The challenge in discussing learning through the body is understanding that this form of learning is less a theory on how it occurs and more a theory on where it occurs. While there are no singular theorists associated with the broader concept of embodied learning there is, however, a growing body of research that looks at the body as a site of learning from different theoretical understandings. For instance, Fenwick (2003) discusses embodied learning as a part of experiential learning, which through experience, the body becomes the focal point for learning and meaning-making. Additionally, Michelson (2015) through Feminist theory examines the body as a site of learning and “lived experience” (p.61). The body in this regard is not much the focal point of knowledge but is knowledge itself. What this discussion hopes to achieve is to look at the areas in which embodied learning is applied and incorporated into other theoretical perspectives. Understanding embodied learning, in general, begins with understanding the mind/body relation as it applies to learning.
Learning, defined as an internal cognitive process, is a Western concept rooted in Enlightenment and Cartesian thought (Merriam, Cafferella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Understanding learning from this perspective preferences the mind, or rational thought, over learning in and through the body. In this regard “the brain, which we can locate becomes the place of learning, severed from something as concrete as the body…” (p. 189). Privileging the mind over the body erases the site through which learning occurs. The mind-body separation in education, as Michelson (1996) points out, “is separated from its site of production” (p. 190). When we look at sites of knowledge production, what we see in the broader field of education is a rejection of the body. This rejection forces us to flee what Merriam, et. al., (2007) refer to as the “creatureliness” (p.191) of the body which ignores and sanitizes “our physical characteristics, bodily functions, and sexuality” (p.191). They further discuss that it is through our bodies that we live and learn in our bodies. If we look at embodied learning as a learning theory, this would be one of its major tenets.
Given this, embodied learning is not a learning theory in the traditional sense. However, it is a type of learning where we learn “in an experience as it occurs, rather than from reflecting on the experience after it occurs” (Merriam, et. al., 2007, p.187). We can think of embodied learning as theory, as it relates and is applied to, other theories. In this regard, embodied learning is an offshoot of, or at the very least incorporated into, experiential learning. Where, as Michelson (2015) discuses, the body is a raw source of material for experiences and serves as an extension of the brain. As an extension, the body receives information by way of our senses which is then interpreted cognitively. By attending to the non-cognitive dimensions of learning, we can as Merriam et. al., (2009, p. 192) discuss, bring greater understanding, as well as create meaning, in our daily lived experiences. Our bodily communications, be they gut reactions to racial pejoratives or sexist remarks, the queasy feeling of an embarrassing incident, or exhaustion from an intense meeting are both familiar and common. Yet, we ignore them most of the time. This creates a slight contradiction in that it is through our bodies we exist in the world and experience what is around us.
However, we can take embodied learning a step further and look at the role culture has on our bodies not only in relation to how we perform and exist but also how culture is enacted upon us. What is often forgotten is that the body, and by extension experience, are socially and culturally influenced. Based on Feminist theory, Michelson (2015) discusses that the origins of gender differences are not based on biology, but in the experiences, we have. Meaning, our experiences are not gender-neutral they are rooted in “gender-specific matrices of social interaction, learned ways of thinking and behaving, and resonant activities” (p.61). By extension, this further indicates that to understand experiential learning in relation to the body, we must understand that our very experiences are shaped by the context in which they exist, i.e. by social, language, and politics.
Looking at embodied learning as a smaller component within experiential learning offers opportunities for research and application in many areas of practice. For instance, Tobin (2012) examines how creative writers describe their writing process with attention to their perceptions of the role and awareness of the body in the writing process. Additionally, Tobin’s study engaged writers in a series of exercises about body awareness and explored writer’s perceptions about the effects of an increased body awareness on their writing process. Using the works of Merleau-Ponty’s (1965) philosophy of the body and Gendlin’s (1996, 2004) concept of felt sense, Tobin positioned embodied learning within experiential learning. Returning to the idea that we exist and experience in the world, Tobin states that “our bodies are interconnected and reflected with objects, other people, experience, and the world (ps. 5–6). This also reaffirms that our bodies hold culture and history on and within them.
As mentioned above, Feminist theory positions educators and researchers to think about experience in relation to culture and society and how it is enacted upon the body. This allows educators “to reclaim the body as a site of knowledge (Michelson, 2015, p. 75) but also challenge the universality of knowledge. Michelson exemplifies this last point through a vignette by Lawrence (as cited in Michelson, 2015, p. 75). While there are many nuances to understanding this vignette, at the core it asks us to consider the various angles in which an experience can be enacted. For instance, the vignette identifies a “You” however who is the “You”, or the body, that is in question within this situation? What are assumptions that are being made about the universality of a body’s experiencing the world? This vignette allows to challenge the assumed universality of experiences, but also where the body as a site of learning could lead to further research.
It is not until recently that the role of the body has been taken into consideration within adult education literature. Embodied learning both challenges and contributes to adult education’s understanding of learning theory. While incorporated into other learning theories or models of learning, embodied learning provides an additional layer to understanding where learning occurs. Whereas traditional ideas of learning have privileged the mind over the body, learning through the body forces us to recognize noncognitive ways of learning.
References
Fenwick, T. (2003) Reclaiming and re-embodying experiential learning through complexity science, Studies in the Education of Adults, 35:2, 123–141, DOI: 10.1080/02660830.2003.11661478
Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Michelson, E. (1996). Beyond Galileo’s telescope: Situated knowledge and the assessment of experiential learning. Adult Education Quarterly, 46 (4), 185–196.
Michelson, E. (2015). Gender, experience, and knowledge in adult learning: Alisoun’s daughters. London: Routledge.
Tobin, J. A., (2012). Embodied learning and creative writing: An action research study. (Doctoral dissertation). The Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg.
