Embodied Learning

Cognitive science shows that learning involves more than the engagement of the human brain or head. Susan Hrach therefore examines whole-body thinking to help instructors improve students’ knowledge and skills through physical movement, sensory perception and attention to the spatial environment.

This page shares Hrach’s work on embodied learning (EL) and provides practical information and resources to help you put these ideas into action.

In the following video, Hrach introduces embodied learning:

What is Embodied Learning

Embodied learning (EL) changes the instructional focus from strictly abstract, mental processes to using the body as an affordance for learning.

The body plays a significant role in how people think and learn. Bodily sensations and prior experience both shape perception, known as embodied cognition. The brain receives signals from the organs and other parts of the body that it interprets through the lens of prior experience to produce perception (Barrett, 2020). Cognitive function depends on bodily well-being, and bodily well-being results from a supportive environment for growth (Hrach, Minding Bodies, 2021).

Embodied learning is a shift from disembodied learning, a conceptual transference of knowledge from an expert into the brains of students, also called the banking model of education. EL involves physical movement and considers place/space and relationships with others as affordances for thinking.

The major pedagogical principles of embodied learning are:

• Humans evolved to think while moving, mostly outdoors.
• We use all our senses to notice, imitate and practice what we want to learn.
• The built environment shapes our thinking processes.

Why is Embodied Learning Important?

Hrach emphasizes how students’ bodies and their environments affect their perceptions and cognitive processes. Bodily engagement via gesture and action offers a powerful instrument through which students better understand concepts and develop skills. The effectiveness of embodied learning underscores its importance in educational settings.

Why is it important to put conscious attention on embodied learning techniques within higher education?

• EL creates engaging learning experiences that promote a deeper understanding of concepts and make learning more enjoyable and memorable for students.
• EL strategies help learners to effectively perceive new information and phenomena.
• Learning in a physically interactive environment promotes socialization, belonging, and a diversity of perspectives to gain understanding.
• Bringing novelty and variety through activities in the classroom space opens students’ brains to be more receptive.
• An embodied learning environment heightens students’ alertness, which is ideal for absorbing new ideas.

Meet Susan Hrach, PhD, ACC: Susan served as Fulbright Canada Distinguished Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Carleton in 2022-23. She is the author of Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning.

Since 2012, Susan’s been Director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. She has been recognized by the University System of Georgia with a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, and is a member of the International Coaching Federation.