This article promotes the use of a task-involving climate in the dance class.
It cites as evidence four credible research studies comparing
ego-involving and task-involving climates.
The evidence was overwhelmingly in
favour of a task-involving climate. I
did find this surprising, I could see task-involving being beneficial in an
everyday general dance class, but I felt
that the more serious the student, the more an ego-involving climate might work
for them. These students strive for perfection, comparing and competing with peers for coveted scholarship places, basically
preparing them for life as a professional dancer.
The article gave the reader a general view of the subject
with the use of a table outlining the differences in task and ego involving climates:
Task–involving climates focus on the students self-improvement,
learning, co-operation and individual effort.
Ego-involving climate focuses on objective success and competition,
accompanied by punishment for mistakes, rivalry, social comparison and favoritism.
Research proved that where students felt they were in an
ego-involving climate they were more likely to worry about their performance,
had a harder time concentrating on their dancing, dwelt on their mistakes,
felt less competent in the dance setting and were less creative than when taught in a
task-involving climate.
It therefore, challenged teachers to promote task-involving
climates in the dance classes by giving:
·
Equal attention, support and recognition to all dancers,
not just the star students;
·
Setting students individual milestones;
·
Developing a passion in the student for the
entire learning process not just the end result;
·
Encouraging self-improvement in the student rather than simply being the best;
·
Rewarding effort, not success.
The rewards are the development of a calm dance class where students feel in control, and dancers who are more autonomous, healthy and creative.
Betty xx
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