EXPO 2026: "Differential Equations through Movement"

Описание: Fri | 1:00 PM–1:30 PM ET
Manuela Manetta and Lori Teague; Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA

Abstract: What if learning differential equations began with moving the body? This talk presents Differential Equations through Movement, a multi-year pedagogical project developed at Emory University that integrates structured movement-based activities into the teaching of ordinary differential equations. Drawing on embodied cognition, collaborative learning, and studio-based pedagogical practices, this approach uses movement as a representational and sense-making tool rather than as an analogy or enrichment activity.
The talk introduces the methodological framework underlying the course and illustrates how specific movement structures — such as oscillatory motion, canon, flocking, and spatial density — support students’ qualitative understanding of key concepts including stability, oscillations, phase shifts, and phase portraits. Several classroom activities will be discussed, alongside student reflections that highlight how embodied experience can precede and inform formal mathematical reasoning.
This work demonstrates how movement-based laboratories can be meaningfully integrated into a differential equations curriculum while maintaining mathematical rigor, supporting student engagement, and expanding pathways for conceptual understanding.

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