For my STEP Signature project, in fulfillment of the Leadership facet, I traveled to Bellevue, Washington to attend the National Dance Education Organization Conference. I participated in workshops, attended panel discussions, and analyzed research findings in many facets of arts education. Specifically, the events I opted to attend were majorly focused on how to adapt language to funding divisions, dance as a therapeutic modality, dance at the neurological level (as a function to improve working memory and inter-hemispheric connectivity), K-12 dance objectives and fundamentals, and arts non-profit management.
Through my STEP project, my view towards myself, society, and my degree of knowledge/understanding in both those facets was undeniably transformed. In regards to self-understanding, through my project I gained more confidence in my ability to succeed. I gained advice, perspective, and pedagogical philosophies from many educators across the nation and through this garnering process, my confidence in my ability to succeed in educational practices was improved greatly. Further, my misconstrued assumptions were that I was knowledgeable “enough”. As I am pursuing a dual degree in Psychology and Dance, and focusing my studies on a research-based lens of education, I thought I would have a well-informed grasp on many of the topics. The amount of information available to me was beyond what I could have hoped for, and I am endlessly satisfied with my experience and the connections that resulted.
In terms of my knowledge of society, I would say prior to this experience, I had already possessed skills in self awareness, empathy, and perspective through my psychological studies. The transformation for this realm occurred through a sort of new-found evidence basis. In other words, I am used to a sort of “outside-in thinking”, but I gained knowledge and evidence from first-hand accounts of how one’s environment affects their art and the many dimensions of personal wellness. It is simple to say that a long-held idea needs reformed, but when hearing evidence of injustices of the past, and advocacy for the next steps of how these reformations to the field can occur, it is greatly inspiring and provides hope for the future of education.
Through this experience not only was I able to connect with dance educators and scholars across the nation, but I also was able to connect with current undergraduates, faculty, and alumni from Ohio State University to a different degree than ever before. My advisor for this project, Dr. Nyama McCarthy Brown, was a very helpful guide and mentor through this process. She hosted multiple sessions at this conference, discussing her culturally-sensitive, politically aware pedagogy. Dr. Nyama’s backgrounds in Political Science and Dance Studies allow her to enrich the dance field with awareness of standards reform, equity, all through a lens of intercultural competency. Overall, Dr. Nyama’s advice affected me by enriching, and entirely elevating my experience; Examples of her guidance include discussions/reflections throughout the conference, introducing me to educational academics, and providing well-informed workshop recommendations that support my career aspirations.
Specifically, I attended 10 workshops, and will highlight 3, describing how they notably crafted my transformative experience, and reflect on how I was affected by their content. The first event of relevance was titled “Deciphering Cues of Neurological Processing”. In this workshop, Jordan Wanderer discussed her research in neuroplasticity, neurodiversity, and the concept of amygdala hijacking and how it affects learning and efficiency in a classroom setting. I was affected by this because it was an interdisciplinary approach to my research and educational interests. In other words, it was the “perfect” workshop for me. The major point she instilled throughout the lecture is enhancing inter-hemispheric communication, through certain movement modalities and adaptive dance. Overall, this lecture was fascinating and immensely informative.
Further, from a panel I attended, I learnt about the success of advancing the arts in Lorain City Schools. For some perspective, Lorain, a city in Northeast Ohio, was a struggling district and under State control. Ohio State University doctoral researcher, Helen Buck-Pavlik, analyzed the results of establishing a dance program, and the results were undeniably valuable. A couple of the valuable metrics the panel presented were that once dance was implemented into K-12 student curriculum the following data was received: Positive referrals increased 38%, office referrals decreased 35%, suspensions decreased 13%, and incredibly notably, the graduation rate totaled over 80% for the first time since 2010. These results and this panel was impactful, because it is a clear indicator of the necessity of dance and fine arts in the educational system; the success of Lorain City Schools allowed for their early release from State control, encapsulating the necessity of the arts.
The last of the 3 lectures of focus proposed the efficacy of SEL, or Social-Emotional Learning, in a fine arts environment. Dr. Lyndsey Vader, who holds a doctorate from Ohio State in Dance Studies, led this workshop. Vader shared her teaching philosophies, of which align with transformative SEL techniques. This workshop affected me because the techniques I acquired knowledge of, will be implemented into my pedagogy from this point forward. The competencies of this learning modality are self awareness, self management, responsible decision making, social awareness, and relationship skills. These key factors make a classroom more than a classroom, rather, these factors creat a stable and enjoyable ecosystem. The transformative SEL lens focuses on interpersonal relations, democratic, fair, and inclusive communities, and these descriptions are the sorts of environments I always wish to experience in the educational spaces I encounter.
To put it simply, I have always been interested in education. Educational policy, teaching pedagogy, and having an influential role in students and learners lives is important to me. I still envision myself working in and around the Industrial or Organizational Psychology realm. Forwardly thinking, these career aspirations, while they have not changed, have undeniably shifted from this STEP project. The organizations I wish to work for have become more focused, as I wish to work for arts education and arts administrative entities, whenever and if ever the opportunity presents itself. I am eager to continue my studies with this heightened passion in mind, and tailor my education to cultivate this future for myself.
-Maya Regule
