From Intuition to Intention: Co-Developing Design Principles for Embodied Science Instruction Through Participatory Inquiry

Many science teachers intuitively draw on a wide range of embodied instructional practices. However, many of these practices remain tacit, with teachers struggling to articulate why they work or when to employ them. The Science Education Network for Embodied Sense-Making (SENSES) presents one attempt to make this tacit knowledge explicit. Following a participatory design methodology, SENSES brought together seven upper-secondary science teachers and seven science education researchers to collaboratively explore embodied cognition perspectives and co-construct design principles for embodied science instruction. Drawing on workshop recordings and teacher reflections from across a twelve-month network cycle, we present eight design principles organized into three categories: preparation and design, implementation and facilitation, and consolidation and connection. We reflect on how the participatory network model supported teachers in moving from intuitive to intentional use of embodied approaches and discuss implications for science teacher education programs seeking to bridge embodied cognition research and classroom practice.