Author: dmtorbi

OUR SENSES & Learning – Combos (#6)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , , ,

PREVIOUS: Other Learning Styles, #5


SITEs: Learning Styles Affects How You Play GOLF

• 3 Reasons to Use Multi-sensory Teaching Techniques

• ‘LEARNING STYLES’ myth // MODALITIES – & theory  // Links to OTHER QUESTIONNAIRES

MULTI-SENSORY Learning
Multi-modal absorption is the ability of the nervous system to combine the input from all our senses, making it easier to detect & identify available information. This happens when multi-modal neurons receive stimuli that overlap the various modalities, & kicks in when no one particular sense responds to an event.

Most people – about 60% – use a combinations of the 3 main types (sight, hearing, body movement). While some may have a strong preference, it’s normal for all the other senses to be used as well. Because it involves more Brain areas, multi-sensing allows more mental connections & associations when learning any new concept. This makes it more efficient & effective, providing redundancy & strengthens reinforcement.

Combining all the senses becomes a powerful tool for encouraging Language Arts learning, in important ways. Key Benefits:
Much more knowledge is transferred, with the possibility of more being absorbed. Student engagement is more likely, which can improve attitudes towards learning, & therefore higher student achievement. (MORE….Research study).

Multi-sensory learning is particularly helpful for kids with learning & attention issues, such as having trouble with visual or auditory processing. They can tap into learning strengths which form memories, & lets them use a wider range of ways to show what they’ve learned& absorbed.
It helps students:
• collect information & make connections between new info & what they already know
• understand & work through problems, using nonverbal problem-solving skills., giving every kid a chance to succeed

Audio-Visual-Kinesthetic: A-V-K students – definitely need a combination of stimuli – handling material, along with seeing & hearing words & numbers.  They grasp & retain info best by doing & experiencing, touching & handling whatever they’re learning – being totally personally involved. Best study tools  Flashcards, highlighters, mind maps, and watching videos.

TECH Learners (visual-haptic-kinesthetic)
technical type• are mechanically oriented
• can read technical manuals without intensive training
• communicate with others via text, e-mail & Internet
• enjoy & use the video camera
• know how to work with and use hardware and software
• like integrated learning activities
• spend excessive time on computer and/or video games
• want to learn everything via the computer
• understand how to integrate various technologies
• understand technology tools without formal instruction

LEARNING STYLES info & Qs
CHART: See which column fits you the best. OR – some of each?

Qs re Learning Tpes

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INTERESTING:
In terms of MBTI – there’s a wide gap between Sensate & Intuitive Learners.

INTUITIVE (iN) vs. SENSORY (S) Learning
♦︎ Intuitives – 30% of the population, important as TRAIL BLAZERS
INFO: They prefer speed & depth of insight. They learn to trust pattern recognition to help them understand info quickly & see things that aren’t ‘there’. Can extrapolate from large amounts of facts & experiences with only a few data points

TIME: iNs are already comfortable seeing what ‘isn’t there’, theorizing or speculating on what could be in both the here-and-now & in the future. The past is only useful as a reference for future predictions
VALUES: They’re focused more on possibilities, memes, paradigms, perspectives & concepts. Conversation generally revolves around these things, with little interest in small talk.

♦︎ Sensates – 70%, important for “HOLDING DOWN the FORT”
INFO: Sensates need info to be reliable – using the 5 senses to learn things. They have the same intuitive ability as iNs, but don’t trust it, so they ignore it. Instead, they look for anything that can be verified in the Real World, becoming masters of historical facts & fantastic at manipulating objects in real time. If it’s right in front of you, it’s reliable. Speculation is not.

TIME: Sensors can’t count on something that hasn’t happened yet, so the future is not interesting
VALUES: are about things like family, tradition, actions, old friends..… trustworthy because they’re all rooted in the known & knowable.
(MORE…..in POST: S vs N)

NEXT: Laundry list

OUR SENSES & Learning – Others (#5)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth

PREVIOUS: Taste #4b

INFO : “To get the most out of Passive Tasks” and “To Maximize Studying”

BOOK: “TOUCH – the Science of Hand, Heart & Mind “~ David J. Linden


EYE of HORUS is both a symbol of knowledge, protection, & power, AND a mathematical equation, fractions of a heqat, representing the six senses:
Thought – 1/8 🔹 Hearing – 1/2 🔹 Sight – 1/4 🔹 Smell – 1/16 🔹 Touch – 1/64 🔹 Taste – 1/32. (MORE…..)

