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Kinesthetic activities in physics instruction: Image schematic justification and design based on didactic situations

One of the major difficulties in learning physics is for students to develop a conceptual understanding of the core concepts of physics. Many authors have argued that student conceptions of basic physical phenomena are rooted in basic schemas, originating in fundamental kinesthetic experiences of being. If central schemas have a bodily basis, this idea should be utilized in physics instruction. Thus, we argue that kinesthetic activities, including careful experiential and conceptual analysis will provide useful entry point for student acquisition of the basic conceptions of physics, and can overcome the phenomenological gap between the experiential and the conceptual understanding. We discuss the nature of image schemas and focus particularly on one: effort-resistance-flow. We argue that this schema is fundamental not only in our everyday experience, but also in most of school physics. We provide an example of a kinesthetic model and describe how an instructional strategy of these exercises can support student understanding and intuition with respect to central physics concepts.