Applying Embodied Cognition: Exploring a New College English Teaching Paradigm of Open Universities

Abstract

Teaching paradigm of higher education not only directly represents the overall appearance and practical level of teaching, but also reflects the quality of qualified personnel cultivation in essence. The innovation and optimization of teaching paradigm, thus, has become the logical premise and necessary path for open universities to fulfill its mission of high-quality development. However, the existing college English teaching paradigm of open universities is still in the state of disembodied cognition paradigm, which has become a hindrance to deepen teaching reform, and leads to the quality problems unsolved in a long run. In view of this, we should apply the latest cognitive science as guidance and the three aspects of paradigm as the analytical framework to remold the existing paradigm from the perspective of the metaphysical aspect, the sociological aspect, and the constructive aspect respectively. In the metaphysical aspect of paradigm, adopt embodied cognition as the epistemology of English teaching. In the sociological aspect of paradigm, insist principles of embodiment, situation, enactment and dynamic on the methodology of English teaching. In the constructive aspect of paradigm, incorporate embodied cognition in current main teaching modes, i.e., “Intelligence＋” teaching, blended teaching, multimodal teaching. The above-mentioned three aspects serve as a systematic and organic whole in striving to improve teaching quality, and ultimately facilitate a shift from the view of “ the disembodied” to “the embodied”.