Movement as Expressive and Relevant for Student Sense-Making, Challenging for Teachers' Perceptions of Learning and Attention (Poster 7)

• In Event: Designing for Dignity Affirming Experiences: Leveraging Embodied Learning Toward Equity in Interaction

Abstract

Objectives.
Young people use their bodies to make sense of the world around them (Besler, 2004), but too often movement is penalized unless it is within the parameters of traditional schooling (Nespor, 1994). Introducing dance in a science context allows movement to be more reliably present as a source for sensemaking (Authors, 2019), but also poses unique challenges for teachers. This poster describes one episode in which elementary students capitalized on improvisational dance as part of embodied science learning, and were confronted with disciplinary action. I propose that when broadening forms of embodied participation, educators must be supported in validating students’ physical contributions.

Theoretical framework.
Using a Sociocultural framework (Lave & Wenger, 1991), this analysis perceives improvisational gestures as a productive tool for science learning. Learning is approached as a collective accomplishment, and a layering of previous experiences (Rogoff, 2003; Goodwin, 2017).

Methods and data.
This analysis comes from a multi-year, design based research project (Danish et al., 2020) - a seven day unit exploring the physical properties of states of matter. Students choreographed and performed a dance representing a state change, and the audience inferred which state change they demonstrated. Close analysis of video data (Jordan & Henderson, 1995) from five, 45-minute sessions elucidated the role of dance in scientific sensemaking for children and how it was not always understood as relevant to adults.

Results and significance.
This analysis shows how a movement representing “gas” traveled through 4 participants in a group discussion, and was interpreted differently throughout.
Figure 1. A movement representing “gas” traveled through 4 participants in a group discussion.

Taylor’s movement (Figure 1A) was taken up and repeated by a researcher as a relevant contribution to the conversation representing the speed of gas particles (Figure 1B). One student, Clementine, iterated that movement seven times during the class conversation (Figures 1D, 2, 3). This analysis shows her engaging deeply with the science content, although her activity is not recognized as on-task by her teacher.Figure 2. A student iterated a movement independently, while the class continued a discussion.

Figure 3. A student continued to engage with the gas movement, and was redirected by her teacher.

Despite the movement originating from another student, Clementine alone was perceived as off-task and repeatedly reminded to remain seated by her teacher (Figure 3C). In acknowledging the many constraints a teacher acts under (Sherin et al., 2011), relevant movements may be perceived as distracting during class discussions. There is future work to be done attending to teacher noticings and embodied forms of participation in order to design for equitable embodied strategies that support teaching and learning.

Conclusion.
Intentionally designing for embodied participation requires a new attunement for adults to carefully attend to student movements as a resource for learning. If designers intend to build towards transforming equitable participation practices in learning environments, we must simultaneously take seriously the implications of the role of embodied learning for students, and the impact movements have on new forms of participation in science learning.

Author

• Lindsay E. Lindberg, University of California - Los Angeles