Thinking through hands in education

Abstract

This chapter exemplifies and discusses the role of the body in teaching and learning. By the expression “thinking through hands”, we address the common misunderstanding that “thinking” is a process in our mind only and acknowledge that our mind does not have access to the world without our senses. We pay particular attention to the hands as they facilitate thinking as well as help externalise, extend, and distribute ideas out into the world. We refer to such thinking through hands as sense-making. We give examples of sense-making in craft practices and explain how material interaction develops skills and abilities that are transferable to other contexts and learning subjects. 4E theory sheds light on the role of the hands in thinking in other domains as well, and we end the chapter with recommendations for embodied teaching and learning.