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What is Embodied Learning? 

Strategies that engage and make use of movement and the body to support effective learning. 

What does the evidence say? 

The evidence in this area is consistently positive. Studies comparing embodied cognition approaches were found to have larger impacts on learning than normal curriculum delivery. However, there are a number of limitations to the evidence base, and almost all of the studies took place in primary schools, and in Maths, Science and Language lessons. You can read more about this here.

Case Study from Notre Dame High School, Norwich

In my role as Assistant Headteacher, I have the pleasure and privilege of visiting various lessons throughout the week. Today, I found myself in an English class that piqued my interest, not just in teaching methods but also in the play they were studying: Macbeth.

Recently, I read Anne Murphy Paul’s The Extended Mind in Action and I’ve been thinking a lot about embodied learning ever since, particularly the role of gestures in learning.

The lesson I observed today was a powerful demonstration of how gestures — both conscious and unconscious — can enrich understanding.

This wasn’t a formal observation: I simply dropped into a lesson already in progress. Three students were reading a passage where Lady Macbeth famously exclaims, ​“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” The student playing Lady Macbeth used gestures throughout her reading, sometimes miming what she was saying (e.g., rubbing her hands as if trying to wash away an imaginary stain), and at other times using her hands to emphasise certain points.

After the reading, the teacher led a discussion on the passage. Interestingly, she too gestured while speaking, echoing the student’s movements — rubbing her hands as she discussed the line. She even acted out certain aspects, like ​“shining a light” on her hand.

The discussion then explored how the ​“blood” on Lady Macbeth’s hands symbolises guilt. From there, they connected this scene to an earlier moment in the play when Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to ​“stop up the access and passage to remorse.” As the teacher quoted this, she gestured to enact the meaning, bringing the text to life.

I was captivated by the discussion and disappointed when I had to leave. I’m familiar with the overarching story of Macbeth, but I realised how much of the detail I had forgotten. Intrigued by the passage on ​“remorse,” I wanted to read more, but I couldn’t recall the exact wording.

Later I asked another colleague, also an English teacher, if she knew the quote. I mentioned something vague about ​“stopping the passage.” Instantly, her gestures mirrored what I had seen earlier in the classroom. As she quoted the line, she unconsciously acted it out in much the same way. Our conversation flowed from there, touching on themes of womanhood, masculinity, and violence — concepts central to Macbeth that I hadn’t fully appreciated before.

This experience prompted me both to read more about Lady Macbeth and also to reflect on the role of gestures in teaching. It’s clear to me that gestures aren’t just supplementary; they are a powerful tool for deepening understanding, both for students and for teachers.