DEL Lab Schools Feature: Victoria Dobson
We’re continuing to spotlight our 2024 DEL Lab Schools recipients. Join us in celebrating Victoria Dobson!
Victoria Dobson, originally from Park City, Utah, has been teaching since 2014.
She is a TK-6 dance teacher and curriculum writer for the Garden Grove Unified School District, where she teaches a diverse range of learners across twenty-two elementary schools.
Victoria takes pride in pioneering dance education within the district, as it is being taught at the elementary level for the first time. She considers it a privilege to introduce many of her students to dance and finds joy in transforming their initial hesitations or fears into moments of excitement and discovery through movement.
Victoria believes dance is for every child, and is looking forward to dancing with all of her students this year.
Victoria’s achievements include a Bachelor of Science in Childhood Education from SUNY Cortland, a Master of Arts in Dance Education from New York University, and a Master of Arts in School Leadership from California State University Dominguez Hills. She holds multiple subject credentials, including physical education, dance, and administration, as well as a teaching English language learners’ certificate. She is actively involved with the California Teacher Credentialing Commission as a member of the Dance Subject Matter Committee.
Victoria has extensive experience building dance programs and writing curriculum in both public and private sectors. She created the podcast “Dance With Teachers,” where she interviews top educators across the field, which has also been published as a book of interviews. Her work has been published in the Journal of Dance Education.
Listen to this “Dance With Teachers” podcast episode featuring Deb Damast, Director of Dance Education at NYU and DEL Facilitator!!
We asked Victoria to answer the following questions:
A. What is one of the biggest learnings or takeaways that has stuck with you from a DEL Course/Workshop?
One of my biggest takeaways from a DEL workshop is the importance of including student centered lessons in your curriculum design—in each class, students’ voices are heard and valued.
This might involve encouraging students to explore, improvise, and create their own movements, which helps them feel comfortable with movement and gain a sense of ownership in their dance experience. I also include discussions during my classes where students express their thoughts and ideas around a topic. This has had the biggest impact on my student engagement during all of my classes.
B. How do you apply the DEL Model in your teaching environment? Tell us more about how you use what you’ve learned from DEL in your real life.
I have a shared responsibility for writing and implementing a dance curriculum in elementary schools across a district. Given the brief nature of my interactions with students, I ensure that each lesson allows them to engage with the content at their comfort level, while also challenging them to think critically and push their boundaries. This approach has led to thriving student engagement, with students often excited to share what they remember from previous lessons when I return to their schools.
This method not only helps the content resonate with students but also encourages them to think critically beyond the dance classroom.
C. At the center of the DEL Model is the Teacher’s Heart, which represents the core artistic and philosophical values and beliefs of every dance educator. Victoria shared:
As a teacher, I believe that all forms of art serve as powerful tools for helping individuals question, understand, and connect to their world. Art encourages curiosity, fosters empathy, and allows us to explore complex ideas and emotions in a tangible way.
Teaching dance, in particular, provides a unique opportunity to guide students in learning and questioning their world through movement. I am passionate about teaching dance because it empowers students to explore their creativity, challenge their assumptions, and connect more profoundly with themselves and the world around them.