Enacting planets to learn physics

TL;DR

This paper explores how using a human-scale Solar System model can enhance children's understanding of physics concepts through active, sensorimotor engagement, grounded in enaction theory.

Contribution

It introduces the use of a human Orrery to activate and link cognitive and sensorimotor activities in learning physics, supported by empirical activities with children.

Findings

Enhanced understanding of velocity through gesture analysis

Linking sensorimotor activities to abstract physics concepts

Enaction theory provides a useful framework for physics education

Abstract

The Solar System motivates students to interest themselves in sciences, as a large number of concepts may be easily introduced through the observation and understanding of planet's motion. Using a large representation of the Solar System at a human scale ("a human Orrery"), we intend to show how cognitive activities about kinematics and dynamics are activated and linked to the sensori-motors activities. In the last three years, we have conducted different activities with 10 to 16 years old children. In this contribution, we discuss the different scientific concepts covered by the Human Orrery, and the enaction theory that provides a theoretical background to those activities. We detail the enaction of velocity with a description of the gestures in relation with the abstract concepts involved in kinematics.