{"id":60824,"date":"2021-12-22T03:54:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T08:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=60824"},"modified":"2021-12-22T03:54:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T08:54:14","slug":"at-school-or-at-home-move-to-learn-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/at-school-or-at-home-move-to-learn-better\/","title":{"rendered":"At school or at home, move to learn better?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nIn a remote classroom session with Zoom video conferencing software last year, my son’s teachers gave the following instructions to their little kindergarten students: \u201cYour eyes watch, your ears listen, your voices stay. silent, your bodies do not move.\u00a0However, I noticed that my 6 year old kept manipulating all kinds of objects found at home, making constructions of Legos, kneading plasticine, scribbling with his pencils.<\/span><\/p>\n

If some might say by seeing him that he has no mind in class, the\u00a0<\/span>research<\/span><\/a>\u00a0invites us to understand the situation differently: the manipulation of materials was in fact for him a means of awakening his attention, helping him to focus on the task required.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a\u00a0<\/span>parent<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of two school-aged children, and a\u00a0<\/span>researcher<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in the field of technology-based learning, I find our current models of distance education to be ineffective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, remaining seated in front of a computer screen weakens, even completely detaches us from a large part of\u00a0<\/span>the body’s perceptions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0To learn as effectively as possible, our mind depends on the\u00a0<\/span>movement of our body<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, on the use of a\u00a0<\/span>variety of tools<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, on being part of the\u00a0<\/span>dynamics of the place<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and on the\u00a0<\/span>presence of collaborators<\/span><\/a>\u00a0around us.<\/span><\/p>\n

The role of the body in thinking<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the distance learning system, it is often assumed, implicitly, that as long as their mind is engaged, it is not a problem if the child remains still.\u00a0But this argument\u00a0<\/span>no longer holds up today<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research into embodied cognition – the study of the body’s role in thinking – shows that the body must first interact with the world\u00a0<\/span>for the mind to be open to learning<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, students who work with a wide variety of tools and materials in a learning activity\u00a0<\/span>are better able to understand abstract concepts<\/span><\/a>\u00a0such as gravitational acceleration or fractions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asking students to remain seated while doing their work actually increases\u00a0<\/span>their mental load<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0It requires them to focus on staying still and that task that keeps them at their desks or in front of their screens.<\/span><\/p>\n

As<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Christine Langhanns and Hermann M\u00fcller\u00a0have put forward<\/a>\u00a0from work carried out around people solving math problems, “sitting quietly is not necessarily the best condition for good learning at school”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn from our environment<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The thoughts of humans are extensions of the world around them.\u00a0The technologies or\u00a0<\/span>tools they use<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, the\u00a0<\/span>people<\/span><\/a>\u00a0they work with, the\u00a0<\/span>paths<\/span><\/a>\u00a0they take to go to school or to work, all of this awakens impressions in their bodies.\u00a0Their mind\u00a0<\/span>then assembles these sensations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0through interpretations or ideas that draw on past experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this sense,\u00a0<\/span>thoughts are iterative<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0People explore new paths day by day while making the most of the learning\u00a0<\/span>inscribed in their body memory<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0Learning to cross a road, for example, takes practice.\u00a0Over time, the brain organizes the perceptions collected in different situations which makes it possible to identify the auspicious moments.<\/span><\/p>\n

The gesture is essential\u00a0<\/span>for thinking and learning<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0Not only do hand movements, head movements, and shrugs allow listeners to add nuance and emphasis to speeches, gestures\u00a0<\/span>also help speakers<\/span><\/a>\u00a0articulate their ideas better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research shows that<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in mathematics, students’ actions indicate that they have understood a problem even before they can speak the solutions.\u00a0Thus, teachers able to spot these signs can closely follow their progress in understanding the concepts.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, gestures are a way for educators to accompany the translation of a concept so that the\u00a0<\/span>explanations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are more effective.\u00a0Seeing each other therefore facilitates learning – which is in total contrast to videoconferencing situations where the child only sees the faces of his classmates and teachers or, at worst, an empty box.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get in motion<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Whether the courses take place face-to-face or remotely, it is possible to better integrate the body into the learning.\u00a0Here are some avenues to explore as a teacher when teaching online, knowing that parents of course also have a role to play in encouraging students to stay in an active attitude:<\/span><\/p>\n