What’s the Big Idea? CEP 818

Created by: Jean-Claude Aura Date: November 2010 Page 1

Embodied Thinking

Definition and examples

Embodied thinking is the ability to see the world from one’s subject’s perspective or ‘eyes’. This

technique is used to better understand how one’s subject feels about the events surrounding

them. A doctor can find an appropriate cure for his patients if he can identify with them. An

actor can help his audience absorb every moment of his acting if he can embody the character

he’s play-acting. An architect can come up with a more efficient design if he can realize how

people would regard his work. All these and many more can do a better job than just finding a

remedy or designing blueprints if they can get into other people’s shoes and see the work from

those people’s own eyes. In the field of education, teachers can explain their subject matter

more effectively if they can see how their students themselves perceive things.

Impact on my own personal life

What better way is there to understand how people feel about your actions than to see your

own actions with their own eyes? That’s what I do when I need to address people’s concerns.

Whether I’m offering my condolences or congratulating someone on a particular success, I

always try to imagine what would be the most appropriate way to do it based on how these

people would react. For instance, I’m considering starting my own catering business. As such, I

need to assess my customers’ needs to find out how best to start the business, in particular the

location and food to serve. Such a business would have to be handled completely differently in

Canada than in Dubai. That’s because Canadians definitely have different taste and needs than

people in Dubai. Whether for personal or professional reasons, embodied thinking surely

highlights the best way to approach a topic.

Isn’t this a good way to teach what the world

looks like from space? Our students need to

get into an astronaut’s shoes to really

understand what’s going on in space.

What’s the Big Idea? CEP 818

Created by: Jean-Claude Aura Date: November 2010 Page 2

Impact on my ability to teach creatively

As a teacher, and prior to taking CEP818, I’d always put myself in my students’ shoes to see

what would work best for them. I generally address the topic at hand as if I were a student. In

other words, I become my own student and analyze how I would like to be taught. It’s true that

people have different needs and preferences, but approaching a topic from my own

perspective as a student would definitely give more fruitful results than from my own

perspective as a teacher. And even while approaching a topic as a student, I would image

myself as a different type of student each time and assess the needs involved to make the

learning experience as beneficial as possible to students. With that said, I would embody

different types of learners and use the most convenient teaching approach. One way I diagnose

my students’ writing ability to anticipate potential problems is to imagine myself having their

language skills and asked to develop a well-organized essay. I found out that this can be a real

feat!

Ever wondered why the elderly struggle with

technology? Well, try to imagine yourself with

their limited knowledge of computer and

deeply-rooted old paper-and-pencil habits, and

then see if you can ever be more productive!