Synopsis:

This presentation draws upon decades of cognitive science, creativity, drama/theatre and education research to demonstrate why enactive pedagogies such as drama should figure centrally into schooling practices. The main argument is that the brain, and eventually the mind, is a predictive machine that maps its predictive ability through the body. This twinned mapping of the brain and the body is a central concern of researchers interested in education, cognitive science and learning.

Evidence shows that engaging the body not only reinforces learning multi-modally, but in fact triggers something much more profound; when the body is recruited in learning, the whole brain is activated. What drama provides more than other physical engagements is the creative and emotional dimensions of learning. Research is clear that when emotional centers are called upon during learning, the duration and complexity of the learning is more lasting.

Dr Peter Duffy's research makes the case for embodied and social cognition in learning as well as look at the role that metaphor and cognitive linguistics plays in how we conceptualise and frame learning.

About the Presenter
Dr Peter Duffy heads the Master of Arts in Teaching programme in theatre education at the University of South Carolina where he prepares future teachers to become drama educators. He teaches courses on drama-based pedagogies and arts integration. He is a director and is a former public school teacher, education director and a New York City teaching artist. His research interests include ethnography, cognition and the arts, culturally responsive pedagogies and performed research. He serves as the Director of Research for the International Drama/Theatre Education Association (IDEA) and is a member of AATE.