HAPTIC Learning
This style refers to the sense of touch or grasp. Such people generally have a great sense of touch, so they prefer to use a hands-on approach, which is essential to them. They need to touch & feel as many things as possible, so they can form a visual image of it, which helps them piece together information in a way they can easily understand.
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They can often be found tinkering with things, & once they’ve taken the object apart, they now know how it works & can tell you what they learned. (Institute for Learning Styles Research, 2003)

People who prefer haptic learning enjoy art projects, tracing words or pictures, & are often found doodling.
Those who combine haptic & visual styles learn best through a demonstration, followed by hands-on practice.brain & words

LANGUAGE
Auditory: Learn by hearing words spoken. These people may vocalize or move their lips or throat while reading, especially when trying to understand new material. They can absorb & remember certain words or facts they could only have learned by hearing

Visual: Learning is best from images, diagrams & videos, – which help the brain process data fast & hold onto memories longer. Learners absorb info more easily that way as compared to text-only materials. It can stretch ‘human bandwidth’ –  absorbing, comprehending & analyzing new information

NUMERICAL
Auditory: Learning from hearing numbers & oral explanations. Learners can easily remember phone & locker numbers, are good at games, puzzles, ‘hear’ numbers & work problems in their head. They can do just as well without a math book, since written material is not as important.  Often say numbers to themself & move their lips when reading a problem

Visual : Learners need to see numbers – on charts, graphs, number lines …. in order to work with them. Seeing numbers written down turns abstract ideas into clear pictures,  so don’t need as much oral explanation. (MORE….)

🌍    🌎    🌏
LEARNING in various COUNTRIES

Germany: math through moving
Advantages of the multi-sensory approach are being championed at one pioneering school in Hamburg. Teachers combine movement, sights & sounds to help teach math & spelling. The method appears to have the desired effect, & the kids love it  (EuroNews)

India : Be curious
In New Delhi, Sugata Mitra devised experiments in learning, giving children access to the Internet, while providing support & encouraging them to explore & develop their ideas. With the freedom to be curious, the children began self-organizing their education, learning from & teaching each other

Italy : Get social
In the 1940s Loris Malaguzzi encouraged students to express themself through various artistic outlets. And socialization was the most crucial. He believed that social interaction allowed education to flourish. He wrote that children have “a 100 languages, 100 hands, 100 thoughts, 100 ways of thinking.”

Scotland : Play more games
In an experiment, students in 16 schools got a brand new Nintendo DS. Each morning before traditional learning, they played brain training games. The Development Officer for the program said the results were astonishing. Students showed a “significant improvement” in mental math & concentration

Tunisia: Sound makes sense
Cognitive psychologist Dr Slim Masmoudi, believes sound can have a smell,  taste & touch – for young learners. Applying a multi-sensory approach (memory, with perceptual & motor skills) at a kindergarten to awaken musical awareness, he helped children become sensitive to rhythms & sounds. This strategy enhances creative thinking (flexibility, fluency & originality), encouraging positive emotions & a strong motivation to learn

USA: room of relaxation
Children who have to stay in hospital for a long time face many challenges, including disruption to their emotional & educational development. At several locations in the US experts have created special ‘multi-sensory rooms’ where young patients can experience a range of exciting & fun activities. The aim is to put them at ease, since young minds develop better when relaxed. (“Multi-sensory Environments Benefits”)

NEXT: Other learning, #6

OUR SENSES & Learning – Taste (#4b)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth

PREVIOUS: Taste 4a

BOOK: “What the Nose Knows....” (Review) ~ Avery Gilbert

 

GUSTATORY Learning (Taste, cont.)

Tastes, smells & chemo-sensory irritants are often experienced together in food or beverages – such as a burning sensation when eating spicy foods. In this case, the trigeminal nerve  (responsible for sensation in the face. & motor functions such as biting & chewing) carries info about chemo-sensory irritation detected in the mouth & throat, while other nerves carry info about tastes & odors collected from other parts of the mouth & nose.

All these sensations are combined in the brain to produce what we think of as the ‘taste’ of a particular food, but is actually a blend of inputs.   ARTICLE: “Why does food taste so delicious?” In any learning situation, associating a fact with a fun experience or memory helps retain more information, so the love of food can be used educationally.

