Enactive and Embodied Learning In Higher Education

Abstract

In the community of movement educators and therapists we interact with others involving our whole selves through an experiencing process of a non-dual body-mind continuum. Education is primarily a communication process, so under our point of view the body must be involved during the teaching-learning processes. Most of cases, especially in higher education in Spain, the body is absent in the classroom in which the acquisition of knowledge is built through “mind” rather than “embodied experiencing”, which includes mind and body at the same level. Of course, there are some exceptions regarding studies of Performing Arts, Physical Activity or Dance. The paper presents some experiences carried out to include the experiential and active learning through the embodied practice in higher education, and evaluate the students’ answer regarding a new way to teach and learn. Although some initial resistance was seen among students to changes in the teaching-learning orientation, our surveys show high levels of satisfaction and motivation with this new approach. Authors encourage educational institutions to introduce the enactive learning through a non-verbal approach as a way to improve levels of satisfaction, motivation and compromise with the learning process in students.