Choreographic Infrastructuring for Design Things: A New Method for Participatory Design in Teacher Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to contribute knowledge on the implementation of a new multimodal choreography-informed method, Choreopattern, which was developed for participatory educational design. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of Choreopattern applied in a teacher education workshop on curriculum design with participants from the dance education and teacher education sectors. We shed light on the interactions that arise when Choreopattern is implemented in a workshop and how the method provides infrastructure for the configuration of genuine participation in a Thing, a sociomaterial assembly in which participants align around a shared object of concern—that is, the course content and form of a teacher education program. Drawing on choreography, we provide an extended understanding of alignment in a Thing that involves spatial, mental and emotional alignment, presenting Choreopattern as a design method that equally values emotions and rationality.