Embodied Learning: physical engagement and digital tech integration

“Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas.”

Physical movement in learning has been widely researched and written about. In the early 1930’s, Dr. Montessori understood that learning relied on how our physical bodies interacted with the environment. For her, the environment was physical. Today, we are able to consider the role of digital technologies, spaces, objects and experiences in the context of embodied learning.

Embodied, for our purposes, means that the learner has initiated a physical gesture or movement that is well-mapped or linked to the content to be learned. This might include place-based learning experiences, in-class hands-on engagement, learning labs, games and also includes the possibilities afforded through immersive technologies.

Immersive technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), have the potential to enhance or even redefine learning (Puentedura, 2013). VR offers potentially emotionally charged, immersive experiences, where the user is ‘within’ the virtual environment, while AR overlays digital content on the real world. Research by Johnson-Glenberg MC (2018) emphasizes the levels of embodiment in education—ranging from basic gestures to full-body movement—to deepen learning experiences.

This emotional engagement, can lead to increased behavioural and, ultimately, cognitive engagement (Dubovi & Tabak, 2021). As teachers, integrating embodied learning means actively engaging students physically in the learning process. Digital and other technologies offer a spectrum of physical engagement levels for a more immersive and effective approach to teaching science. We can move from simple gesture to full body movement.

At the lower end of the embodiment spectrum would be the use of 360 video or other gesture based media (such as the Shakespeare folio we explored in our visit to UBC’s Emerging Media Lab – links to external UBC site). 360 video would be another good example. With equipment becoming less expensive and more accessible, you might try shooting your own video (or take still images using Google Streetview).

Below is an example 360 video a friend and I shot in Pacific Spirit Park. It shows my mentor, Lynn Pollard, a long-time Surrey teacher, environmental activities and naturalist educator. (Special thanks to Sharon Hu)

Now imagine the potential engagement and immersion if we could also smell the forest while learning about the carbon cycle! I actually tried this out using simple ‘scent boxes’ that students held while interacting with the video (one with moss, others with cedar, fir, leaves). While this video doesn’t allow for ‘smellivision’, it does allow a greater level of immersion than a static image or standard video. I have used this as ‘prep’ for heading outdoors with students and as a ‘replay’ to re-immerse ourselves upon return and before we do some art or writing activities related to our field experience. It could also be used as a replacement to an outdoor experience (depending on context, objectives).

Student ‘immersed’ in VR

Levelling up a bit on the embodiment spectrum would be opportunities that allow for full body movement and gesture. This might include fully immersive VR of the kind explored on a recent visit to UBC’s Emerging Media Lab (EML).(links to external/UBC based site) Of course, while some schools have invested in this digital tech, access may not be possible in the average k12 school today. We were fortunate in our visit to the EML to try out a few different options (see table below for resource links).

Using the rather ubiquitous smartphone, we can view a variety of 3D images using a google search and engage with them as AR images in the environment.

Dr. Khan virtually pats a tiger!

Imagine our surprise when a tiger joined the class (or when the full circulatory system model wandered by!). In order to view these 3D images, we need to move around them physically and gesture to adjust size; allowing a somewhat ’embodied’ experience.

Holding a beating heart in her hand!

We might also use a Merge Cube to view AR models. Again, not super high tech, but thought provoking when we think about the difference between a static model of the heart and a larger than life sized beating organ suspended in the room in front of us!

Embracing embodied learning empowers students to not just learn about science or the world around them, but to tangibly experience and internalize it. It’s about creating educational experiences that transcend the traditional confines of a classroom, fostering a deeper and, hopefully, more lasting connection between physical engagement and knowledge acquisition.

References:

Montessori, Maria. The Secret of Childhood. Orient Longman, 1966.

Puentedura, R. R. (2013, May 29). SAMR: Moving from enhancement to transformation [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/000095.html