Narrative inquiry on embodied teaching in non-arts, core content elementary classrooms

Abstract

What do the teachers' stories of embodied teaching in the elementary classroom reveal about how and why they practice embodied teaching? Utilizing Deweyan Pragmatism as the theoretical framework and narrative inquiry as the research methodology, this research seeks to answer the main question above. This study was conducted with elementary teacher participants at two school sites within a single urban school district. This study is important to furthering curriculum studies as research regarding the teacher perspective of embodied teaching as well as studies with teachers discussing multiple forms of embodied teaching in their classroom is limited.

Stories told throughout this study reveal that teachers' personal experiences with embodiment impacted their decisions to utilize embodied strategies in their teaching. These experiences not only impacted their use of embodiment within the classroom but also the forms of embodiment they utilized. Other findings from this study include teachers' passion for the use of embodied teaching strategies regardless of the stance taken by administration regarding the importance of standardized testing and positive stories of student engagement and responses to embodied teaching in the classroom.