Embodiment in physics learning: A social-semiotic look

In this paper, we present a case study of a pair of students as they use nondisciplinary communicative practices to mechanistically reason about binary star dynamics. To do so, we first review and bring together the theoretical perspectives of social semiotics and embodied cognition, therein developing a new methodological approach for analyzing student interactions during the learning of physics (particularly for those interactions involving students’ bodies). Through the use of our new approach, we are able to show how students combine a diverse range of meaning-making resources into complex, enacted analogies, thus forming explanatory models that are grounded in embodied intuition. We reflect on how meaning-making resources—even when not physically persistent—can act as coordinating hubs for other resources as well as how we might further nuance the academic conversation around the role of the body in physics learning.

Figure 1

A diagram of the analytic approach used in this paper. Our approach entails that we first observe the semiotic resources used by students (leftmost column) and interpret these resources in terms of the embodied imagery which they seem to imply (center-left column). We then compare this embodied imagery to DRAs (center-right column). The DRAs are seen to be facets of the disciplinary physics laws (rightmost column) used in a formal treatment of the task at hand.

Figure 2

A diagrammatic representation of our analysis applied to the titular example of embodiment in this paper: the dance. We identify the semiotic resources of body position and haptic touch (left column) as invoking the embodied image of rotating in a partner dance (middle-left column). This image can be seen as relating to all four DRAs (middle right column) for our given question (Sec. 4a), which in turn are aspects of three formal physics laws (right column).

Figure 3

A screenshot of the PhET simulation, My Solar System, on the “Binary star, planet” preset, showing the simulation a short while after hitting the Start button (the green rectangle, in the upper-right). The presets drop-down menu can be seen above the start button (highlighted in blue from this particular preset being selected). Along the bottom of the interface, users can enter values with a keyboard to precisely set the mass, $x$ and $y$ positions, and $x$ and $y$ velocities of the bodies in the system.

Figure 4

A screenshot of the My Solar System simulation showing the “Sun and planet” preset.

Figure 5

Illustrations of Adam’s multimodal utterances in (a) line 2—where we see him including an embodied image of a reciprocity of interaction, and (b) line 4—where he can be seen involving an embodied image of forced around.

Figure 6

(a) Adam offers his hands to Beth with an invitation to “rotate around” (line 5). (b) Adam then acts out an unrealistic overrotation in the dance context by scooting in his chair (line 7). This is the dance, which resembles the spinning that Jack and Rose do in Titanic and that we suggest implies an embodied imagery of the experience of dance.

Figure 7

Beth demonstrates her interpretation of the relationship between the dance and the orbiting stars with two gestures indicating an embodied image of holding together (line 8).

Figure 8

(a) Adam reengages in the dance with Beth from a standing position (line 9, left frame), this time making sure to draw Beth’s attention to the outward position from where the two of them would be holding one another (line 9, right frame). (b) Adam overrotates again (line 11, left frame). He then holds the overrotated position and highlights that “there is nothing left to hold” to Beth while gesturing to the space that he has left unoccupied (line 11, right frame).

Figure 9

Adam answers the researchers’ question by pointing his fingers inward toward each other as he traces the motion of each star on the IWB (line 13, left frame)—involving the embodied imagery of symmetric pair and attraction. Beth disagrees and points outward from the center of mass at the apocenters of the orbits (line 14, right frame)—involving the embodied imagery of symmetric pair and repulsion.

Figure 10

(a) Adam points his fingers toward each other over the stars on the IWB to show the inward direction of the forces (line 17, left frame). He then gestures in a circular motion while explaining that this is what keeps the stars going “around each other” (line 17, right frame)—which we interpret as involving the embodied image of forced around. (b) Beth demonstrates her understanding of Adam’s explanation by mirroring his inward pointing gesture against the IWB (line 18). In doing so, she seems to involve the embodied image of attraction alongside the image of a symmetric pair.

Figure 11

(a) Adam explicitly links the pointing gesture for the forces of the binary star system (line 31, left frame) with his and Beth’s arms during the dance (line 21, right frame)—verbally and gesturally involving rotating in a partner dance. (b) Beth gestures along the larger orbit on the IWB while saying that she needs to have a “larger orbit” (line 24), which seems to imply an embodied image of lighter is farther.

Figure 12

A line-by-line summary of Adam and Beth’s interaction. Each row corresponds to a line of dialogue and each column corresponds to one of the four disciplinary-relevant aspects from the formal treatment of the OP question (recall, ${\mathrm{DRA}}_1$ states that the interaction requires two bodies, ${\mathrm{DRA}}_2$ states that the interaction is reciprocal, ${\mathrm{DRA}}_3$ states that the interaction determines motion, and ${\mathrm{DRA}}_4$ states that the interaction is attractive). We pattern each cell with the type of semiotic resource utilized by Adam or Beth within that line that we interpret as relating to that disciplinary-relevant aspect. The embodied imagery corresponding to each line is listed to the right.