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Moving Meaning: Expanding Science Literacies with Body Movement

Sat, April 11, 7:45 to 9:15am PDT (7:45 to 9:15am PDT), Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 515B

Abstract

Introduction: Although learning involves a variety of modes, including linguistic, visual, gestural, spatial, and aural, the prevailing approach in U.S. education prioritizes linguistic modes (Kontovourki & Siegel, 2021). This study investigates the concept of transduction, described as the “process of ‘moving meaning’…across modes” (Kress, 2010, p. 124), and its implications for science learning. Transduction can enhance scientific understanding (Tytler & Prain, 2022), deepen meaning (Newfield, 2014), and foster creativity and critical thinking (Pantaleo, 2024). This study examines the role of body movement in science education, addressing the question: How does 'moving meaning,' with the body movement as a central mode interacting with other modes, contribute to enriched meaning- and sense-making in science?

Framework: In response to calls for innovative approaches in science education (Gutiérrez & Barton, 2015), this study aligns with proponents of integrating arts into science to cultivate creativity (Halverson & Sawyer, 2022), encourage risk-taking (Morgan & Stengel-Mohri, 2014), enhance engagement (Braund & Reiss, 2019), and improve communication through diverse modes beyond language (Kusters et al., 2017). By incorporating performing arts into science education, particularly through emphasizing gestural modes, educators can re-center practices of relating, imagining, playing, and feeling, interconnected practices essential to creativity (Authors, in press).

Methods: Conducted within Project S [pseudonym for review], a longstanding university-school partnership, this study employs a multiple case study analysis (Stake, 2006) to investigate students’ embodied transduction across three urban public elementary classrooms. Data from Ms. D’s fifth-grade classroom includes field notes and video recordings from a unit on molecules and matter (n=19). Observations from Ms. G’s first and second-grade class were collected during a unit on rock types and formations (n=9). Data from Mrs. R’s third-grade class consists of a professionally produced video of two classes’ performances for Global Water Dances. The first level of analysis focused on linguistic-gestural connections, exploring the development and communication of scientific ideas through text interpretation and creation, and examining how body movement was integrated with other modes. The second level of analysis employed the Laban-Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS), which uses specific vocabulary to describe movement (Fernandes, 2014), focusing on aspects of Body, Effort, Space, and Shape (Authors, 2019).

Findings: The study reveals three significant findings, each demonstrating how movement as a mode enriches scientific meaning- and sense-making in interconnected ways: (a) linking and rethinking scientific concepts by merging words with actions; (b) experiencing science through bodily movement and positioning; and (c) engaging with the spatial dimensions of science ideas.

Significance: This approach reimagines K-12 disciplinary literacy by exploring the integration of science, a field historically known for prioritizing the mind over the body (Authors, 2021), sidelining cultural knowledge (Warren et al., 2020), and neglecting sociopolitical aspects (Morales-Doyle et al., 2020), with performing arts, particularly through body movement, in order to create new possibilities. Innovative strategies like those in Project S have the potential to challenge "settled expectations" (Bang et al., 2013) that contribute to negative experiences in science education, promoting a reimagined school science learning experience that is embodied, imaginative, playful, agentive, and engaging.

Authors