2024 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 345-358
Embodied cognition is a theory that deals with cognition rooted in the interaction between the body and the environment. There is also a distinction between online and offline embodied cognition. Consideration of science experiments and observations is deeply related to offline embodied cognition. The purpose of this study was to develop an offline embodied design to support reflection on observations and experiments and to clarify its effectiveness. The target study was the phases of the moon in 6th grade elementary school Science class. The method of the off-line embodied design was the creation of slides of photographs of celestial bodies. Specifically, photographs of body movements showing angular distances and visual information about celestial bodies were stored in chronological order in presentation software. The results clarified the following points. First, it is suggested that the use of slides of celestial body photographs showing the progression of their movements through the cosmos may facilitate reflection on the recall of sensory-motor information in the photographs. Second, it is suggested that the use of slides of celestial body photographs has a positive effect on learners’ reflection and retention of what they have learnt. In the methods and subjects developed, the use of sensory-motor information for off-line considerations can be expected to have certain benefits. The effects on inference and retention were shown for children with higher spatial skills, but the details of these effects remain to be determined.
