Using Physical Movement to Aid Memorisation and Revision

What is embodied cognition and why does it relate to revision?

Embodied cognition is the branch of cognitive science that studies how the body — not just the brain — participates in thinking and learning. Rather than treating the brain as a computer that receives input and produces output, embodied cognition research recognises that physical states, movements, and sensory experiences shape cognitive processes including memory.

Applied to revision, this means that the body's state during learning is not irrelevant background noise — it can be a tool. Movement creates additional sensory encoding alongside the verbal and visual encoding that most revision relies on. Information encoded through multiple channels is more robust than information encoded through one alone.

This is different from the discredited claim that students have fixed "kinaesthetic learning styles" who must move to learn effectively. Embodied cognition effects benefit most learners to some degree — they are not a special category.

What does the research show about movement and memory?

Several lines of research support the link between movement and memory:

Walking and cognitive function. Research published in health and neuroscience journals shows that walking — even at a modest pace — increases cerebral blood flow and correlates with improvements in attention and memory consolidation. A brief walk before a study session can prime the brain for encoding.

Gesture and learning. Studies by Goldin-Meadow and colleagues show that students who use gestures while explaining concepts learn them better than those who do not. Gestures appear to offload cognitive effort from working memory and help consolidate the concepts they represent.

Movement and retrieval. Some research suggests that being in a similar physical state during retrieval to the state during encoding can strengthen recall — a context-dependent memory effect. Students who pace while learning material sometimes find retrieval easier when they pace during recall as well.

Physical activity and neuroplasticity. The NHS notes that regular physical activity is associated with improved concentration, mood, and cognitive function — all of which support learning. The connection between regular exercise and academic performance is well-established and separate from the specific in-session movement effects described here.

Practical ways to use movement in revision

1. Pace while reciting. After reading and covering your notes on a topic, stand up and pace slowly while reciting the content from memory. The movement keeps you physically engaged, reduces the temptation to look at notes, and creates a physical context associated with the material. Many students find that information which stubbornly refused to stick during seated revision is more accessible during paced recall.

2. Gesture through processes. For multi-step processes — the stages of mitosis, the rock cycle, the steps of a titration, the stages of a river from source to sea — assign a gesture to each step and perform them in sequence while narrating. The gesture provides an additional memory hook beyond the words and can help with the sequence of ordered information.

3. Walk through a topic before a session. A 10-minute walk before sitting down to revise a difficult topic can improve the quality of the study session that follows. This is not a study technique per se — it is preparation that creates better conditions for learning by improving oxygenation, reducing cortisol (a stress hormone), and refreshing attention.

4. Use the location method for sequences. For lists that must be memorised in order — the order of elements in a process, the sequence of historical events, the conjugation of a verb across tenses — walk a fixed route in your home and mentally place each item at a specific location. When you later walk the route (physically or in your imagination), the items are 'collected' in sequence. This is a variant of the method of loci, adapted to active movement.

5. Record yourself explaining and play it during light movement. Record yourself explaining a topic (as in the Feynman technique) and listen back during a short walk. Listening while walking lightly serves dual purposes: the exercise benefits noted above, and a second exposure to the explanation during a different physical state, which may reinforce encoding.

When is movement most helpful?

What movement does not do

Movement during revision is not a substitute for the cognitive work of retrieval practice. Pacing while looking at your notes is not retrieval practice — it is just walking while re-reading. The benefit comes from combining movement with active recall: covering the notes and producing the content from memory while moving. The movement supports the encoding and retrieval; it does not replace the cognitive effort.

Movement also does not compensate for insufficient preparation. A long walk the evening before a GCSE exam does not substitute for months of retrieval-based revision. It can, however, be a genuinely useful tool when used as part of a complete revision approach.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as saying some students are kinaesthetic learners?

No. The claim that students have fixed kinaesthetic, visual, or auditory learning styles — and that matching teaching to their preferred style improves learning — is not supported by robust evidence. This article makes a different claim: that physical movement can strengthen memory encoding for most students in certain contexts, particularly for sequential and procedural content. This is an evidence-based finding about the conditions for optimal encoding, not a claim about fixed personality types.

Can movement help with anxiety during revision?

Yes. The NHS recommends physical activity as one of the most effective interventions for mild to moderate anxiety. Students who experience revision-related anxiety often find that building short movement breaks into their study sessions — even just standing and stretching — reduces physiological tension and helps maintain a more productive mental state.

Are there revision techniques that are specifically good for students who find sitting still difficult?

For students who find prolonged sitting genuinely difficult — including some students with ADHD or hyperactivity — short, frequent active breaks during revision can help maintain attention quality. The Pomodoro technique (25 minutes focused, 5-minute break) pairs well with a brief walk or movement during the break. The key is that the movement break restores attention rather than interrupting it: a clear physical transition that signals the end of one work block and the beginning of the next.

How much movement is beneficial?

Brief and purposeful movement is most effective. A two-minute pace while reciting a set of facts, a ten-minute walk to prime a study session, a set of gestures accompanying a process — these are the scales where movement aids memory. This is not an argument for revision by movement as the primary method. Sitting, writing, and active recall at a desk remain the core of effective revision; movement is a supplement, not a replacement.

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