Reflective interventions: Enactivism and phenomenology on ways of bringing the body into intellectual engagement.

Educational policies often highlight the connection between body and mind in sense-oriented subjects like physical education or arts, but treat the body as irrelevant in intellectual or mental learning. This paradox stems from underlying ideologies that separate cognition from physical experience. Drawing on phenomenological and enactivist perspectives, the author argues for an approach to embodied learning that applies to both sense-oriented and intellectual domains. Recognizing the interdependence of body and mind, including their situatedness in context, benefits not only physical and sensory cultivation but also opens new possibilities for intellectual engagement.

Study at a glance

Abstract

When it comes to the body, the professional pedagogical field shows a paradoxical attitude: With regard to sense-oriented school subjects, educational policies tend to underline a close relatedness of body and mind. However, where learning is primarily connected with mental activities and intellectual engagement, the body is rarely assigned an integral role. Discussing the grounding ideologies of this paradox, I will consult phenomenological and enactivist perspectives in order to develop an approach to embodied learning which takes into account both sense-oriented as well as intellectual domains. I will argue that considering the interdependence of body and mind including their situatedness does not only benefit the cultivation of the body and the senses, but also opens up further perspectives for intellectual engagement.