Embodied Learning: Origin, Value and Discussion

Ancient Greek philosophy mainly adhered to the orientation of the separation of body and mind. In the mid-19th century, experimental psychology began to rethink the relationship between body and mind and put forward the idea that body and mind were interdependent. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, functional psychology and behavioral psychology gradually dissolved the dichotomy between body and mind. In the early 20th century, continental European phenomenologists were also exploring the elevation of the body's status. In the 1980s, cognitive science underwent a shift from disembodiment to embodiment. The exploration in multidisciplinary fields led to the realization that learning should not be disembodied, but a physically embodied activity. Embodied learning promotes the "situation-generated" view of knowledge, inspires the "wholely integrated" view of learning, drives the "flexible and open" view of the curriculum, promotes the "wholely engaged" view of instruction, and advocates the "continuously promoting" view of assessment, thus providing inspiration for curriculum and instruction activities. To gradually promote the implementation of embodied learning, it's necessary to start at least from the following aspects. Firstly, understanding the concept of embodied learning is important to avoid the risk of its "generalization". Secondly, facing up to the relationship between body and mind is a good way to avoid the tendency towards "extremes". Thirdly, clarifying the requirements and standards of embodied learning is crucial to avoid the "labeling" crisis.