At the Institute for Food Research (UK), classes introduce students to the science of the taste sensation.  Subjects including chemistry, biology and food science, covering topics such as healthy eating, anatomy, genetics, the nervous system, molecular biology and organic chemistry.bad tastes
An exercise : Pupils try a set of compounds that represent the five basic tastes in solution – sugar, salt, citric acid, MSG & flat tonic water. Subjects should be able to identify these equally well with or without holding the nose, because these flavors do not depend on smell.

Research also tells us that taste & smell combine with other senses when tasting.  The greater number of senses used with taste, like smell & vision, the more accurate the detection of  flavored stimuli will be.
EXP :  COLOR has a significant effect on our ability to recognize flavors of soda. Experiment participants were less likely to accurately identify fruit-flavored beverages when they were unaware of the color. This shows a correlation between taste & vision.
Since color plays a role in identifying flavors, there must be top-down processing before we actually taste something, which starts with familiar knowledge & only then is experienced by the senses.

NOTE : SENSATION = bringing info in thru the 5 senses
PERCEPTION = how the brain makes sense of that info
Together they form PROCESSING, either Top Down or Bottom Up.

Aside from Food Technology classes, taste can play a large part in the broader curriculum :
• for History & Geography lessons, making dishes from around the world or tasting a famous historical food are fun for students & make for memorable lessons
• learning about Yeast Reactions in Science can be enhanced by actually baking bread with yeast & then tasting it, providing a vivid connection between the two modalities
science & food• food can be used to demonstrate Irreversible Reactions in Chemistry, such as boiling eggs or making jelly.

So, although cooking/baking might not seem relevant to science, engaging multiple senses will in fact increase memory. Also, baking as a classroom group activity can reinforce team spirit & cooperation in students.

LESS: People being treated for cancer are keenly aware of how vital taste is – even when their sense of smell is not impaired. In the short-term, chemotherapy tends to produce many small sores in the mouth, a chemical aftertaste & numbing of the tongue – which significantly cut down on the ability to taste food.
ALSO – Disorders of taste, long-term or permanent:
Ageusia (complete loss) // Hypogeusia (reduced sense) // Dysgeusia (distorted sense) //  Parageusia (persistent abnormal) // Hypergeusia (abnormally heightened sense)

MORE: Super-tasters are people whose sense of taste is significantly more sensitive than average. At least in part, this is due to a greater number of fungiform papillae, structures in the tongue with taste buds on their upper surface.  The ‘average’ person has about 184 super tastersbuds per square centimeter, while super-tasters have around 425 pr cm/2.

Studies have shown that super-tasters require less fat & sugar in their food to get the same satisfying effects. However, contrary to ‘logic’, they actually tend to use more salt than most – because of their heightened ability to taste bitterness, since salt drowns that out.
ALSO: Patients with Addison disease, pituitary insufficiency, or cystic fibrosis sometimes have a hyper-sensitivity to the 5 primary tastes.

NEXT: Others (#5)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Taste (#4a)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , , , ,

taste testPREVIOUS: SMELL (Part 3b)

SITE: Acetylcholine & Olfactory Perceptual Learning

GUSTATORY Learning (Taste)
In some ways understanding taste is more complex than the other senses because even though taste, smell & sight are separate areas of the brain, they overlap significantly in how we experience things in our environment.
All our senses work together, but smell & taste are special partners. When we eat, our tongue gives us the taste & our nose the smell of food. Approximately 80–90% of what we perceive as ‘taste’ is in fact due to our sense of smell, so when the nose is congested, food tends to lose its taste.

Taste & smell are essential for survival, helping to identifying what’s edible & what’s toxic material. Together, these two neural-peripheral systems lets us identify flavors. They’re being used in the development of food, beverages & pharmaceuticals, to enhance or mask their tastes & smells.

tongue tastes• The ancient Greeks believed that the 2 most basic tastes were sweet & bitter, but Aristotle (c. 350 BC) was one of the first to develop a list of others.
• Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing science, has its own tradition of basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter & astringent
• The Ancient Chinese regarded spiciness as a basic taste
• Now we know the mouth can distinguish sweet, salty, sour, bitter & umami (flavor of certain glutamates, described as savory, meaty or as broth), long known in Asian cooking, & which only recently has been found to have its own taste receptors.

