What’s the Big Idea? CEP 818 Embodied Thinking Definition and examples Embodied thinking is the ability to see the world from one’s subject’s perspective or ‘eyes’. This technique is used to better understand how one’s subject feels about the events surrounding them. A doctor can find an appropriate cure for his patients if he can identify with them. An actor can help his audience absorb every moment of his acting if he can embody the character he’s play-acting. An architect can come up with a more efficient design if he can realize how people would regard his work. All these and many more can do a better job than just finding a remedy or designing blueprints if they can get into other people’s shoes and see the work from those people’s own eyes. In the field of education, teachers can explain their subject matter more effectively if they can see how their students themselves perceive things.
Isn’t this a good way to teach what the world looks like from space? Our students need to get into an astronaut’s shoes to really understand what’s going on in space.
Impact on my own personal life What better way is there to understand how people feel about your actions than to see your own actions with their own eyes? That’s what I do when I need to address people’s concerns. Whether I’m offering my condolences or congratulating someone on a particular success, I always try to imagine what would be the most appropriate way to do it based on how these people would react. For instance, I’m considering starting my own catering business. As such, I need to assess my customers’ needs to find out how best to start the business, in particular the location and food to serve. Such a business would have to be handled completely differently in Canada than in Dubai. That’s because Canadians definitely have different taste and needs than people in Dubai. Whether for personal or professional reasons, embodied thinking surely highlights the best way to approach a topic.
Created by: Jean-Claude Aura
Date: November 2010
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What’s the Big Idea? CEP 818 Impact on my ability to teach creatively As a teacher, and prior to taking CEP818, I’d always put myself in my students’ shoes to see what would work best for them. I generally address the topic at hand as if I were a student. In other words, I become my own student and analyze how I would like to be taught. It’s true that people have different needs and preferences, but approaching a topic from my own perspective as a student would definitely give more fruitful results than from my own perspective as a teacher. And even while approaching a topic as a student, I would image myself as a different type of student each time and assess the needs involved to make the learning experience as beneficial as possible to students. With that said, I would embody different types of learners and use the most convenient teaching approach. One way I diagnose my students’ writing ability to anticipate potential problems is to imagine myself having their language skills and asked to develop a well-organized essay. I found out that this can be a real feat!
Ever wondered why the elderly struggle with technology? Well, try to imagine yourself with their limited knowledge of computer and deeply-rooted old paper-and-pencil habits, and then see if you can ever be more productive!
Created by: Jean-Claude Aura
Date: November 2010
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