Learning from complex instructional materials typically requires sustained attention, but many learners -both children and adults -may find their minds 'wandering' when learning. Drama educators have argued that 'mirroring' exercises, where students in pairs or groups mirror each other's movements, improve attention; but, to date, evidence for this claim is anecdotal. This exploratory study investigated the effects of a prelearning mirroring intervention on mathematical performance from the perspective of cognitive load theory. Twenty-six university students engaged in a mindful and embodied mirroring activity before learning a rapid mental mathematics strategy. Effects on learning were evaluated using two mathematical problem-solving tests completed after learning the maths strategy. Compared to the non-mirroring condition, students in the mirroring condition solved subsequent test problems more quickly than those in the control condition. Initial evidence thus suggests a mirroring intervention may enhance the quality of learning during mathematics.Keywords: cognitive load theory, embodied cognition, attention, drama education, mirroringCognitive load theory (CLT; Sweller, 2011) is a contemporary educational psychology theory that applies findings from cognitive science to generate effective instructional designs for learning. The theory stipulates a working memory (WM) whose capacity and duration limitations can be circumvented by knowledge in schematic form in long-term memory. Baddeley's (1986) WM model has underpinned the human cognitive architecture used by CLT to generate novel instructional designs. Recently, Schweppe and Rummer (2014) have argued CLT might benefit from considering other WM models as a means of generating novel instructional designs. For example, Kane and Engle's (2002) WM model holds that WM capacity is a function of the ability to control attention, so that information is held in an active, easily retrievable state. Kane and Engle's WM model raises questions as to what instructional activities or designs might best enhance attention control; or, to put it another way, reduce mind wandering as a failure of attentional control. Mind wandering, defined by McVay and Kane (2010) as 'off-task thoughts during an ongoing task or activity ' (p. 188), is one of the most ubiquitous of all mental activities (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010),

Learning mathematical concepts and procedures typically requires extended cognitive effort, presenting a challenge for many children. People can make tracing actions with the index finger, as well as mimic another's movements, with little or no conscious effort. From the perspective of cognitive load theory, such biologically primary actions may facilitate learning biologically secondary concepts and skills requiring extensive cognitive effort, such as mathematics. The present study investigated effects on learning processes and outcomes of students mimicking a teacher's tracing actions from the perspective of an evolutionarily informed cognitive load theory. One hundred and thirteen Grade Two children learned about number lines, either observing a teacher tracing out elements of worked examples with her index finger, or mimicking the teacher's tracing actions with their own index finger. In accord with hypotheses, results indicated enhanced performance due to mimicking on cognitive load, motivation, and post‐test performance. Directions for future research are discussed.

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