the critical pedagogical theories, Dewey’s theory is that in teaching it is not that the student has “an” experience, but preferably, that the student has an experience that is “genuinely and equally educative” (13). Dewey continues to develop his theory in calling some experience as “mis-educative (13) and having “the effect of arresting or distorting the growth of further experience” (13). Underlying this thought is his suggestion to discriminate between those experiences that result in an educational experience along a continuum as a “continuity” of educational experiences and those that would be contra-indicative (23-24). Dewey’s “theory of experience” requires the teacher look at educating the whole student and, I submit, remains accountable for their part in the student’s continuum of learning experiences (13). Perhaps for me the combination of Dewey’s theory of experience, mis-educative experiences, and the continuum of learning experiences act as a scaffolding to my rich experience as a student of ballet.
The final part of my teaching blueprint is my alignment with Dewey’s pragmatism, a belief that humans acquire knowledge through their interactions with the world around them, and there remains a sense of an ever-changing environment which dictates a critical examination and persistent re-engagement with their environment and within this participatory knowledge acquisition (Beatty et al 108). As creative as the master teachers were who brought me through the years of my training as a dance student, they were also down-to-earth, no-nonsense pedagogues. And, in this compilation of experience, instincts, philosophical base, plus movement, creativity, and physical endeavor lies the interplay of my creativity, humor, great fun, and joy of dancing. I am my linage; I am pragmatic, with a dash of play
My classical ballet classes are designed around a series of structured, sometimes improvisational, transactions between the student and me. My intention is that for the student the nature of these transactions promotes an engagement through an experientially-based praxis (practice and theory) organized around a series of sequential exercises or assignments designed to support the student’s exploration of the particulars and qualities of the subject. Initially, the point of entry for the student often depends on their relationship to the subject: novice, experienced participant, or expert. It may also depend on their life experiences or previous knowledge, even biases or perceptions of the subject. By structuring a two-pronged approach to teaching- question and answer and lecture and demonstration, I create an environment of accessibility. This accessibility is further supported through an environment which encourages trial-and-error, and exploration without fear of making a mistake. Mistakes, though difficult at the time, are a part of my process. And, by additionally introducing peer mentoring, that is having students work together on exercises or assignments, I encourage collaboration, a unique, and often overlooked, point of entry for engaging the student within the canon of classical ballet teaching.
A supplementary aspect of my pedagogical philosophy is empowering the student to be proactive in their learning. My definition of empowerment suggests the enhancement of the student’s skills of self-reflection, self-responsibility, curiosity, and a desire to remain a life-long learner. In my classes, the sequential building of techniques and knowledge from the first experience with the subject to the last allows for the slow building of the student’s confidence and expertise. The residual affect is their own experientially-based, embodied epistemology of the subject. The student’s learning becomes more holistic (Shusterman 184), through total body connectivity (Hackney 39), and less classroom specific in nature (Eisner 66).
In agreement with Anna Paskevska, another ballet proponent for understanding fundamental movement patterns, I encourage the students to find connections between the movements of classical ballet and the movements in their life. Ms. Paskevska encourages each student to find a personal experience or the personal divergences (20), within ballet’s established aesthetic (4). And, upon analysis, it is my incorporation of this approach to teaching which lays the foundation for learning and which offers the students an opportunity to acquire this awareness, their embodied epistemology of classical ballet.
My teaching methodology also focuses on the student as a life-long learner. I believe that by creating the potential for both engaging and memorable educative experiences, the student’s curiosity remains continuous, undeterred, and unbroken, along with transferable to other subjects. My teaching philosophy opens the door to the student’s perception of learning as self-driven, but not necessarily self-centered. The student has the opportunity to create a personal learning praxis that is active, transitory, forward-thinking, and engaging. Eisner suggests: “This perception manifests itself in experience and is a function of the transactions between the qualities of the environment and what [the students] bring to those qualities” (63). And, perceptibly, I can shift my approach to address this burgeoning, after what Eisner coined as, “connoisseurship” (63), a position of knowledge of or being well-versed in the qualities of the subject at hand. Thus, all of my classes introduce the expertise of other professionals and experts in the field thereby engaging the student through a diversity of perspectives as a continuum of learning that is both positive and educative.
Indeed, the skills mastered through the study of ballet and/or all of the potential tangential and collaborative subjects are transferable and translatable, and, potentially, remain so throughout the student’s life. Indeed, the skills produced through memorable experiences of engaging in the subject and engaging in learning produce the fertile field of the empowered learner. Moreover, my teaching methodology has at its heart a concept of the student as a learner without the veneer of stagnation, reiteration, or the “empty vessel designed to be just filled with facts” qualities of non-educative methodologies. I believe that learning is experienced-based, individually centered, transformative and lifelong; and, paramount to the effectiveness of my pedagogical praxis, I never forget why I teach or my role in this continuum of learning.
Over the years as my opportunities to teach in the studio have been joined by opportunities to teach in the classroom, I have found that my teaching philosophy hasn’t changed, just the subjects. Perhaps it is because I teach students who are dancers or who were dancers in some form that the blending of pedagogical skills and craft with new subjects has been so easy. Perhaps because I so believe in my teaching that accessibility, inclusion, consideration, and respect cross the lines of subject matter without difficulty. Perhaps because the study of dance is not that far from the study of other subjects: engaging in critical thinking, critical analysis or research that students find inherent connections for themselves no matter what their major interests.
In a global sense, if I am successful with my goal to educate my students of the twenty-first century to remain empowered, creative, life-long learners, learners who perceive themselves as part of the global community, then I will be successful in creating the next generation of dancers and artists who are empowered, creative, life-long learners who indeed perceive themselves as part of the global dance community, and consequentially the art form will only benefit. Alonzo King, master teacher, choreographer, and director of the LINESBallet Company said it best in Dancer magazine: “Dance training can’t be separate from life training… [Ralph Waldo] Emerson lucidly states that ‘the aim of art is higher than art.’ Everything that comes into our lives is training. The qualities we admire in great dancing are the same qualities that we admire in [others:] honesty, courage, fearlessness, generosity, wisdom, depth, compassion and humanity” (Garofoli 86). And these qualities are the desired outcome of my Pedagogical Philosophy for the Twenty-first century.
Works Cited
Beatty et al. “Finding Our Roots: An Exercise for Creating a Personal Teaching Philosophy Statement.” Journal of Management Education. 33 (2009): 115-130.
Chism, Nancy. “Developing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement.” Essays on Teaching Excellent: Toward the Best in the Academy. 9.3 (1997-1998)
Dewey, John. Experience and Education. The Macmillan Company: New York, 1950.
Eisner, Elliot W. The Enlightened Eye: Qualitative Inquiry and the Enhancement of Educational Practice. Prentice-Hall: Columbus: 1998.
Garofoli, Wendy. “Dance the LINE.” Dancer Aug. 2008: 84-86.
Hackney, Peggy. Making Connections: Total Body Integration Through Bartenieff Fundamentals. Routledge: New York, 2002.
Paskevska, Anna. Ballet Beyond Tradition. Routledge: New York, 2005.
Shusterman, Richard. Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.