DANCE IN SCHOOL: How to teach based on a reinterpretation of the Dance-Physical Education Method and accumulated experiences.
Dance; Physical Education; Dance-Physical Education Method;
This study discusses the teaching of dance in the school context and its challenges, focusing on Physical Education classes through the re-signification of the Dance-Physical Education Method (MDEF). The main objective was to investigate how the re-signification of MDEF can enhance the learning of dance during Physical Education classes, promoting new pedagogical approaches and expanding possibilities in teaching practice. The research was carried out as a project with students from the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School II at Escola Municipal Desembargador Silvino Bezerra Neto, located in Parnamirim/RN, adopting a qualitative approach characterized as intervention research. The investigative process was developed in four phases: diagnostic; planning and implementation of actions; evaluation and analysis of the effects produced; and construction of a didactic resource as a product of the pedagogical intervention. Fifteen meetings were held, with activities based on MDEF and integrated with varied dance teaching strategies. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interviews, observations, visual records (images and videos), and field notes. The integrated analysis of the data revealed advances in students’ understanding, acceptance, and performance of dance, as well as in the development of expressiveness, creativity, and body awareness. Improvements were also observed in students’ motivation, participation, and social interaction, reinforcing the role of dance as essential knowledge for motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. The results indicate that the re-signification of MDEF contributes to making dance teaching more effective and accessible, while fostering the appreciation of diversity and inclusion in Physical Education classes.