Embodied learning: Why at school the mind needs the body

Despite all methodological efforts made in the last three decades, Western instruction grounds on traditional principles. Most educational programs follow theories that are mentalistic, i.e., they separate the mind from the body. At school, learners sit, watch, listen, and write. The aim of this paper is to present embodied learning as an alternative to mentalistic education. Similarly, this paper wants to describe embodied learning from a neuroscientific perspective. After a brief historical overview, I will review studies highlighting the behavioral effectiveness of embodied instruction in second language learning, mathematics and spatial thinking. On this base, I will discuss some of the brain mechanisms driving embodied learning and describe its advantages, clearly pleading in favor of instructional practice that reunites body and mind

A bizarre virtual trainer outperforms a human trainer in foreign language word learning

In this study, the effects that a human trainer and a pedagogical virtual agent have on the memory for words in a foreign language (L2) were investigated. In a recent study on L2 word learning, Bergmann and Macedonia (2013) cued participants to memorize novel words both audiovisually and by performing additional gestures. The gestures were performed by both a human and a virtual trainer. In some of the tests, the virtual agent had a greater positive influence on memory performance than the human trainer. In order to determine why the agent was a better trainer than the human, 18 naive subjects were invited to rate the gestures performed by both trainers. Furthermore, participants were asked to evaluate their perception of the human and the agent. It was hypothesized that the gestures performed by the agent would be more peculiar than those by the human and possibly attract greater attention. It was also hypothesized that the agent’s personality might be more appealing than that of the human. The results showed that the agent’s gestures were perceived as less natural than those of the human. This might have triggered greater attention and/ or more emotional involvement of the participants. The perception of both trainers as “personalities” did not differ, with the exception of a few traits for which the human trainer was considered to be better. Altogether, because of the peculiar gestures it made and because of its looks, the agent may have been perceived as bizarre. Therefore, he might have induced the bizarreness effect in the memory for words

Self-Care and Self-Compassion of Disaster Responders: Predictors of Resilience

Every year, natural and human-made disasters occur around the world bringing chaos and destruction to unsuspecting populations. Disaster responders, both trained professionals and volunteers, rally from around the world to provide care, help, and support to survivors of these catastrophes. Responders operate often in tragic circumstances and are exposed to various stressors. Despite a large body of literature on self-care and growing research on self-compassion and their respective effects on resilience (Friborg et al., 2006; Germer & Neff, 2013; Leary, Tate, Adams, Allen, & Hancock, 2007; Roysircar, 2008) there exists no measure that assesses first responders’ self-care, self-compassion, resilience, and their disaster response competencies. In addition, little is known about protective factors that prevent vicarious traumatization. In response to this need to assess the mental well-being of first responders, the study investigated how self-care and self-compassion contributed to the resilience of responders in disaster settings. In addition, the study investigated how protective and risk factors predicted responders’ disaster response competencies as well as resilience. Archival data were analyzed for the study. The use of the pilot measure, Disaster Response Competencies Questionnaire (DRCQ, Roysircar, 2010) provided the data. Participants were disaster responders (N = 77) between ages 22–74, who responded online to the measure. The purpose of the DRCQ was to screen responders and to do pre–post evaluation as related to their response service. The basic psychometric properties of the DRCQ were good to excellent with regard to the internal consistency reliabilities of six scales and their respective facets. There were strong positive Pearson r correlations among self-care, self-compassion, and resilience, while self-compassion had a strong negative Pearson r correlation with vicarious traumatization. Protective factors were also strong predictors of resilience and disaster response competencies. No gender difference was found in self-compassion. The study’s results, limitations, and implications for future research are discussed

IBPP Research Associates. Macedonia

This article is a note (lightly edited for English only) from a professor in Skopje, Macedonia that was addressed to a professional colleague of the IBPP Editorial Board in response to that colleague\u27s inquiry into the situation in Macedonia. The author notes a difference between what has been broadcast via the Western media and the perceptions of conditions in-country

