one-on-one with a teacher. There are a number of things to remember in practicing yoga like, being open, visualizing, being present, moving mindfully and slowly, breathing, focusing, and letting go to name a few. When thinking of mindful learning, I think of the yoga of learning. In order to remember common techniques in yoga, you need to have repeated exposure to those techniques and practice, which is much like learning.
Cramming for a yoga class provides no long-term benefit and neither does cramming for a test/exam, the information is only stored for a limited time and fails to produce long-term learning and retention. Yoga isn't an easy technique to master and in order to be an effective learner, one should exercise self-regulation in dismissing external distractions and identifying new methods to increase the level of attention.
Learning isn't meant to be simplistic or easy to some degree, a little struggle is acceptable for the learner, because when the mind has to work, learning embeds better. More effort to retrieve the learning/knowledge when struggle or challenge takes place strengthens learning by that retrieval. When I think of mindful learning, I think of capturing retrieval in which ties the knot for memory and with enough retrieval access, creates pathways/shortcuts into easily accessing that knowledge. Teachers utilize this retrieval practice through assessment, which good assessment involves instant feedback from the retrieval practice effect. So, good assessment should be the core of good informed decision-making and instruction development. Assessment aid teachers’ classroom decisions as well as provide vital information for those particular decisions.
Learning and memory consist of practice, recall, exposure, elaboration, and sleep, which is necessary to strengthen both memory and cues over an extended time period. The brain connects concepts with prior knowledge, deciphers similarities, and differences when new information is added to existing, which links learning and recall making adaptability. Much like yoga, as we master basic poses, we move to more advanced poses, with learning as we master a specific content area we transition into the next phase, and much like teaching in order to progress students to their mastery, we have to make connections with prior knowledge to construct the foundation to new knowledge.
Learners have a sense of solidarity in their prior knowledge, lack the skills or substance, and teachers have misconceptions that hinder new knowledge being useful. Essentially, knowledge can be organized, either facilitates or impedes learning, but how one organizes the knowledge influences the learning, application and execution, so link them comprehensible. Yoga an learning involves mindful learning in retrieving knowledge and skills from experiences, which are depicted from memory. More effort is applied in the practice of delayed retrieval, which reinforces retention on being able to access those yoga poses or specific content.
Chill Break, Enjoy :)
Very interesting comparison. I remember as a kid that I had difficulty focusing on my studies, and I was recommended by several people to practice meditation. Yoga can definitely help in mindfulness and make the learning process way more effective. In fact in ancient India yogis were also the supreme teachers and learning was a process of 'sadhana' or intense mindful focus and meditation.
ReplyDeleteTotally loved the chill break as well! :D
Very interesting comparison. I remember as a kid that I had difficulty focusing on my studies, and I was recommended by several people to practice meditation. Yoga can definitely help in mindfulness and make the learning process way more effective. In fact in ancient India yogis were also the supreme teachers and learning was a process of 'sadhana' or intense mindful focus and meditation.
ReplyDeleteTotally loved the chill break as well! :D
Ok, this might be a stretch, but I'm wondering if there are connections between the "yoga of learning" and James' post about "Socrates and the Fistulated Cow"? http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/cucumbercool/2015/09/07/socrates-and-the-fistulated-cow/
ReplyDeleteIn yoga, mindfulness of the breath and focusing on it is what makes a particular posture (pose) yogic. We think about the breath in much the way we think about digestion (segue to cow stomach coming....): The inhale is nourishment, the pause is digestion, and the exhale releases what we don't need, the pause before the next inhale completes the cleansing process, and so on. In his post, James talks about how the fistulated cow affords a window on a process (ruminant digestion) that is otherwise mysterious to humans -- much in the way an app like Socrative might us some insight on how students learn (or not). There's more, but I'll save it for class.
Very good blog, I liked the comparison between yoga and mindful learning. Last semester I started to attend yoga classes to relieve stress and found that it is very complicated. Like anything in life, it will take practice to master something. Yoga could possibly be something that will take all my life to master. I recently took an online course called learning how to learn, in it, Dr. Barbara Oakley makes a similar argument. She makes an analogy with putting up a brick wall. If you cram material your neurons on the subject are fuzzy and not well connected, not been able to build a sound, well-formed wall. If you study mindfully, you make a strong well-plastered wall that will be easy to recall or use to build upon for future learning.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. Very interesting and funny way to explain the mindful learning.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. Very interesting and funny way to explain the mindful learning.
ReplyDeletePractice does really make a difference in learning. Maybe not in conceptual learning but in memorization of facts. Just like when I tried to get into the pose by the same name, my tree class (dendrology) required massive amounts of memorization. The lecture did not require practice, but the lab made you responsible for knowing new information every week. I have had classes of the same type since that don't account for practice. Instead they expect a much more independent ownership of the specimens covered throughout the semester. To this day I hold my dendro class as the one class that demanded comprehensive understanding through assessment. It might not sound like fun but it really helped me understand my learning process. And with practice I can handle the tree pose too.
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ReplyDeleteWe have to make connections with prior knowledge to construct the foundation to new knowledge. Exactly. However, basic knowledge (compulsory/required courses) often doesn't seem appealing to students. For example, Biochemistry for dental school students. Students will need strong motivation, and teachers often need to play the role of motivator.
ReplyDeleteNice comparison, I recently started a yoga practice again and have to remember to honor where I am at. I just want to be perfect right now! I read an article once that said children (like me) who are good at some subject the first time they do it (reading and English for me) can then interpret that to mean "if I am not good at another subject (like math) I can't learn it. Practice won't help. You're either good or you aren't." I've been trying to unlearn that thought process my entire graduate school career, and your post made me start to think about ways I can help my students also unlearn that behavior. Practice never makes perfect, but it does make practice!
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