Lisa Clughen's path to transformative teaching

"Moving together brings us together"

COME ON OVER

EPISODE #30 WITH LISA CLUGHEN

The Embodied Educator
🎧 Podcast

The Embodied Educator
🎧 Podcast

The Embodied Educator
👀Vodcast

# Embracing Embodied Education: A Conversation with Lisa Clughen

Welcome dear educators, to a brand new season of the Embodied Educator podcast. In this first episode, we're thrilled to share the inspiring conversation with our international guest, Lisa Clughen. Lisa is an award-winning senior lecturer in Spanish, a proponent of embodied education, and a passionate advocate for utilizing the body in the learning process.

## Introducing Lisa Clughen
Lisa Clughen's rich background in education includes studying languages at Oxford, working as a senior lecturer at the Nottingham Institute for Languages and Intercultural Communication (NILIC), and advocating for embodied education for many years. Lisa's achievements are impressive, from running writing and student support centers to publishing influential works on embodied education.

### Writing and the Body
One of Lisa's key strategies is to involve students physically in their writing process. She asks students to engage in activities such as writing on each other's backs, hands, or even in the air. By making writing a physical activity, she helps students become more connected to their work, alleviating the anxiety and disembodiment often associated with academic writing.

Bringing Qigong into the Classroom

Lisa incorporates Qigong, a Chinese practice involving coordinated movements and breathing exercises, into her teaching. She explains that Qigong can help students focus, calm their minds, and bring their awareness into the present moment. During the pandemic, she introduced Qigong to her online classes, allowing students to participate privately. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with students reporting that the practice helped them manage stress and anxiety.

## Research and Evidence: Support for Embodied Education
Lisa's approach is backed by extensive research. Studies have shown that handwriting enhances brain connectivity, and rhythmic, coordinated movement can build a sense of community and improve self-esteem. The positive impact of movement on mental health is particularly significant, with organizations like the World Health Organization advocating for practices like Qigong for their mental health benefits.

## Practical Tips for Educators
For educators interested in incorporating embodied methodologies into their teaching, Lisa offers the following tips:

1. Provide Choice: Always give students options to participate in a way that feels comfortable for them. This could mean writing in the air, on their hands, or on a desk.

2. Explain the Rationale: Discuss the benefits of embodied practices with students to help them understand why these activities are beneficial. Presenting scientific evidence can make students more willing to participate.

3. Focus on Positive Emotions: Emphasize activities that foster joy, curiosity, and connection. Positive emotions are not only good for mental health but also enhance learning.

## Conclusion: The Future of Embodied Education
Lisa Clughen's work highlights the transformative potential of embodied education. By bringing the body into the learning process, educators can create more engaging, inclusive, and effective educational experiences. Lisa continues to research and promote these methodologies, encouraging educators worldwide to embrace the body's role in teaching and learning. For those interested in learning more about Lisa's work or participating in her research, she can be found on LinkedIn or through her academic institution. You could help spreading embodiment in the classroom by filling out one or both of the research questionnaires. PROJECT 1:

Let's continue to explore and celebrate the body's integral role in education, making our classrooms places of both intellectual and physical engagement.

Rising from challenges

Lisa's journey with embodied education originates from a deeply personal place. She explains how her struggle with an eating disorder led her to realize the importance of the body in learning and teaching. Through the Northern Initiative for Women and Eating (NIWE), Lisa became aware that the body is often experienced as a site of trauma and suffering. This realization prompted her to explore the historical and cultural representations of the body, particularly in the works of writers like Federico García Lorca.

The feminist writings of philosophers like Susan Bordo and psychotherapists like Susie Orbach provided Lisa with a framework to understand her own experiences and to challenge destructive cultural discourses around the body. This journey allowed Lisa to see the body not as an enemy but as an integral part of the human experience, deserving of celebration and appreciation.

## From Theory to Practice: Embodied Education in Action
Lisa has used her insights to transform her teaching practices, emphasizing the importance of bringing the body into the learning process. She shares practical examples of how she incorporates embodied methodologies in her classes:

“Learning is stressful, it's an entry into the unknown.”