TESOL Essay FIVE

Essay Five

Kinaesthetic Learning

By Syrbastyian Vzampfyier

Over the past 20 years there has been serious recognition that some people are kinaesthetic learners, i.e. they learn while physically doing something. Their body and mind are engage and the physical activity opens up more pathways in the brain for learning and more importantly retaining what they have learnt.

It is my belief that people are not just kinaesthetic learners or non-kinaesthetic learners, but all people are kinaesthetic learners to some degree. If you consider and think about any skill a person needs to acquire, any job a person needs to do and, or any experience any person has or wants to have; it cannot be gained unless it is done physically.

The physicality in learning is either (A) direct engagement or (B) indirect engagement. By these I mean that with (A) direct engagement; the body and the mind are consciously and directly involved in learning, and (B) indirect engagement; the mind is consciously and directly involved in learning and the body is subconsciously involved.

To give examples of these: (A) direct engagement; when sports people are learning a new technique they will talk, themselves, through the techniques as the perform it. In the military, especially basic training (boot camp), instructors will have the soldiers repeat the instructions (steps) of the drill as they perform the drill. And from your own personal experience, I am sure that you have talk through the steps of acquiring a new skill, especially in a new job, perform it. (B) Indirect engagement; In Japan, when Japanese people do not remember how to write a kanji (Japanese writing character) they will use their index finger to write in the air or on the palm of their hand. Sports people when they are doing image training will move their bodies as if on the course. Also when people are remembering (new) activities they will move their bodies to some degree. In all these examples people move their bodies subconsciously to the actions they are thinking about. Though people are not consciously aware of it, but the movements of their body when trying to learn something new or remembering how to do something helps them to 1. Remember and retain the information, and 2. Retrieve and use the information.

For young EFL/ESL students encouraging and, or introducing kinaesthetic learning is quite easy because it is something they natural do in their usual academic education,  but for adult EFL/ESL students it can be somewhat difficult to overcome their reservations i.e. they may feel it is only for children, embarrassing and, or beneath them. Therefore the EFL/ESL instructor may need to open up the adult students to the idea of kinaesthetic learning and make them feel comfortable with it and also to show them that kinaesthetic learning will help them acquire the foreign or second language they wish to use communicate in with other people.

One simple technique to overcome the adult EFL/ESL student’s hesitation to accept kinaesthetic learning is, what I call, observation-persuasion. This is where the students observe their fellow students using their face and body to express themselves and explain how to do something. While the students are observing they begin to notice, realise and understand how physical movement is an essential part of communication. In this observation the student will come to be persuaded and accept kinaesthetic learning.

First, divide the class into two groups: “X” the actors and group “Y” the observers. Then inform group “X” that they will explain to their partner how to do something, first in their native language (L1) and again in the foreign or second language (L2). Group “Y” is then told secretly to watch very carefully the facial movements and body movements of group “X” when group “X” is performing the task in L1 and again in L2. Also group “Y” is asked to decide which task they observed group “X” performing, L1 or L2, did group “X” use more facial movements and body movements.

When the task is finish swap the groups around so the group “X” now becomes group “Y” and group “Y” becomes group “X”. Repeat the process.

Once both groups have performed “X” and “Y” parts, take a quick poll of the class. Ask which task L1 or L2 used more facial movements and body movements. Usually, more often than not, the students will say that task done using L2 used more facial movements and body movements. Then instructor asks the students if facial movements and body movements are important for communication, again, more often than not, the students will state that facial movements and body movements are important for communication. Once the students themselves have stated this the instructor merely confirms the students’ observation.

Lastly the instructor explains to the students that during the course they will be doing some activities, tasks and exercises, which will require the students to use their face and body in some way. Though some of these may seem silly and, or childish they help build learning and most important as the students have stated themselves are needed for full communication especially communication in a foreign language or second language.

This technique is quite simple and requires very little instructor involvement, but the power of the students’ own (self) observations is amazingly persuasive in changing the students’ preconceived ideas of doing physical activities to learn, acquire and use a foreign language or second language.