AUTHORS: Zacharoula Smyrnaiou, Menelaos Sotiriou, Sοfoklis Sotiriou, Eleni Georgakopoulou

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ABSTRACT: In this paper we study Language, Εmbodied Learning and other semiotic systems as an integral means through which students express emotions, reasoning and scientific meanings when they realize scientific theatrical performances. Four characteristics of Embodied Learning examined, those of gestures, whole body movements, emotional involvement and facial expressions combined with two semiotic systems, verbal communication and Art, as well as Analogical Reasoning. Our research question focuses on how students represent scientific contexts and if there is any connection between different semiotic systems, so as students can hold cognitive fields of each notion. Analyzing students’ representations both by quantitative and qualitative methods and grounded theory as well as they performed the scientific theatrical performances, we focused on their scientific representations expressed a) verbally, b) through Embodied Learning, c) through Art and d) through Analogical Reasoning in order to make sense of the scientific concepts embedded to the scenarios. This article presents the results from a large scale implementation activity in Greece within the framework of the “Learning Science through Theatre” (LSTT – http://lstt2.weebly.com/ ) initiated by Science View (http://www.scienceview.gr/) and National Kapodistrian University of Athens during the school year 2014-2015. The Initiative is based on the pedagogical framework which was developed by the European project CREAT-IT (http://creatit-project.eu/) and continues to be implemented in the framework of the European Project CREATIONS ((http://creations-project.eu/ ). As a consequence, it is suggested that Embodied Learning and Analogical Reasoning may lead to scientific learning outcomes of a higher quality while at the same time it may reinforce student communication and motivation in scientific topics. We also identified that it is the simultaneous coexistence of all semiotic systems that enhances the meaning generation process.

KEYWORDS: Meaning generation, scientific representation, semiotic systems, Embodied Learning, Art, scientific theatrical performance, Analogical Reasoning

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