My teachable subject is math and I find the content in my subject fall on two extremes - embodied learning can be very useful in some area and can be no use in some area.
For shapes, trignometry and functions, using models and motions in the learning could help student understand and remember more about the content. However, I do not find embodied learning useful when doing numbers, algebra and pre-calculus (especially for secondary level), since these area are more theoretical and difficult to apply to actual objects.
When teaching 3-D measurement, we could use irregular shaped objects and ask students to “measure” them. Since many things in daily life is different from theories - most of them are irregular figures so that formula cannot be applied perfectly and disconnect math and real life. We could teach them different ways to measure objects based on formula and connect math with actual things again.
Although I think it is difficult to apply embodied learning in algebra, I find a good counter example in math history class. Some students have gone through mental arithmetic training and able to calculate rapidly mentally, they move their hands (with the imaginary abaci) and get answers in few seconds. I am not sure weather this could be thought as a kind of embodied practice.
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