Taste is often experienced as a mixture of both temperature & texture. Its produced when something put into the mouth reacts chemically with receptor cells on taste buds that are mainly on the tongue, but also in the roof of the mouth & near the pharynx. (BUDS)
The number of taste buds can vary greatly from person to person. Average is about 10,000, each one having about 1,000 taste cells, acting as receptors. In general, women have more than men, & as is the case of color blindness, some people are insensitive to some tastes.
smell process

People develop taste preferences based on what they’re fed in early life. Giving children a chance to think about which tastes they do or don’t like encourages them to try new types and/or new combinations of foods.

While our senses of taste & smell may seem less involved in learning, they are our oldest ones, built into the oldest structures of the brain, so are often more deeply ingrained & intact than the other, ‘newer’ senses.

Although most researchers assume that no one is a Gustatory Learner, those who do favor ‘taste’ as a way to express themself tend to use words such as bitter, chocolate, minty, sour, spicy…. (“Variety is the spice of life”)
Article : “I Taste Words.. Bob is like a milk chocolate Easter egg…..”

However, some do acknowledge the importance of this sense. The Forest School in a woodland setting (UK) have incorporate Gustatory & Olfactory education. They believe smells & tastes provide valuable links to learning & remembered experiences. (as in the “Proust Effect”)
Students of all ages & learning levels benefit from activities that require them to use these senses, such as having a drink & snack while key information or explanations are made on forest trips, & cooking on campfires which lend their own special flavor to the food. food choices

DIAGRAM: People use a wide variety of  factors to decide if something is acceptable to eat. These include types of flavor, like how spicy a food is, how it smells, its texture, temperature & whether it’s something they want to eat for personal, cultural or religious reasons.

The Monell Chemical Senses Center (PA) is the world’s only independent, non-profit scientific institute dedicated to basic research & publications on taste & smell. Their scientists come from many disciplines, working to understand the mechanisms & functions of taste & smell, to define the wider importance of these senses in human health & disease. They also conduct studies on chemesthesis – chemically induced skin sensations, such as the burn of capsaicin (in hot peppers) or the tingle of carbonation. Their experts are available to comment on how taste and olfaction relate to any aspect of our daily lives.

NEXT: Overview (#4b)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Smell (#3b)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Personal Growth, Problem-Solving, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , , , ,

chef smelling soup

PREVIOUS: Olfactory Learners (#3a)

SITEs: The World Though our Senses

• Learning Styles Affects How You Play GOLF

 


OLFACTORY Learning
According to Dr. Ira Greene, in “The Nose Knows : A Nasal-Based Curriculum Development Guide”, there are 3 distinct types of nasal learners:, which need to be treated differently : Goal-oriented, Activity-oriented & Learning-oriented.
“…while activity & goal oriented learners may be sufficiently motivated by the prospect of an olfactory reward at the end of a task, the learning-oriented students needs something more to sustain their interest.”

Research shows that smell has a unique relationship to words & images. Scents are normally experienced as purely visceral, subjective experiences, hard to put into words, yet writers often describe them. smell & images

Since 2000, Scholastic Scents in Cambridge, MA. has been working to fill the void in materials geared towards nasal learners, by providing scratch-and-sniff textbooks & variety of educational packets such as the Oregon Trail fragrance set, & “Speak and Smell” language workshops.  (Scented Children’s books)

In “What does purple smell like?” (Child-Ed) L. Stanley describes one of the few studies to examine smell as part of a multi-sensory approach to helping children learn – by investigating & discovering the world around them.happy grapes
EXP: In one – teachers of 2-year-olds matched colors to familiar objects, like purple with the smell & taste of grapes, & then played the blindfold game “Smell the Color.” The children enthusiastically & successfully learned those colors presented, & paid closer attention to other colors in their environment.

In “They Snooze, You Lose : The Educator’s Guide to Successful Presentations “,L. Burmark,  recommends going beyond auditory or visual forms to more engaging lessons to keep students interested. Studies show that multi-media events increase effectiveness in learning by 300%.

