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Questioning on learning, knowledge, information and doing

 


''Learning, Knowledge, Information, Doing: how can you define these words?'' 

''Do you think they are connected to each other?''

These were the questions we started our first Skype session with, for the academic year 2020-2021 of my Professional Practice, Somatic Studies MA.

I have always found time limits challenging for me, but also opportunities not to think to much and just do it. I had just finished an inspiring online webinar yesterday on zoom dance teaching and somatic practices, so I managed to encapsulate the core of my learning process in 10 minutes, with a few bullet points.

Learning requires effort, commitment, especially the process of learning increases according to your personal seeking spirit. Learning requires efforts to keep the door of your curiosity open, so you can let new information in and out of your comfort zone. It can be associated with an expandable container, or a fluid architecture that can potentially become rigid if your attitude to learn stops, while it keeps its flexibility as long as your perceptive capacity to analyze and synthetize information is alive. Knowledge can be THE content that inhabits your learning structure, as it is temporary and, as such, it can be replaced. Through a continuous process of learning, I have realized my knowledge is subjective and when comparing my knowledge with others' I find it is indefinite. Knowledge is one of many human constructs that may serve our temporary purposes and activities. It  supports us through daily life, hence it is a means, not the ultimate goal. Especially, personal knowledge can be graded by meeting others and, through open exchange, it can be enriched and discover an added value which is dissemination of knowledge. 

Information underpins learning and knowledge. It needs to be processed and takes time to settle. We can draw upon our information tank, but we need to make an experience out of it, before we can identify it as beneficial or disadvantageous to us; this is learning. 

Knowledge is when we know something can be used or not for our scope and how. 

Learning is nor separate from doing. They are interchangeable, so one can lead to the other. Think of experiential tasks you give your students in a creative dance session. You help them do an experience first. Yes, they received information from you (the task), but they learn through their doing, rather than intellectualizing information.

What I had to get used to when attending improvisation/creative dance workshops was NOT to expect anything and to be open to the unknown. Quite demanding, I would say, if you like instructions and precision! One of my hardest sentences to digest has been 'go with the flow'. 'Basically impossible', I thought. Learning how to recognize my pattern of learning and reframe it, not only has it enabled me to accept my unique way of being part of a constellation of learners, but it has naturally led me to let it go, while being present. 

I have just purchased the book ''Knowing Knowledge'' by George Siemens and I am looking forward to have a wider insight on the notion of learning and development. 


 

If you would like to know more about my work and somatic movement research please visit www.paolanapolitano.com

Image by John Hain from Pixabay 

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