Building a dictionary for embodied science education

Image via Department of Science Education (IND), All Rights Reserved

How do we translate insights from cognitive science into practical teaching tools? Together with the Science Education Network for Supporting Embodied Sense-making (SENSES), we're building a dictionary to bridge theory and practice in embodied science education.

Launched in early 2024, SENSES brings together researchers and high school teachers to co-develop instructional approaches based on embodied cognition principles. Through workshops and co-design sessions at the Department of Science Education, we explore how embodied experiences can support science teaching, learning, and understanding.

For example, good science teachers often use bodies intuitively in their instructional practices - whether it's through role-playing scientific processes or using gestures to explain abstract concepts. But while we know these embodied approaches work, we've been missing the language to describe why and how they work effectively.

That's where our first major initiative comes in - creating a dictionary of embodied cognition terms specifically designed for science education. Of course, part of the motivation behind this initiative is to translate academic jargon from the cognitive and education sciences. But there is also the hope that we’re co-creating a new language with teachers to better capture embodied aspects of good science education in classrooms.

And while we're excited about launching this dictionary, it's just the beginning! Our network continues to run regular workshops where teachers and researchers collaborate to:

• Refine and expand the dictionary based on classroom experiences

• Develop practical classroom resources and activities

• Create models and design principles for embodied science teaching
  

Want to learn more? Check out the full feature about our dictionary - either in Danish or English.