Burmark is particularly interested in incorporating smell. A powerful tool for gathering info, it’s strongly related to memory & emotion, with 75% of emotional responses being based on smell. This connection makes it possible to use scents for memory improvement

The bi-annual Summer School on HUMAN OLFACTION is held in Dresden, Germany.  Its aim is to provide participants with up-to-date info on various aspects of human chemical senses, through lectures, experiments carried out by participants & practical demonstrations.
In 2025 – some included ——> acoustic rhino-metry, blood flow, endoscopy of the nasal cavity, rhinomano-metry,  recordings of electro-olfacto-grams & event-related potentials, and clinical aspects of olfactory dysfunction (diagnosis, treatment).

CAR CARE COUNCIL,  Bethesda, Md., May 18, 2020 : “Unusual smells can be a sign of serious, & potentially costly trouble for your vehicle”
6 Vehicle Warning SMELLS 
1. Burning Carpet – cam be a sign of brake trouble, a serious safety hazard, noticeable even under normal driving conditions
2. Burnt rubber – could mean slipping drive belts, or a misplaced loose hose rubbing against rotating accessory drive pulleys.

3. Gasoline – likely a gas leak, possibly from a fuel injector line, or the fuel tank. Check right away, as any gas leakage is a potential fire hazard
4. Hot oil – could mean oil is leaking on to the exhaust system.  Look for oil on the pavement, or smoke from the engine area

5. Rotten eggs – could mean the catalytic converter is not properly converting hydrogen sulfide into sulfur dioxide in the exhaust. Can cause converter to overload & break down
6. Syrup – could be that the car is leaking engine coolant from some component of the cooling system. 

ANOSMIA – is the clinical term for the inability to smell – is a little-known & invisible but serious problem. Olfaction is a vulnerable sense, & smell disorders or total loss are more common than realized.
Few people appreciate the range of info provided by the sense of smell. We do notice it’s loss when we have a cold or allergies, but rarely consider what would happen if it disappeared altogether.  (“A Sense of Hope” – Monell Center. PA)  (SMELLS: Consumer preferences)

The “PROUST EFFECT” – from Marcel Proust’s influential multi-volume novel “In Search of Lost Time” – illustrates literature’s role in shaping our understanding of how smell works. The ‘effect is when sensory cues (taste & smell) trigger sudden, vivid &  highly emotional involuntary memories from the past.

NEXT: SENSES  & Learning (Part 4a)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Smell (#3a)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , , , , ,

 olfactory circuitPREVIOUS:
Kinesthetic Learners (#2c)

SITEs: Learning styles & Memory (scroll down)

• Memory For Different Smells: Synaptic Memory Found In Olfactory Bulb


OLFACTORY Learning (Smell)
Our sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than our sense of taste. In childhood all of us gradually learn which smells are comforting, exciting, scary, yummy… Smell warns us of dangers, like smoke & poisonous gases, as well as helping to appreciate the full flavor of food & drink.
Some smells – from food, air fresheners, perfume & even some essential oils – can interfere with concentration, distracting to the point of inhibiting our brain’s ability to learn something (studying, practicing….).

Olfactory memory plays an important role in many kinds of human behavior, including mother–infant interactions, food-finding & preferences, emotional states, sexual attraction, & mate choice. Subconsciously we associate smells with things that are important to us, such as family members, & happy or dangerous events & places. (MORE….)

Studies tell us that the average person can detect at least one trillion different smells, a far cry from the previous estimate of 10,000. We now know the nose can out-perform eyes & ears which discriminate between several million colors & about half a million tones.
“It’s time to give our sense of smell the recognition it deserves,” said Leslie Vosshall, at Rockefeller U (Her NYC talk on Smell vs vision & hearing)

Neuro-anatomy validates that our olfactory system is especially set up to ‘understand’ smells. Odor molecules picked up by the nose travel from sensory neurons to the olfactory bulb at the base of the forebrain.  They relay the signal to other brain areas for additional processing, but doesn’t shunt its data to the brain via spinal cord or cranial nerves.

Smells transmit impulses to areas directly connected to the limbic system, the part that deals with emotions. The orbito-frontal cortex processes olfaction & the amygdala is the brain area critical for assigning emotional value to stimuli.

Experiences that connect odors with emotions (learned responses) explain how odors come to be liked or disliked, as well as how their later presence can call up emotion, influencing thinking & behavior.
EXP: A ‘lucky’ survivor of a devastating apartment fire reacts with some anxiety whenever she smells wood burning from fireplaces in the buildings near hers, or a match being lit, even after 20 years.

