EDible News: Nadine Wyczolkowski, Staff Writer
Fourth Year Undergraduate, Concurrent I/S: Social Science & Geography
Learning involves a great deal of movement, whether it is the reciprocal exchange of ideas and feedback from person to person through the intangible, to the physical kinesthetic learning that takes place through various learning modalities, to more literal interpretations of motion including extra curricular activities of athletics, dance, drama, and music. Motion implies a certain change. An elicited transformation not only affects who or what is being changed but also the environment in which it is situated. While many assume learning involves an implied forward direction, some fail to realize that learning also involves revisiting the past and looking back; this is a necessity in order to appreciate the present and have some context for positioning of the future. As teachers we should attempt to expand students’ horizons and let them envision their dreams and beyond.
Robert Collier astutely said that, “All motion is cyclic. It circulates to the limits of its possibilities and then returns to its starting point.” Once we have stretched students’ academic potential, it is up to them to evaluate their starting points and see if they will return to the same point, or if they have chosen a new embarking platform, eager to learn new things.
My hope is that students experience education beyond going through the motions of copying down notes, and actually experience motion for themselves on their academic journey, being moved by what interests them. In order for there to be sustainable motion there has to be something that energizes, fuels, and inspires… that is emotion. A feeling, a drive, something that motivates and encourages students to challenge a teacher’s idea, to demonstrate a project in front of the class, to shoot the winning basket. These all involve a myriad of motions and exhilarating emotions.
