Learn Like a Human: EMP Podcast 35

It might seem obvious, but it’s incredibly important to understand that humans are complex. Not only are we physically complex, but we’re cognitively, emotionally, and socially complex as well. This is in big part because we must survive in a world that is just as mind numbingly complex as we are and, often times, directly hostile towards us. Existing amidst this complexity has required that we become a versatile and adaptive system of systems that is properly equipped to recognize, understand, and solve an incalculable number of emergent problems or tasks. Our capacity for self organization and skill acquisition is staggering, but as our technological strength grows our world becomes more reliant on computers and machines. As a result, we have made the mistake of adopting patterns of teaching and learning that, while they might make sense from an engineers standpoint, are actually at odds with how humans most effectively learn. I would wager that most of you reading this have experienced a time where an instructor has overwhelmed you with too much information, over-correction of mistakes, or improper cuing— resulting in you actually coming away from the lesson more frustrated and less skillful. Why does this happen? It might seem sensible that having a clear understanding of each individual step, or having a high frequency of technical correction would result in faster progress, but because of how our brains are structured that’s not the way we optimally learn, especially in terms of applicable motor skills. So if you are going to learn natural movement, or any other skill, it’s important to understand just how humans naturally learn. What are the principles that allow students to self organize and generate robust and reliable movement solutions? Today’s episode of the EMP Podcast will have you join in on a lecture from last year’s Autumn Retreat where Rafe broke down the science and structure behind Evolve Move Plays method of teaching. This is an insightful and fascinating talk for anyone, teacher or student, who wants to avoid the frustrations of improper instruction and gain a firmer understanding of how to tap into our natural super powers of learning and applying movement skills. So check it out and let us know below what your experiences have been with learning or teaching movement. How do you facilitate student growth, or what struggles regularly show up with your practice? We want to hear your stories! SHOW NOTES 00:00 - Intro 03:43 - Explicit and Implicit Knowledge 10:36 - The Ill Defined Problem of Human Movement 22:04 - Non Linear Learning 28:33 - Relevance and Affordances 34:05 - Constraints and Cuing 45:44 - Four Levels of Motor Control 54:42 - The EMP Pedagogy