I really appreciate the barrier to entry dynamic you describe. A technique I use with avoidant students is to take the first steps of a task with them, e.g. "Hey, let's do the first problem together. What does it say?" I often find that once I cajole a student to initiate a task, the students' own momentum can start to take over in the learning process. I look forward to the next installments!
Absolutely. I think of this as "dominoes." You need the initial input of energy to start the process, but then the energy builds as the student experiences the movement that comes from engaging.
Thank you, Jesse, for this powerful piece. I love your emphasis on the importance of helping students connect with their breath, and their bodies. Learning is often seen as a process that happens from the neck up, and sadly the higher students climb on the academic ladder the less their embodiment is acknowledged. The four stages of the creative process model is fascinating and fits perfectly with what I've observed in students as well. Of course as teachers we've all traveled that same journey many times ourselves, and you're right that sharing with our students the challenges we've experienced as learners can be enormously beneficial. Finding the balance between allowing them to feel the challenge while also providing scaffolding to help them feel secure as they learning truly is 'the art of tutoring.'
Thanks for your comment! Sir Ken Robinson's Out Of Our Minds focuses on exactly your idea that we teach kids only from the "neck up," but the structures of the brain indicate that cognition and motor function are intertwined and benefit each other. He thinks we should be teaching everyone to dance!
I really appreciate the barrier to entry dynamic you describe. A technique I use with avoidant students is to take the first steps of a task with them, e.g. "Hey, let's do the first problem together. What does it say?" I often find that once I cajole a student to initiate a task, the students' own momentum can start to take over in the learning process. I look forward to the next installments!
Absolutely. I think of this as "dominoes." You need the initial input of energy to start the process, but then the energy builds as the student experiences the movement that comes from engaging.
Thank you, Jesse, for this powerful piece. I love your emphasis on the importance of helping students connect with their breath, and their bodies. Learning is often seen as a process that happens from the neck up, and sadly the higher students climb on the academic ladder the less their embodiment is acknowledged. The four stages of the creative process model is fascinating and fits perfectly with what I've observed in students as well. Of course as teachers we've all traveled that same journey many times ourselves, and you're right that sharing with our students the challenges we've experienced as learners can be enormously beneficial. Finding the balance between allowing them to feel the challenge while also providing scaffolding to help them feel secure as they learning truly is 'the art of tutoring.'
Thanks for your comment! Sir Ken Robinson's Out Of Our Minds focuses on exactly your idea that we teach kids only from the "neck up," but the structures of the brain indicate that cognition and motor function are intertwined and benefit each other. He thinks we should be teaching everyone to dance!
I completely agree!! 💃🏻🕺🏿