Culture of Power

7/28/2019 Culture of Power

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Culture ofPower

A Necessary Discussion for Dance Educators

Rachelle Allan, Chelsea Alley, Chelsey McNeil, Jessica Clites Smith

Brigham Young University


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Questions we asked ourselves:

What is power?

How do we establish it and how do our students perceive and

respond to it?

Do we perpetuate what we saw our teachers doing, and is this

a problem?

What are the results of different power techniques (effects on

students performance, emotional well-being, motivation)?

What is the responsibility of the students in responding to

authority and power?

How is power inherent in our pedagogy?


3/16

Questions we asked in interviews:

What is your first response to the word power? Is it a good

thing? Is it a bad thing? What do you believe power means/looks like in a dance classroom?

Do you feel like you have specific strategies to establish authority

(power) in your classes?

How do your students respond to that pedagogy? Do you believe the

students have a responsibility in responding to or accepting power?

Is your perception of power/authority different than that of your own

dance teachers in the past?

What specific power strategies do you remember from your own

dance teachers? Have you embraced those strategies? Why or why

not?

Do you have a specific philosophy about how you approach powerand authority in your dance classes?

What is the most important thing to you when teaching dance classes

or setting your own choreography?


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Powerseems to enhance authority,

giving it more strength.

It is related to confidence.

I would define power as the

ability to affect people.

I think it is related to authority because when a person is

influential there is an implicit sense of authority that is

automatically attached to their very being. I'd define power as

the capability of influencing and administering to a group of

people.

You can have power then authority,

or authority and then power. It really

depends on the personality and

character of a person.


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We truly believe that an individuals perspective onpower informs his or her pedagogy. We feel that if we

can bring this conversation to the front and consciouslythink about the way we approach use of power in ourclassrooms and the tradition and culture of power in thefield of dance, we can become better teachers whounderstand and effectively utilize the power we have.

Throughout this discussion, we will offer several ideaswe have begun to crystallize in the attempt to answer

these questions for ourselves. In the end, we hopethey will engender deeper thought and personal

reflection about power in a way that will truly influenceteaching philosophies for dance educators . . .


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Do you feel like you have specific strategies to

establish power in your classes?

I like to encourage my students to discoverand create power within themselves. I appreciate

people with conviction in their thinking and in

their dancing.

When I teach, I dont think of myself in power per se,

thats not a word that I use.

So I dont know if that is about power for me,

but my responsibility is to empower mystudents.

Im struggling with the word power because it seems so charged

with connotations of overbearing-ness which I dont think is an

effective way of teaching. I dont like the strong power, everyone

quiet down because Im talking, that doesnt resonate with me.


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How do you establish power in your

classroom? Do you think genderinfluences the way that you perceive or

establish power?


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In hearing about these four power

personalities, which do you desire most to use

in teaching and which do you feel like you relyon most often?

Each has its pros and cons. In what situations

would it be effective to use one versus

Referent

Power

Expert

Power

Legitimate

Power

Coercive

Power

Communicates a

sincere caring for

students; students

like teacher as a

person

Demonstrates

mastery of content

and teaching

skills; expertise is

perceived andvalued

Behaves as a

teacher should;

authority is legal

and inherent

Uses knowledge

of student likes

and dislikes to

reward and

punish

-Annette Evans


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If the students have strong personalities

and are somewhat rebellious or arent

interested in their teacher or learning,they sway the balance of power to their

sideand when that happens nothing

constructive can happen.


10/16

empower |empou(-)r|verb [ trans. ]

give (someone) the authority or power to do

something(Apple Dictionary)

You bring them to a point where they can own who

they are, what they know and understand, and then

take that information into the world. Thats what I feellike my responsibility as a teacher is. That it is my

opportunity to be able to empower them to then take

the information into their personal lives and out into the

world to make a difference.


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What are some specific strategies that

can facilitate student empowerment sothey in turn will acknowledge your

authority?


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What students expect from teachers:

Control the safety and learning of students

Use power wisely

Be encouraging and demanding

Lead the class

Teach, critique, help students learn, prepare, bettertheir students

Pass on knowledge

Earn respect

Create productive learning atmosphere Discipline

Foster discovery


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What students actually feel like they see:

Setting up expectations

Discipline Breaking down movement

Expecting practice

Grading

Yelling Not allowing excuses

Keeping students later to practice if not working

Telling students how and when to move

Teacher skill and presence

Giving compliments and positive reinforcement


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I believe that [teachers] should

consciously consider what type of power

they exert, and how various students

respond to that. What Im suggesting isthat good pedagogy would be knowing

your students well enough to choose for

each one a slightly different approachwithout making your class policy too

inconsistent that students dont feel safe.


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What kind of power is most effective for

you as a student? How does that informyour teaching?


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Lets keepthe discussion

going

Culture of Power

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Transcript of Culture of Power