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Study 3/4 Three experiments in the laboratory involving student behavior and brain imaging, and one randomized field experiment in college physics classrooms explored the importance of physical experience in science learning. We reasoned that understanding science concepts such as torque and angular momentum is aided by activation of sensory-motor brain systems that add kinetic detail and meaning to student thinking. We tested whether physical experience with angular momentum increases involvement of sensory-motor brain systems during subsequent student reasoning and whether this involvement aids understanding. The physical experience, a brief exposure to forces associated with angular momentum, significantly improved quiz scores. Moreover, improved performance was explained by activation of sensory-motor brain regions when students later reasoned about angular momentum. This finding specifies a mechanism underlying the value of physical experience in science education, and leads the way for classroom practices where experience with the physical world is an integral part of learning.
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ICAR Research Data Repository for Knowledge Management