P-12 Teacher Certification in Dance

Overview

Students who wish to teach dance in accredited public or private schools in the state of Georgia need to be certified by the State of Georgia Department of Education.* Many (but not all) of the requirements for teacher certification in dance are included in the course requirements and electives fulfilled by each dance major. Those dance majors who desire certification should complete the additionally required hours (see below), preferably in their third and forth years, and should plan to student teach in an accredited school (in which they will be placed) in the semester following the completion of the degree. The degree program is designed to be completed in eight semesters. Students wishing to leave UGA with a teaching certificate in dance will student teach during a ninth semester.

Application to Dance Education Track with Certification:

Dance majors are required to apply separately for the dance education track with a deadline of November 1st in their second year (or two to three semesters before student teaching semester, if a transfer student). Applications are available online or outside the certification coordinator’s office.

[Teacher Certification Application Form]

Advisement

Students with an interest in teacher certification should notify their dance advisor and the certification coordinator (Rebecca Gose: renghaus@uga.edu). Requirements listed below must be evaluated in relation to degree sought (AB or BFA) as DANC course requirements differ.

REQUIRED COURSES FOR TEACHER CERTIFICATION

DANC 3010	2 hours	Laban Movement Analysis & Bartenieff Fundamentals
DANC 3700	2 hours	Teaching Dance for Children
DANC 4700	3 hours	Issues in Dance Education and Pedagogy
DANC 3200	1 hour	Teaching Practicum in Dance I*
DANC 3210	1 hour	Teaching Practicum in Dance II**
EDUC 2110	3 hours	Investigating Critical & Contemporary Issues in Education
EDUC 2120	3 hours	Exploring Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity
EDUC 2130	3 hours	Exploring Learning and Teaching
KINS 5620	3 hours	Adapted Physical Education (or SPED 2000, 4020, or 4030)
DANC 5460	12 hours	Student Teaching***
Total: 33 hours

*Practicum in a Foundations level technique class at UGA

**Practicum in P-12 setting required for Student Teaching. Can be taken as Major Elective.

***Requires an additional semester. GACE Assessment (or acceptable test scores), and a minimum GPA of 2.5 are also required prior to student teaching.

Additional Requirements for Dance Education with Certification:

Teacher candidates, once accepted, are required by the College of Education and the Department of Dance to enroll in Foliotek, an electronic portfolio system for 2 years at the cost of $75.00.

Additionally, the state of Georgia now required all teacher candidates to take part in the EdTPA assessment during the semester of their student teaching. The current cost is $300.00 and at this time is not woven into a student’s tuition, but as a separate fee. In preparation for this external assessment, a DANC 4000 seminar has been introduced for candidates and should be taken the semester prior to student teaching. Please see the certification coordinator, as well as your advisor, to plan for this independent study.