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 LearningMethods
Downloads
Interesting articles and information...
These items are presented below with most recent additions first.
Most of the following documents are in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format), though some are
also web pages in HTML format or audio files in MP3 format. The
PDF files can be viewed online if you have the Adobe Acrobat plug-in installed in your
browser, or they can be downloaded and
viewed/printed from your own computer.
Alexander Technique
and Back Pain--BMJ
Article —
 PDF file -
8.5" x 11" size format
Alexander Technique
and Back Pain--BMJ
Article —
PDF file - A4
size format
The results of the major back pain study funded (to the tune of $1.5 million) by the NHS and MRC
(the UK National Health Service and the Medical Research Council both of which are UK
government-funded bodies) have finally been published online by the prestigious British Medical Journal. This is a serious
peer-reviewed randomised scientific trial and should generate a lot of interest from journalists and medics. One of the things likely to interest them most is that, unlike with conventional treatments, the subjects were still reporting benefits 12 months later
Alexander Technique
and Back Pain--Media
Reports —
PDF file -
8.5" x 11" size format
Alexander Technique
and Back Pain--Media
Reports —
PDF file - A4 size format
This is a formatted compilation of the main news stories on the BMJ back pain study above. It leads off with a very good section from the NHS Knowledge Service (the UK National Health Service) on the study and then
presents media articles from BBC News, The Guardian, The Telegraph,
The Daily Mail and The Times — basically all the top media in the UK.
These might be a little more user-friendly to hand out to people than the actual British Medical Journal scientific article which is dense going for those not used to digesting academic papers for breakfast...
Tensegrity - a
selection of articles by Donald Ingber —  web page with links to PDF files
The following articles are by Harvard cell biologist Ingber concerning the
prevalence of tensegrity as a principle
of biological structure from the micro-level of molecules and cells to the macro-level of
tissues and whole organisms. Amongst other things, he delves into how the larger scale
forces of physical use and misuse can directly affect cell function and gene
expression.
How We Teach
–
a lecture by Katherine Verdolini —
57Mb audio file in MP3 format
(to download: right-click and choose "Save Link As" or "Save
Target As", then choose file location)
A talk by Katherine Verdolini presented to NATS (the US National Association Teachers of
Singing) in summer 2008 in which she presents her ideas about how to go about teaching
singers based on the latest neuroscience research. When
you listen to the teaching process they are using you'll see that while she has taken
some tentative steps out of the traditional ways of teaching there is certainly fruitful territory for
future collaborations...
Motor Learning
–
a lecture by Katherine Verdolini —
33Mb audio file in MP3 format
(to download: right-click and choose "Save Link As" or "Save
Target As", then choose file location)
A talk by Katherine Verdolini about recent research into the
neuropsychology of Motor Learning (skill-based learning) presented to
NATS (the US National Association Teachers of Singing). The research
detailed here is exciting as it validates the empirical discoveries and
method of the LearningMethods work which evolved out of close
observation, investigation and experiment with individuals. See above for more on the
teaching implications of this research as it begins to be explored ...
Principles of Skill Acquisition
– by Katherine Verdolini —
PDF file
A PDF file of an essay by Katherine Verdolini covering much of
the same territory as the above recording. Notice how her ideas for
application (the 5 steps) do not really match the implications of the
research. This essay is chapter 8 from the book, The Vocal Vision: Views on Voice by 24 Leading Teachers, Coaches and Directors published by Applause Books (2000)
Geoffrey Goldspink's research on "Red/White" muscle
fibre adaptation — web page with links to PDF files
Goldspink was the discoverer of the genetic program in muscles that allows them to change from the white, fast-twitch
type fibres to the red, slow-twitch non-fatiguing type fibres and back again. This has immense implications for how we use ourselves
and for anyone who works with others physically (body-work, rehabilitation, sports, performance, exercise, etc.). A
must-read set of papers with a few extra bonus articles...
Reforming Education – by Mortimer J. Adler — web page with
links to PDF files
Contains 5 of the chapters from this book most concerned with student-centred learning and constructive teaching
issues. There is a huge amount of relevant and eloquent material in these chapters (and some parts that are not no
relevant)...
