Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body
Despite all methodological efforts made in the last three decades, Western instruction grounds on traditional principles. Most educational programs follow theories that are mentalistic, i.e., they separate the mind from the body. At school, learners sit, watch, listen, and write. The aim of this pap...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02098/full |
| _version_ | 1798044839920533504 |
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| author | Manuela Macedonia Manuela Macedonia Manuela Macedonia |
| author_facet | Manuela Macedonia Manuela Macedonia Manuela Macedonia |
| author_sort | Manuela Macedonia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite all methodological efforts made in the last three decades, Western instruction grounds on traditional principles. Most educational programs follow theories that are mentalistic, i.e., they separate the mind from the body. At school, learners sit, watch, listen, and write. The aim of this paper is to present embodied learning as an alternative to mentalistic education. Similarly, this paper wants to describe embodied learning from a neuroscientific perspective. After a brief historical overview, I will review studies highlighting the behavioral effectiveness of embodied instruction in second language learning, mathematics and spatial thinking. On this base, I will discuss some of the brain mechanisms driving embodied learning and describe its advantages, clearly pleading in favor of instructional practice that reunites body and mind. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:10:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4cf5b183f77940e481cb7c6225cfb36e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:10:47Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-4cf5b183f77940e481cb7c6225cfb36e2022-12-22T03:57:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782019-10-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.02098467787Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the BodyManuela Macedonia0Manuela Macedonia1Manuela Macedonia2Institute of Information Engineering, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, AustriaMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, GermanyLinz Center of Mechatronics GmbH, Linz, AustriaDespite all methodological efforts made in the last three decades, Western instruction grounds on traditional principles. Most educational programs follow theories that are mentalistic, i.e., they separate the mind from the body. At school, learners sit, watch, listen, and write. The aim of this paper is to present embodied learning as an alternative to mentalistic education. Similarly, this paper wants to describe embodied learning from a neuroscientific perspective. After a brief historical overview, I will review studies highlighting the behavioral effectiveness of embodied instruction in second language learning, mathematics and spatial thinking. On this base, I will discuss some of the brain mechanisms driving embodied learning and describe its advantages, clearly pleading in favor of instructional practice that reunites body and mind.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02098/fullembodimentinstructioneducationsecond languagemathematicsmemory |
| spellingShingle | Manuela Macedonia Manuela Macedonia Manuela Macedonia Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body Frontiers in Psychology embodiment instruction education second language mathematics memory |
| title | Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body |
| title_full | Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body |
| title_fullStr | Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body |
| title_full_unstemmed | Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body |
| title_short | Embodied Learning: Why at School the Mind Needs the Body |
| title_sort | embodied learning why at school the mind needs the body |
| topic | embodiment instruction education second language mathematics memory |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02098/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT manuelamacedonia embodiedlearningwhyatschoolthemindneedsthebody AT manuelamacedonia embodiedlearningwhyatschoolthemindneedsthebody AT manuelamacedonia embodiedlearningwhyatschoolthemindneedsthebody |