Dance in Denmark

Lucy Font, a senior in elementary teacher education, came to UD with an interest in working with low-income and at-risk populations. She is minoring in urban education and pursuing a concentration in special education. But she also developed a belief that arts integration can be an effective teaching approach in urban areas. So, as part of the ArtsBridge Scholar’s program, Font created four lesson plans integrating dance into a math unit, which she then taught at Downes Elementary School and Salvation Army summer camp. She analyzed the results of the program and used the data to develop her thesis, “Adding Movement to Subtract Monotony.” Her findings concluded that the arts, specifically dance, are emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally engaging for students from low-income homes. Font was invited to present her research in 2015 at the Dance and Child International conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of the ArtsBridge program. “UD offered an immense number of opportunities, placing me on my path to accomplishing both my educational and career-based goals,” Font said. “I encourage students to take advantage of all the unique experiences here.” To learn more about Lucy’s experience, see UDaily’s Dance and Math article.