Out of their seats and asking great questions
“ Embodied pedagogy involves inviting students out of their seats to engage in well planned learning activities” DUTTON & RUSHTON, 2018
- Mathematical approach 2: Divide the irregular shape up into regular polygons. Using measurements, find the area of each shape and add these areas together.
Languages Should young children be encouraged to be bi/multilingual?
What is Conscience Alley? Conscience Alley is a role play strategy used to identify different perspectives
- Yes. Research evidence shows the Creative Arts
on a topic and explore motivations/
benefits of learning more than one
individual intentions related to a question.
Do you think artists (Dance/Music/Art/
language. It supports familial connections
It involves a ‘questioner’ who is trying
Theatre) should be able to express their
and allows a complex, nuanced
to decide on their perspective on a
personal/political opinions through
world view.
challenging question. Often this question
their art?
- No. Young children should be
has a moral or ethical dimension
- Yes. Artists should be able to express
encouraged to develop skills only in the
but always the question is open and
any opinions they want through their art.
dominant language of the culture in
there is no one correct answer. The
change.
which they live. This will make it easier for ‘questioner’ takes on a role appropriate them to make friends and fit in at school. to the question context and walks down
- No. Artists should stay out of the
Having identified a question that might
progresses they are offered differing
political world. They should focus on
be framed in your classroom, how
perspectives by ‘speakers’ who represent
making artwork that is aesthetically
might embodied pedagogy invite your
the questioner’s conscience. An audience
pleasing.
students out of their seats as engaged,
of ‘thinkers’ observe the interactions
thinking learners?
and think critically about the range of
Art can be a powerful medium for social
English
a physical ‘alley’. As the ‘questioner’
perspectives that have been offered.
BRINGING EMBODIED PEDAGOGY INTO YOUR CLASSROOM
The Conscience Alley strategy involves
the instructions given by the more
Whilst embodied learning can look very
the following steps:
experienced stockmen?
differently according to discipline and
1.
Should the Man from Snowy River in Paterson’s poem have disobeyed
- Yes. It was a dangerous incline and there was significant risk to horse and rider. Hierarchies are important and the young should defer to experience voices. - No. The Man from Snowy River was a gifted rider, enjoyed risk taking behaviours, and was seeking to demonstrate his competence to the more experienced stockmen.
subject matter, we offer ‘Conscience Alley’ (Ewing & Simmons, 2016) as an embodied strategy that will work effectively across all stages and teaching areas.
The question is introduced, and are
students given time to think about/plan possible answers to the question.
2.
Select 8-10 students who form
two straight lines facing each other (4 students in each line) creating the edges of the ‘alley’.
3.
Assign each side of the alley the side
of the question they are supporting.
4.
The questioner stands at the
beginning of the alley and progressively walks down the alley. 32
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