Moving Language: An Exploration of Bodies in Space in the Collaborative Classroom

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Innovative Practices in and Through the Arts

Abstract

This research project examines students’ moving language in collaborative group work during an arts-integrated process drama. I asked: (1) How are students’ physical bodies a part of their collaborative learning spaces in creative endeavors? (2) What can students’ physical bodies tell us about their collaboration and meaning-making? Data from one group of seven collaborating fifth-graders was examined using performance dance as an analytic technique. Findings suggest students’ movement phrases correlate to the power they exhibit in collaborative discussions. One participant remained physically “silent” as their efforts to enter movement spaces were generally unsuccessful. By using dance as a lens for refocusing our attention, we can better understand the intricate connections between bodies, language, and their power to shape classroom spaces.

Author

• Kaitlin I Glause, Millikin University