Why Shoes Make “Normal” Gait Impossible – by Dr.
W. A. Rossi —
PDF file
This is an interesting article by William A. Rossi, D.P.M. (doctor of podiatric medicine) on the nature of the foot and
walking and how most shoes interfere with "normal" gait in humans.
"You Walk Wrong" – by Adam Sternbergh
(8.5"X11" size) —
PDF file
"You Walk Wrong" – by Adam Sternbergh
(A4 size) —
PDF file
Another related article about the damage caused by modern shoes and the virtues of
walking barefoot, or with shoes that safely allow the barefoot experience. This article
is from New York Magazine, April 2008.
Just Ask The Right Questions – an article
by Ben Kreilkamp about conquering depression — PDF file
This is a formatted reprint (1 sheet, 2
sides) of the article by Ben Kreilkamp, a LearningMethods Teacher, about how a single
LearningMethods class liberated him from his long-standing depression. The
article appeared in the February 2003 issue of Phoenix, a
Minneapolis area monthly newspaper dedicated to recovery, change and
growth. There is a longer version of this article on this web site at
Encounter.htm.
On Benjamin Libet: Is the Mind Ahead of the Brain? Behind It? —
PDF file - 90Kb)
Interesting discussion of Libet's fascinating research about whether the brain "knows" things and "makes choices"
before you the conscious being does.
Articles by Martha Herbert -- Thoughtful
articles by a Boston area neuroscientist
1. Sophistry or Sensitive Science —
PDF file -
52Kb
2. Incomplete Science – The Body and
Indwelling Spirit —
PDF file -
36Kb
3. Autism – Brain Disorder or Disorder
Affecting Brain —
PDF file -
309Kb
Liminal Consciousness by E.R. Sorensen —
PDF file -
6600Kb
In a variety of isolated human enclaves high levels of liminal awareness and response were the outstanding means by which people related to one another and
their natural surroundings. When these enclaves were absorbed by the aggressively competitive social systems common in the world today, that type of awareness deteriorated along with the human concord it fostered.
The Belief Engine by James Alcock
—
PDF file -
41Kb
"Why is it that in this highly scientific and technological age superstition and irrationality abound? It is because our brains and nervous systems constitute a belief-generating machine, an engine that produces beliefs without any particular respect for what is real or true and what is not. This belief engine selects information from the environment, shapes it, combines it with information from memory, and produces beliefs that are generally consistent with beliefs already held. This system is as capable of generating fallacious beliefs as it is of generating beliefs that are in line with truth. These beliefs guide future actions and, whether correct or erroneous, they may prove functional for the individual who holds them."
Read more about the components of this "Belief Engine".
On Belief Systems and Learning — The record of an AlexTech Debate —
web page
The record of an extensive and at times rowdy debate from the AlexTech (Alexander Technique) discussion group about the validity of the basic premises of the Alexander Technique and on the nature of the (then) new LearningMethods work.
Read this as much for the insights into how people react to things outside their experience as for the actual
content...
Also available as a PDF download:
— PDF file - 623Kb
Ethics: The Teacher-Student Relationship — web page
A series of articles and essays on being clear about your practice polices, on understanding boundaries, on sexual and ethical considerations, on confidentiality, on dual relationships, and the value of ongoing supervision.
Also available as a PDF download:
— PDF file - 623Kb
Ethics: Working with Survivors of Abuse —
web page
An essay on understanding what it means to work with people who have suffered from abuse, mostly sexual abuse. The article touches on aspects of boundaries, on sexual and ethical considerations, on confidentiality, on dual relationships and supervision.
Also available as a PDF download: —
PDF file -
623Kb
On Conflict and Consensus Workbook — web page
This is the handbook for Formal Consensus, the wonderful decision-making process developed by C.T. Butler. (Also in
French below.)
Also available as a PDF download:
—
PDF file - 271Kb
Sur les conflits et les consensus
—
web page en français
Aussi disponsible en format PDF:
—
PDF file - 321Kb
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