MPA as a Teaching Tool, Part 2

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By Madeleine Scott, Registered Movement Pattern Analyst

teaching movement theoryThe application of Movement Pattern Analysis in building teams was not the focus of my experiment with making basic profiles of undergraduate dance majors for a seminar on career development.  However, I realized that an implicit team relationship clearly exists between student and teacher.

Students and teachers must work together, or they will fail to collaborate successfully in the educational enterprise.  The profile information about the group allowed me to re-assess the strengths and weaknesses of my own profile. This re-assessment of my own style helped me to be a more effective teacher and to respond appropriately to the “team profile” style that this group of students engendered.

In summary, the use of MPA as a teaching tool can improve performance for faculty in various ways:

1)  MPA can provide a novel and self-reflective way to analyze course organization and management, and to strategize meeting the needs of students with different learning styles;

2)  MPA can provide perspective on the academic advising activities required of the professoriate today;

3)  It can enhance mentorship practices required for new faculty and staff.

Find out more about Movement Pattern Analysis in MoveScape Center’s March introductory course.

MPA as a Teaching Tool, Part 1

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By Madeleine Scott, Registered Movement Pattern Analyst

teaching movement theoryI utilized the Movement Pattern Analysis decision-making framework to support an undergraduate seminar for dance majors that focused on career planning and resume/portfolio development. In preparation for the course, I had interviewed and constructed basic profiles of all thirteen students.  This revealed specific learning needs of the group and suggested strategies to meet these needs.

For example, students with strong Attending motivation need to be interested in the subject as such.  They need to go into the subject in depth and also see it from a number of different angles.  Attention-oriented students like an open-ended approach where he/she can make discoveries.

Students with a strong Intending motivation need to have a definite purpose and want to establish the value of a subject and its worthwhile-ness.   They respond well to challenges and want to know how well they are performing in relation to others.  Intention-oriented students like a clear approach with tasks he/she can come to grips with.

Students with a strong Committing motivation need to see a prospect for getting results out of their studies.  They need to see that tangible progress is being made at a good pace and want immediate feedback on performance.  Commitment-oriented students like a well-organized approach, systematized wherever possible.

I found that the MPA profiles helped students to understand their own decision-making processes.  This can facilitate better management not only of individual studies but also of collaborative projects that must be carried out with peers.

In the following blog, I discuss how the MPA Interaction Motivations and team building, though not the primary focus of this course, also became relevant as a teaching tool.