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TC Student Wins National Dance Association Award for Fifth Straight Year

Carolyn Roslund, who is a master's student in the Dance and Dance Education program, is the fifth TC student in five years who has won the Graduate Student Literary Award from the National Dance Association (NDA).
Carolyn Roslund, who is a master's student in the Dance and Dance Education program, is the fifth TC student in five years who has won the Graduate Student Literary Award from the National Dance Association (NDA). The award is based on the content and quality of a literary paper submitted by the student. The NDA is dedicated to promoting the development and implementation "of sound philosophies and policies in all forms of dance and in dance education at all levels."

Roslund's paper, "The Educational Philosophies of John Dewey and Jacqueline Smith-Autard," was written for her curriculum design course, taught by Professor Susan Koff. According to Roslund, Smith-Autard is a dance educator currently teaching in public schools and higher education in Great Britain. Roslund sees some clear similarities between Dewey's philosophy and Smith-Autard's educational philosophy and techniques.

"Though John Dewey and Jacqueline Smith-Autard have approached education from different eras and ranges of experience," Roslund writes, "they share many common beliefs. Both see the value of experience in education, experiences which incorporate continuity and interaction. The students are active participants in the process of education, and real-life experience should be incorporated into classroom learning. For both, the role of teacher is one of knowledgeable guide, encouraging the students' individuality and creativity while introducing them to new skills and knowledge in a continuous arrangement of experiences."

Roslunds' professional dance education includes a B.A. in History with a concentration in Dance from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts as well as training at the Merce Cunningham Studio, where she was a scholarship recipient. Her teaching experience encompasses arts-in-education teaching in public and private elementary schools on Long Island and modern dance teaching at the Circle of Dance Studio in Huntington, Long Island. "I go in once or twice a week throughout the year and work on skills with kindergartners' basic concepts of space and language," she said.

"I was excited," Roslund said when hearing that she won the award. "They gave me a free one year membership to NDA along with their publications." Her winning submission will be published in the NDA journal, Spotlight on Dance.

Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001

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