=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2712/paper3
|storemode=property
|title=Orchestrating the Technology-Enhanced Embodied Learning Classroom via Learning Stations Rotation: A case study (extended abstract)
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2712/paper03.pdf
|volume=Vol-2712
|authors=Marianna Ioannou,Andri Ioannou,Yiannis Georgiou,Michael Boloudakis
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/ectel/IoannouIGB19
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==Orchestrating the Technology-Enhanced Embodied Learning Classroom via Learning Stations Rotation: A case study (extended abstract)==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2712/paper03.pdf
Orchestrating the Technology-Enhanced Embodied
Learning Classroom via Learning Stations Rotation: A
case study
Marianna Ioannou¹, Andri Ioannou¹ ², Yiannis Georgiou¹ ², Michael Boloudakis³
¹ Cyprus Interaction Lab, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus Uni-
versity of Technology
² Research Center on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies
(RISE) Cyprus
³ Kinems, Inc., New York, USA
Abstract. This work presents a case study of orchestrating a technology-en-
hanced embodied learning experience in an authentic classroom. As new tech-
nologies (e.g., motion-based technologies, natural user interfaces) and emerging
pedagogies (e.g., embodied learning) find their way into the classroom it is ex-
tremely important to advance our knowledge of how to improve practice with
respect to planning and orchestrating the classroom environment. This case study
presents researchers and teachers’ efforts in orchestrating a technology-enhanced
embodied learning classroom in elementary education demonstrating the strate-
gies and methods adopted.
Keywords: Embodied Learning, Classroom Orchestration, Learning Stations Ro-
tation
1 Introduction and theoretical background
The emergence of natural user interfaces, mixed reality technologies and full body in-
teraction technologies is thought to have created new opportunities for embodied learn-
ing pedagogies. However, research on technology-enhanced embodied learning is
mostly conducted in controlled laboratory and idealized settings therefore, lacking a
clear focus on investigating the efficacy of such pedagogies in authentic educational
environments (Karakostas, Palaigeorgiou & Kompatsiaris, 2017). Some recent work on
technology-enhanced embodied learning in authentic classrooms points to issues of
classroom orchestration and relevant factors contributing (positively or negatively) to
the learning experience (e.g., Ioannou, Georgiou, Ioannou, Johnson-Glenberg, 2019;
Georgiou, Ioannou & Ioannou, 2019).
Orchestrating learning in the technology-enhanced classroom is not a novel topic.
Yet, as technology and pedagogy evolve, so does the need for new methods and tech-
niques for teaching and learning. Orchestration is defined as “the process by which
teachers and other actors design, manage, adapt and assess learning activities, aligning
the scaffolding at their disposal to achieve the maximum learning effect, informed by
theory while complying pragmatically with the contextual constraints of the setting”
Copyright © 2020 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
26
(Prieto, Holenko-Dlab, Abdulwahed, Gutiérrez & Balid, 2011). Currently, researchers
and practitioners are lacking methods and strategies of orchestrating the technology-
enhanced embodied learning classroom, as both embodied learning technology (e.g.,
motion-based technologies, games) and embodied learning pedagogy (e.g., embodied
are relatively new to the educational arena (e.g., Kosmas, Ioannou & Zaphiris, 2018;
Kosmas, Ioannou, Retalis, 2017; Ioannou & Ioannou, 2018). In this spirit, the overarch-
ing research question of this study is: What methods and strategies can be used for
technology integration and orchestration of embodied learning in an authentic class-
room?
2 Method
Participants
Participants were fifty-two 1st graders (aged 6-7 years old) who were enrolled in three
classrooms in a public primary school and five in-service teachers (three mainstream
teachers, a speech therapist teacher and a special education teacher).
Procedures
Via a co-design process, researchers and educators endeavored to co-design the tech-
nology-enhanced embodied learning environment in an authentic school classroom
with mixed ability students. A learning stations rotation model was adopted which al-
lows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule. Students were assigned in
mixed ability groups of four. The domain was language and all activities were directly
linked to the curriculum goals of the unit (i.e., spelling of words of different length).
Four stations were set in each classroom. Two of the stations utilized technology and
the other two utilized conversional paper-and-pencil tools. The technological stations
comprised of (i) a kinect-based learning game from Kinems (see “Lexis” game at
https://www.kinems.com/) projected on a portable screen-surface and (ii) a learning
game played on the interactive whiteboard which was already fixed in the classroom.
Both games were about language learning – a missing letter game – allowing children
to practice their skills on word spelling by dragging letters into words, using the hands
and arms. The paper and pencil stations were also related to word spelling (crosswords,
spelling games and word and pictures matching games). Overall, the stations were con-
ceptually connected and the activities built on each other to promote learning in the
domain of language, linked to the school curriculum.
At the beginning of the session, the researchers introduced the use of the Kinect camera
(new to the students) and the Kinect-based application (how to grasp items). Students
were already familiar with the use of the interactive whiteboard and of course, paper
and pencil activities in groups. The lesson lasted approximately 80 minutes. The lesson
plan was replicated in three different classrooms (n=52 students). Data were gathered
via a group interview with the participating teachers at the end of the learning interven-
tion. The group interview aimed at understanding teachers’ experience of orchestrating
the technology-enhanced embodied learning experience, enacted via the learning sta-
tions rotation model.
27
Fig. 2. The learning stations rotation model for embodied learning in the classroom
3 Findings
According to the participating teachers design/planning was the most important factor
for the successful technology integration and orchestration of embodied learning.
Teachers evaluated the co-designing process as a positive factor contributing to the
success of the technology-enhanced embodied learning experience. Using the learning
stations rotation model was also perceived as crucial. The teachers thought that rotation
between stations with a variety of activities kept students’ interest and engagement at
high levels and promoted active learning. As the teachers further explained, during the
lesson the teacher became a coach in supporting and scaffolding the learning activities,
rather than delivering information. According to them, teacher monitoring and scaf-
folding (e.g., hints and prompts) as well as peer feedback contributed positively to stu-
dents’ learning. The teachers further evaluated the integration of the technology as ed-
ucationally beneficial.
4 Discussion
Technology-enhanced embodied learning can be an engaging experience for the learn-
ers. However, it requires new strategies and methods for classroom planning and or-
chestration. The learning stations rotation model and associated classroom orchestra-
tion strategies presented in this paper could be further refined based on classroom im-
plementations across varying schools and in different domains.
28
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