Hands on, Bodies in: Moving Learning through Experience & Embodiment

What happens when students learn through action rather than just lecture? Join us for our SoTL Thoughts’ panel featuring SFU faculty who have investigated experiential and embodied learning approaches through Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research.

Experiential learning provides students with the opportunity to learn through experience or action whether in community settings, field sites, simulations, or applied projects. Embodied learning centers the body itself as a site of knowing, using physical movement and sensation as pathways to understanding.

Our panelists explored diverse forms of active learning in their courses. Some took students into the field or community. Others integrated physical movement and kinesthetic activities into their teaching. All of them asked the critical question: does this approach actually improve student learning? Through systematic data collection and analysis, they discovered what works, what surprises emerged, and what challenges arose when learning moved beyond the traditional classroom.

You'll hear evidence-based insights about student engagement and motivation, knowledge retention, and skill development across these varied approaches to learning. Through presentations and discussion, we'll examine practical strategies, assessment methods, and the real impact of making learning experiential and embodied.

Whether you're already incorporating hands-on learning, considering movement-based pedagogy, or simply curious about alternatives to lecture, join colleagues who've tested these approaches and measured the results.

Our panelists:

Leith Davis & Shauna Irani, FASS
John-Henry Harter, FASS
Eirini Kotsovili, FASS
Henny Yeung, FASS Read more about Henny's project, "Experiential learning about Langauge Development by Engaging with Community Parents" here >>

When? To be rescheduled
Where? SFU Burnaby Campus

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