Dance in preschool teaching – preschool teachers’ reflections on their own ability to teach dance with children in preschool

In the long term, knowledge generated in the project is expected to contribute to better self-awareness, increased health and embodied learning and increased communication opportunities for children in preschools. Furthermore, the project is expected to contribute with knowledge about preschool teachers’ dance didactic learning together with research and collaboration between school principals and Halmstad University. Through the collaboration within the study, the preschool teachers’ competencies and reflections will become an important source for further research, and potentially new research questions.

Design and research plan

Together with the project manager from Halmstad University, four “cycles” are carried out, where the influence of the research participants gradually increases. Each cycle consists of three stages:

Step 1. Introduction and inspiration (campus meeting)

The project manager initially introduces dance as a subject and method. Workshops and discussions linked to the literature are carried out. Here, the own teaching is also formed to some extent. This takes place at the University. Over time, the focus shifts so that the research participants themselves take a greater role in inspiring each other, based on their own created teaching material and plans.

Step 2. Implementation of teaching with the children at their own preschool

This takes place at each preschool between the meetings on campus. Check-ins takes place via a 90-minute digital meeting approximately halfway into the term.

Step 3. Evaluation

Finally, there is a mutual evaluation of the teaching and inventory of any needs for the coming cycle. This is done digitally and takes 90 minutes.