Grounding and Embodied Learning in the Conscious Spectrum

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-166
Author(s):  
Mitchell J. Nathan
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
pp. 073563312110272
Author(s):  
Neila Chettaoui ◽  
Ayman Atia ◽  
Med Salim Bouhlel

Embodied learning pedagogy highlights the interconnections between the brain, body, and the concrete environment. As a teaching method, it provides means of engaging the physical body in multimodal learning experiences to develop the students’ cognitive process. Based on this perspective, several research studies introduced different interaction modalities to support the implementation of an embodied learning environment. One such case is the use of tangible user interfaces and motion-based technologies. This paper evaluates the impacts of motion-based, tangible-based, and multimodal interaction merging between tangible interfaces and motion-based technology on improving students’ learning performance. A controlled study was performed at a primary school with 36 participants (aged 7 to 9), to evaluate the educational potential of embodied interaction modalities compared to tablet-based learning. The results highlighted a significant difference in the learning gains between all groups, as determined by one-way ANOVA [F (3,32) = 6.32, p = .017], in favor of the multimodal learning interface. Findings revealed that a multimodal learning interface supporting richer embodied interaction that took advantage of affording the power of body movements and manipulation of physical objects might improve students’ understanding of abstract concepts in educational contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-157
Author(s):  
Susie Crow

The ballet class is a complex pedagogical phenomenon in which an embodied tradition is transmitted in practice from one generation to the next, shaping not just the dancing but the attitudes and perceptions of dancers throughout their careers. This paper emerges from observations and experience of recent and current ballet class practice, and theoretical investigations into embodied learning in the arts. It outlines the influential role of large hegemonic institutions in shaping how ballet is currently taught and learned; and the effect of this on the class's evolving relation to ballet's repertoire of old and emerging dances as artworks. It notes the increasing importation into ballet pedagogy of thinking rooted in sports science, engendering the notion of the dancer as athlete; and of historic attitudes which downplay the agency of the dancer. I propose an alternative model for understanding the nature of learning in the ballet class, relating it to what Donald Schön calls ‘deviant traditions of education for practice’ in other performing and visual arts ( Schön 1987 p16). I look at the dancer's absorption via the class of ballet's danse d’école, its core technique of academic dance content. I suggest how this process might more constructively be understood through the lens of craft learning and the development of craftsmanship via apprenticeship, the dancer learning alongside the teacher as experienced artist practitioner who models behaviours that foster creativity.


Author(s):  
Andre R. Denham ◽  
Javier Gonzalez-Sanchez ◽  
Maria-Elena Chavez-Echeagaray ◽  
Robert K. Atkinson

Mobile learning (mLearning) is a rapidly expanding area of educational research. Theorists, researchers, and instructional designers are excited about the potential contributions of mobile technology to the field of education. Mobile tools such as Apple’s iPad or Galaxy Tab have sparked this interest based on their ability to provide high-powered computing within a small, extremely portable form factor. Learners are no longer constrained by the desktop or the power cord of a laptop. Unfortunately, much of mLearning research has focused on transferring eLearning on to mobile devices, instead of investigating the unique characteristics of mobile tools that can be used to define mLearning as a distinct type of learning. This paper begins the task of situating mLearning as a distinct type of learning by first considering the theoretical and pedagogical affordances unique to it. Then, the authors transition into a discussion of embodied learning and how the literature related to this field supports the use of mobile tools for educational purposes that go well beyond the deliver of eLearning instructional content. From there, the authors move to a discussion of the logistical challenge of melding mobile tools within formal learning environments. Next, the paper reports the results of an investigation into the current state of mLearning applications and how the majority of these applications fail to leverage the hardware features of mobile tools that can potential result in deeper understanding of concepts and skills. Finally, the authors provide implications and future directions for developers and educators.


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