Olfactory stimulation can change our brain waves & mood in powerful ways. Studies examine chemical reactions – to various substances – of the nerve endings in the nose, identifying how that data is conveyed to the cortex & then coded
So there’s good scientific evidence for the validity of aromatherapy.
 (“Women nose ahead in smell tests”). (“Smell & the Brain”) // (Essential Oils = scroll to 11/2014)

perdume creatorWhile these facts apply to everyone, smells have a very special meaning for Olfactory Learners. They grasp info best when incorporating both smell & taste, easily distinguishing substances from one another, often connecting a particular smell with a specific past memory

Such learners can be found in Chemistry, Botany, Biology & other scientific/ technical fields (perfume & wine makers, chefs, sommeliers ……)  PICTURE: Jaques Polge, French perfumer, head of Parfums Chanel

Since these people represent a small percentage of the population, there is relatively little info about the importance of Olfactory Learning, even though this sense is a valuable part of absorbing info, & is especially needed by children with visual impairment or other disabilities.

As smell & taste learning are not usually thought of as scholastically important, most educators have been slow to recognize such students, so their needs are not addressed.
In standard learning settings Olfactory Learners have trouble concentrating, dislike doing homework, often having low grades in math, reading, & science. They are not stupid or ‘slow’ – they just need a different style of education.  (Olfactory perception in children) (SMELL: Learning & Emotion)

Reyna Panos (Brown U.) writes: “In the early years of educational psychology, children were believed to fall into one of two camps – visual or auditory. Eventually, kinesthetic & tactile learning styles were recognized as well, but to this day nasal learning continues to go unacknowledged.” Panos’s studies suggest that 10-20% of all students fall into this category, children indicating nasal needs as early as 1st grade.

SITE: “Effects of diversity in olfactory environment on children’s sense of smell”

NEXT: Smell (Part 3b)

OUR SENSES & LEARNING – Touch (#2c)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Personal Growth, Problem-Solving, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , , , ,

kinestheric learningPREVIOUS: Auditory (#2b)

SITEs: “Learning Style Preferences & ESL Students“ (Study)

• 6 important things you should know about how your brain learns


KINESTHETIC  (somatic / physical actions) Learning
About 35% of children &  5 – 15% of Adults learn most easily while moving (kinesthetic) or handling (tactile) things, which helps them understand the world around them.
Physical movement: The Cerebellum & motor cortex, at the back of the frontal lobe, are mainly in charge of much of the body’s activity
Kinesthetic touch : lets us experience bodily sensations, feelings & emotions, which come from immediate experience, memories or imagined situations

“Children enter kindergarten as kinesthetic/ tactile learners, moving & touching everything as they go. By 2nd or 3rd grade, some have become visual learners. During the late elementary years, some – mainly girls – become auditory learners, while many males keep their kinesthetic/ tactile strengths throughout their lives.” Rita Stafford and Kenneth J. Dunn; Allyn and Bacon, 1993)

antsy in schoolWhen young, ‘touch’ learners are life’s little wiggle worms, often mis-diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
They’re smart & eager to learn, but first need their attention captured. Then their energy can be directed by drawing on their natural curiosity & offered hand-on activities.
They do best when they have something in front of them they can physically handle, & even better if they made it themself.

This is how they come to understand how to use their bodies & how to communicate with others, most of which is through feet & hands. So activities that focus on those body parts help them learn how to write, share their toys, button shirts, tie shoes, hold a fork…

Kinesthetic learners express themself through movement, with the distinct ability to control the body’s actions & handle objects skillfully. Through interacting with the space around them, they ‘re able to remember & process information, which allows for a good sense of balance & eye-hand co-ordination.

learn by doingDOING something active lets them learn, which helps them stay focused & retain information. This can include noticing (an action), but use their own language to express what they’re hearing.

They need external stimulation, or they may lose interest, preferring to think broadly before going in-depth. It doesn’t mean they act before thinking or are reckless, but that they understand things better by getting immersed in a situation or lesson, in order to evaluate facts for themself.

Learning a physical skill by first visualizing the activity (dance, a sport, driving…. ) makes it much more successful.
EXP: Focus on the sensations you would expect for each activity or experience. So, for a tack (turn) on a sailboat, feel the pressure against your hand as you turn the rudder & the tension lessening on the ropes. Feel the wind change to the other side, feel the thud as the sail swaps with the wind, feel the boat speed up as you start the new leg….

