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I take an embodied perspective in teaching and learning by incorporating activities and assignments into courses that consider each student as a “whole person.” I encourage students to apply what they learn to their own experience, and to incorporate their experience into what they learn. Engagement then becomes something that is simultaneously more personal and more oriented toward community. Students are rewarded for curiosity as well as their ability to combine prior and yet-to-be-attained knowledge with their own interests, backgrounds, and skills.

I demonstrate this emphasis on embodiment in my scholarship as well. In addition to utilizing my martial arts experience in my doctoral dissertation, I wrote and bound my Master’s thesis by hand in order to explore both medium and message in “analog” thought processes.

For ideas on how to utilize objects in the classroom,

see my brief slide deck on the topic that I

presented at a workshop on embodied pedagogy.

Engaging Assignments for

Embodied Teaching and Learning

Emily FitzGerald

PhD Candidate - Columbia University Dept of Religion

Adjunct Professor of Philosophy - SUNY Purchase

I give students a “field assignment” in lieu of a mid-term exam or paper, which allows students to engage with course material through their own direct experiences. The guidelines are simple: choose an embodied activity to practice for at least 15 minutes for 5 consecutive days. Write short reflections after each session, and a 3-page final reflection on the experience as a whole using citations from course assignments or outside research.

In my “Classical Buddhist Philosophy” course, I ask students to meditate using recommended styles or traditions.

In my “Intro to Asian Thought” course, meditation is an option, as are other practices such as martial arts, yoga, mandala coloring, and even cooking.

In my “Embodiment: (Re)Defining the Human” course, activities are more open-ended. Options include things like walking, gardening, writing homework by hand, touring local architectural sites, sports, and experimenting with accessibility features on phones and computers.

I always provide ideas for students but also allow them to propose their own activities related to course themes.

Students have the option to write a traditional paper for their final assignment or to do a creative project in whatever format they choose (with instructor approval). They are expected to hand in a 3-page reflection or “artist statement” on the piece and how it connects to the course objectives and materials. This often results in projects that necessitate embodied involvement based on student skills or interests.

Here are some of my favorite examples of student work:

An online, interactive meditation session coded by a computer science major

An auditory

reflection on

Nagarjuna’s notion

of Buddhist

emptiness in

modular

synth by a

philosophy

major

A tapestry crocheted with the words of a Zen koan by a gender studies major; in a different class, this student created makeup looks inspired by the Four Noble Truths

A choreographed, performed, and filmed piece based on religious engagement with nature by a dance major

Homemade incense (complete with recipes) based on accounts from medieval texts by a religion major

A zine based on interviews with friends regarding how they define “human nature” by a photography major

A podcast with a rabbi regarding COVID restrictions clashing with religious requirements by a communications major

A hand-bound book made of homemade paper with several layers of inspiration from our course by a visual arts major

A comic book depicting the “10 Bulls,” with original illustrations and reinterpretations of the poems, by a creative writing major

A clay and papier-mâché cat skull inspired by a Zen koan that goes something like this: “What is the most valuable thing in the world? The head of a dead cat. Why? Because no one can name its price” - by a sculpture major

I taught this course as a Teaching Scholars Fellow at Columbia. In addition to the two assignments listed to the left, I utilized embodied pedagogy in three other ways:

All assignments (including films, graphic novels, and academic texts from several disciplines) had something to do with embodiment. Scan the QR code above to see the syllabus!

At the start of every class, I incorporated an embodied exercise to correspond with the theme of the day. For example, to start the class on “Monsters” I had students play a game of “exquisite corpse.” In groups of three, one student draws the head of a monster and folds the paper over. The next student draws the torso, folds the paper over again, and the last draws the legs.

I leveraged my own expertise as a martial arts instructor by teaching students some moves outside during a class on Eastern movement practices. I also arranged for a guest speaker, Parkour Instructor Mike Araujo, to give a demonstration during our week on built environments. Be sure to check out his company as a great hands-on NYC resource. https://themovementcreative.com

Go Local! + Other Ideas

I highly recommend getting students and community involved with each other. Consider assigning a field trip or arrange one for students with co-workers. There are often student discounts and group tours that can be arranged.

Some suggestions:

Museums
Neighborhood tours
Religious sites
Live performances
Nature walks or hikes
Movement classes

Host a guest speaker
Co-teach with an expert in another field
Plan hands-on activities for students

For more information on how and why to consider

embodiment in teaching and learning, check out

the article I wrote on embodied pedagogy

as a form of feminist citational practice.

Keep in touch! I’d love to hear from you.

emily.fitzgerald42@gmail.com

What Is Embodied Pedagogy?

Field Assignment

Final Project

Courses on Embodiment

This student used both yoga and drawing as a combined form of meditation for their final project, putting together requirements from the field assignment along with the final. In their reflection, they wrote:

“Working on 100 Movement Meditations has not only improved my general technique when I draw, but also made me think about art in a new way. Working your body into your art had never been something I thought much about, but keeping in mind yoga practices, and Buddhist philosophies, I have been able to connect my body and mind to my work in a way that is more meaningful not just to the piece but to myself. It no longer becomes just a final work, but it is an experience that my body undertakes and not just a creative flow in the brain.”

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