Impact of the Group on Dance Learning and Creation: A Cognitive and Social Perspective Literature Review

This article examines the impact on dance education of learning in a group setting by reviewing the literature on group learning from the fields of psychology and education. After distinguishing terminology in the field, particularly the distinctions between group learning, collaborative learning, and cooperative learning, the article reviews what has been written about the effects of group learning on academic, social, emotional, and creative growth. The article theorizes on the effect of aggregating terms in the research such as social-emotional, but not social-cognitive, or academic-embodiment. It concludes by summarizing the specific implications of the literature on group learning for dance education, which includes the fostering of debate and discussion in the dance class, as well as utilizing the five elements of successful cooperative learning: positive interdependence, positive interaction, individual and group accountability, group processing, and development of small group and interpersonal skills.