Depth of Encoding Through Observed Gestures in Foreign Language Word Learning

Word learning is basic to foreign language acquisition, however time consuming and not always successful. Empirical studies have shown that traditional (visual) word learning can be enhanced by gestures. The gesture benefit has been attributed to depth of encoding. Gestures can lead to depth of encoding because they trigger semantic processing and sensorimotor enrichment of the novel word. However, the neural underpinning of depth of encoding is still unclear. Here, we combined an fMRI and a behavioral study to investigate word encoding online. In the scanner, participants encoded 30 novel words of an artificial language created for experimental purposes and their translation into the subjects\u2019 native language. Participants encoded the words three times: visually, audiovisually, and by additionally observing semantically related gestures performed by an actress. Hemodynamic activity during word encoding revealed the recruitment of cortical areas involved in stimulus processing. In this study, depth of encoding can be spelt out in terms of sensorimotor brain networks that grow larger the more sensory modalities are linked to the novel word. Word retention outside the scanner documented a positive effect of gestures in a free recall test in the short term

Brief multisensory training enhances second language vocabulary acquisition in both high and low performers

Research in the field of vocabulary acquisition has demonstrated that enriching novel words with sensorimotor information enhances memory outcome compared to reading. However, it has been asserted that enrichment might exceed the cognitive load of low performers and therefore be detrimental to them. Here, in a brief training, thirty-two subjects learned thirty novel items of a foreign language according to three conditions: (1) reading, (2) reading and listening, (3) reading and listening and watching an actress performing a gesture semantically related to the words. Conditions (2) and (3) enriched the baseline (1) with multisensory information. Memory performance was assessed through written tests immediately after learning. Results indicate that both high and low performers benefit from enrichment. The significant interaction between group and method in one of the tests shows that low performers learn better through enrichment than by only reading the words. Implications for education are discussed

Exploring the neural representation of novel words learned through enactment in a word recognition task

Vocabulary learning in a second language is enhanced if learners enrich the learning experience with self-performed iconic gestures. This learning strategy is called enactment. Here we explore how enacted words are functionally represented in the brain and which brain regions contribute to enhance retention. After an enactment training lasting 4 days, participants performed a word recognition task in the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner. Data analysis suggests the participation of different and partially intertwined networks that are engaged in higher cognitive processes, i.e., enhanced attention and word recognition. Also, an experience-related network seems to map word representation. Besides core language regions, this latter network includes sensory and motor cortices, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. On the basis of its complexity and the involvement of the motor system, this sensorimotor network might explain superior retention for enactment

Gestures Enhance Foreign Language Learning

Language and gesture are highly interdependent systems that reciprocally influence each other. For example, performing a gesture when learning a word or a phrase enhances its retrieval compared to pure verbal learning. Although the enhancing effects of co-speech gestures on memory are known to be robust, the underlying neural mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we summarize the results of behavioral and neuroscientific studies. They indicate that the neural representation of words consists of complex multimodal networks connecting perception and motor acts that occur during learning. In this context, gestures can reinforce the sensorimotor representation of a word or a phrase, making it resistant to decay. Also, gestures can favor embodiment of abstract words by creating it from scratch. Thus, we propose the use of gesture as a facilitating educational tool that integrates body and mind

Administrative Support and Provisionally-Licensed Special Education Teachers: Examining Support Dimensions During a Global Pandemic

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to report on the perspectives of provisionally-licensed special education teachers as to the administrative support they experienced and felt they needed in a distance learning environment. Utilizing a three-step convenience sampling process, five provisionally-licensed special education teachers who attended a Mid-Atlantic university participated in the study and described their perspectives of administrative support. Utilizing House’s (1981) theory of social support as a conceptual framework, data was collected through participant journal entries and semi-structured interviews and analyzed through a multi-step coding process. Findings revealed that provisionally-licensed special education teachers require support across all of House’s (1981) dimensions including instrumental support, informational support, emotional support, and appraisal support. Findings include four main takeaways: (a) provisionally-licensed special education teachers require supports across dimensions, most importantly, emotional support; (b) provisionally-licensed special education teachers reported a need for school-based administrators to establish open communication to inform special education teacher roles, establish expectations of collaboration, and demonstrate care and support; (c) school-based administrators who possess a background in special education were reported to possess knowledge and skills to support special education teachers and students with disabilities; and (d) support provided to provisionally-licensed special education teachers did not always align to needed support. Recommendations for administrative support approaches for provisionally-licensed special education teachers are described and limitations and implications for future research are discussed