Embodied Learning and Technology
Submission Type
20-minute Presentation
Abstract
Embodied Learning is a growing field that provides people with access to physical movement as well as a resource for personal wellness, mental health and community. The ways in which teachers of embodied disciplines are trained are complex, information rich and highly sophisticated. The use of educational technology tools in these trainings can be extremely beneficial for the students, teachers and communities in which they are implemented. This presentation will demonstrate the ways in which the confluence of embodied learning and technology can provide insights to educators in all fields.
Start Date
7-20-2020 12:30 PM
End Date
7-20-2020 12:50 PM
Description
How yoga and other embodied disciplines can be enhanced by the tools of online education.
Yoga and other embodied disciplines contain far more than physical elements and affect practitioners on a variety of intellectual and psychological levels. Yoga teacher-trainings and other in-depth courses in the field require students, particularly those who will one day teach, to have a broad and nuanced understanding of their discipline. It is with that in mind that The Institute for the Art of Movement (I AM) designs online and blended learning courses. My presentation will describe the fundamental benefits of blended learning to embodied learning.
The first role of the online course is to prepare the students for the live aspect of the training by introducing the fundamental concepts on which the material is based. This can be equated to exposing students to the underlying assumptions from which an academic inquiry departs. As an example, students are asked to study a document outlining the structure of a yoga class prior to a live session that deals with how to design and implement a yoga class sequence.
The second is to acquaint students with terminology that enables them to “speak the language” of the training. For example, in yoga the term “prana” refers both to the physical breath and the way that subtle energy moves through the body. A term like this is used frequently and in different contexts, therefore students can benefit greatly by being acquainted with it prior to attending the training.
I will also discuss ways in which an online course can elicit daily student engagement. By creating assignments and discussions, students who would otherwise only be in a learning environment a few days out of the week can easily access material daily and according to their schedule. This topic will include case studies of students who have utilized blended learning to grow in their embodied disciplines.
I will demonstrate how various components of blended learning such as the flipped classroom, video learning, personalization and assessment can be implemented in an embodied learning setting. This presentation will allow participants of the BlendedLAC to see how blended learning can be implemented with an unconventional discipline and may provide stimulating insights that would not otherwise appear in an academic environment.
Embodied Learning and Technology
Embodied Learning is a growing field that provides people with access to physical movement as well as a resource for personal wellness, mental health and community. The ways in which teachers of embodied disciplines are trained are complex, information rich and highly sophisticated. The use of educational technology tools in these trainings can be extremely beneficial for the students, teachers and communities in which they are implemented. This presentation will demonstrate the ways in which the confluence of embodied learning and technology can provide insights to educators in all fields.
Comments
I am currently working with the Bryn Mawr Community Learning Collaborative with a very generous Digital Seed Grant as a way of developing the concept of embodied learning in confluence with technology. It is an honor to be invited by Mari Ocando Finol to apply to present at the BlendedLAC and I appreciate your consideration of my proposal.
http://www.theinstitute.am