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Embodied Pedagogy: The Body and Teaching Theology
Author(s) -
Jordon Sherry
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9647.00100
Subject(s) - embodied cognition , proxemics , kinesics , space (punctuation) , sociology , body language , class (philosophy) , reflection (computer programming) , gesture , pedagogy , nonverbal communication , aesthetics , psychology , epistemology , communication , linguistics , art , computer science , philosophy , programming language
This essay is a reflection on my own experience of teaching undergraduates in light of research on proxemics (social and personal space) and kinesics (body language). I discuss ways to structure classroom space to encourage interaction and discussion, using Edward Hall's distinctions between three types of space (fixed feature, semi‐fixed feature, and informal). I explain the importance of body language in verbal communication and describe how I use my own body to illustrate and reinforce what I say in class. I then offer strategies to incorporate students' bodies in the learning process. I conclude by arguing that embodied pedagogy calls us to look beyond the classroom and to acknowledge the importance of our bodies in all aspects of our lives.