Learning is just learning or is it?... What do we perceive the cognitive mindset to be?

 

As humans we are accustomed to learn, it is our nature to be inquisitive and curious (Whittingham, 2009), but are we? Whittingham (2009) discusses the naturally distinctive human nature of curiosity but of course this is dependent on our environment and the pockets of information in our long term memory to recognise our interests and start the journey of building on what we already know. 

My project in Module three is centred around the question 'Can cognitive awareness be achieved through physical thinking in structured dance examinations?' Lots to unpick here and many themes that are contrasting and controversial to each other. The idea of structure suggests to me, a rigid, robust passage of learning, one which is designed from the teachers perspective to build upon knowledge to achieve a specific set of outcomes. However, for students structure may suggest security for students, or can suggest 'going through the motions' and 'what is expected of us'. All important in some aspects when delivering educations and assessing attainment. But the biggest question of all is how can I presume what students are thinking, when it has been so long since I have been an adolescent. Don't get me wrong, I cannot truly experience the mindset of an adolescent, as I have experienced this before, but I can try to recreate an authentic experience of the feelings that are involved in learning something new. 

As dance teachers, we have developed the nature of reflective thinking which is still ongoing, especially as we are building learners in dance. So why wouldn't we want to change something that will impact those around us positively. Well its not as simple as this, as the word ambiguity springs to mind. Well, this got me thinking about what students do experience when learning something new. And if we want to change the way we teach something, surely we have to understand the impact of our practice now and currently to make the change, experiencing what the students feel. 

In the dance class:

I have been a creature of habit, going into graded examination class and teaching students how the exam board want us to deliver, replicating exercises, where students will receive an assessment grade, replicating their understanding of a style and the talent of the dancer. But I do feel there is a huge gap between appreciation and physical understanding of one's self and just performing the exercises. I have tried to incorporate techniques to build students awareness of the style in their own body and their body as an instrument, and with some students you can see a change and some not quite. The traditional motions of class, setting the transitions from exercise to exercise, a sense of fulfilment when reaching the end, working through each of the foundations of style, such as barre, centre. However, I may know that as a teacher but do students understand how the body is evolving over time. 

I have started to research for my literature the cognitive psychology behind the brain, building a bigger picture of perception of our surroundings and motion. I am excited to start learning a syllabus from a style I have never experienced, to collect data in the student environment. I am usually very organised and love pre planning, however, learning from the graded video straight away with no prior looking, will be daunting but creating an authentic experience of a student stepping into class, learning through direct instruction and modelling. 

Why don't students like school- Daniel Whittingham, 2009