UW–Madison’s Mitchell Nathan is the author of a new book that is titled, “Foundations of Embodied Learning: A Paradigm for Education,” published by Routledge.
Nathan is a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology.
In a blog post, Nathan said he wrote the book “to share the large body of evidence showing that the way we move in the world — and even the ways we imagine how we move — shape our cognitive processes.”
He noted he also wished to raise an alarm: That “despite a well-established body of research in support of embodied learning to foster meaning making, our current education systems are not designed to educate embodied minds.”
Throughout his book, Nathan aims to inform teachers and teacher educators, educational researchers, parents, and other interested readers about types of embodiment — such as the use of physical movement and gestures — that have been shown to help foster learning.
The book has garnered numerous enthusiastic reviews. Among them, John T. Bruer, president emeritus of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, called it a “superb review and analysis of work in the field of embodied cognition.” Victor R. Lee, an associate professor of learning sciences and technology at Stanford University, said it is a “must-read for anyone curious about embodiment and for anyone ready for a fresh new perspective on the wonders of human learning.”
Learn more about “Foundations for Embodied Learning” at Routledge.com.