ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concept of ‘embodied teaching’. The importance of the teacher is discussed and the notion of ‘pedagogic discourse’, as comprising both instructional and regulative discourses, is described. In setting the context for the ideas in the subsequent chapters, the theoretical orientation on which the book is based, specifically the tenets of social semiotics and the principles of Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis (SFMDA), is presented in relation to teaching and learning. The conceptions and arguments in this book are situated within the field of educational semiotics, where the lens of social semiotics is applied to view and provide insights on teaching and learning. This chapter also establishes the central argument of the book, which is that in recognising the choices made by teachers and drawing attention to the meaning potential of these choices, teachers can develop a semiotic awareness. In turn, these understandings can bring about an apt and fluent use of their bodily resources and teaching tools to design meaningful learning experiences for their students.
