Abstract:

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The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers operationalize Guided-Discovery, Convergent-Discovery, and Divergent-Discovery during creative dance class. Prior to conducting the field research, I surveyed the literature related to my research. I searched for constructivism, which is the ground theory of discovery learning. Then, I surveyed how teachers use constructivist-oriented teaching methods in many different ways. Many scholars emphasized the importance of constructivist-oriented teaching methods. Most of them claimed that a dance class or a physical movement class could help students access higher-order thinking - critical thinking, cognitive development, stimulating the brain, problem-solving skills, and self-esteem. They put a strong emphasis on the importance of movement classes or creative dance classes and proposed to conduct constructivist-oriented teaching methods.

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Moreover, by thinking over the major disputes in several Korean dissertations, I found two significant differences. One notion is that the way dance curriculum is generally viewed in Korea is quite different from the approach to the subject in the US. The other difference derives from the different means to convey the fundamentals of the subject to students. A new teaching method in Korea is essential to fill the gap.

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My research could be profitable not only to dance education but also education field in general. A lot of research has presented how important it is that physical movement can promote student’s learning. In addition, taking a close look at how teachers have been using guided-discovery, convergent-discovery, and divergent-discovery teaching styles can help dance educators come up with genuine ideas for designing curricula and instructions.

The research will help to find a solution to Korea which just has taken a baby step to recognize dance education to be important. To genuinely achieve new goals, new teaching methods and lesson tools need to be developed. By observing and examining teaching methods in the US, I am currently in the process of finding the most conductive ways to develop education in Korean dance field.