Phrases used by Kinesthetics :
” I can’t get a grip on this // Stay in touch // That doesn’t sit right with me // I have a good feeling about this // My gut is telling me // I get your drift….”

Re. INTUITION (Clear sensing)
 This is actually getting vibes in the body such as Tingles, goosebumps, electricity, lump in throat, tickle in ear….

Gut Instinct (Clear knowing)
Harder to describe – more of a crystal clear ‘I just know!”, like a ring or ping, but coming from the belly rather than the mind. Not so thick or dense as many deliberate thoughts.

abuse muscle painNOTE: All experiences of physical, sexual, verbal & emotional abuse are stored in the body (muscles, organs, energy centers….), and need to be released in movement, talking & crying.
Such history can be from childhood battering &/or incest, domestic abuse, war-time trauma, severe physical-illness-treatments or accidents…..

The physical expression of stored pain (getting it out) is necessary for all learning types, but especially for Kinesthetics – using experiential modalities, such as
Core Energetics, Psychodrama, Trauma release exercises……
ASLO: Some books & LINKS to many therapies

KINESTHETIC Characteristics – pick the ones you identify with

kinestetic char
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NEXT: SMELL (2d)

OUR SENSES &LEARNING – Hearing (#2b)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , , ,

auditury learningPREVIOUS: Visual (2a)

SITEs: Complex learning dismantles brain barriers

• What’s my learning Style? – Auditory


AUDITORY (Aural) Learning
It’s estimated that about 30% of Americans prefer either listening or discussing/talking as the main way of receiving information, & retain up to 75% of what they hear. The Temporal Lobes handle aural content, the right lobe being especially important for music.

Sound plays a crucial role for everyone when learning, but especially so for auditory learners. In a typically developing child, hearing & vision work in tandem, to take in information about things around them. This helps them absorb their environment better, providing another layer of understanding that sight alone can’t offer.

Like other skills, listening takes practice. Developing good listening habits helps children get important information from family, teachers & friends.
EXP: Using tapes with pictures, names & sounds are best. Children may know what an animal looks like, but also hearing the sound it makes allows them a fuller experience.lestening learners

🔸 Auditory Listeners –  when hearing a new topic, or overhearing conversations – they focus on what’s being said, remembering key words & phrases, directions & descriptions – in great detail. They may like stories, or learn the context of a subject. And hearing an overview of a lesson is helpful, allowing them to better absorb subsequent info.

Since listening requires more concentration than seeing, they’re usually slower at reading than other learners, preferring plays & dialogue to lengthy passages. Some find it hard to listen & take notes, or watch something at the same time, since noise breaks their concentration. However, others study better with ambient sounds (TV, music, people talking….) – to block out distraction.

audotory talkers🔹 Auditory Talkers need to discuss what they’re learning to. They ask a lot of questions to solidify new info, & it also  helps them pass it on to others. This is how they form links between that & what they already know, clarifying their grasp of a topic.
Speaking also provides a chance to learn by listening – to themself. When studying on their own they’ll move their lips or talk ‘sotto voce” . Because of a fine-tuned ‘ear’ they’re likely to learn a foreign language easily.

Strong verbal skills allow them to express ideas clearly, carry on interesting conversations, have an appreciation for words & a well-developed vocabulary.  Auditory talkers become skilled at interpreting info & reproducing it, giving many a knack for deciphering the true meaning of someone’s words – from tone of voice, pitch, speed & other vocal nuances.

👄 Speech patterns include phrases “I hear you // That clicks // That rings a bell // That sounds about right // It’s coming through loud and clear // Tune in to what I’m saying // That’s music to my ears…..”

listen 7 study🎹 Auditory learners often have Musical talents & like to work with sound – with a good sense of pitch & rhythm, hearing tones & individual notes.
Many can sing, play or at least identify musical instruments, find themself humming or tapping a song or jingle, that pops into their head without prompting. Some music will invoke strong emotions in them.

The human ear can detect pitch changes as small as 3 hundredths of 1% of the original frequency in some ranges. Some people have ‘perfect pitch’ – the ability to name any musical note heard or sung correctly, without help = to map a tone precisely on the musical scale without reference to an external standard

Less than 1 in 10,000 people have perfect pitch, but speakers of tonal languages like Vietnamese & Mandarin show remarkably precise absolute pitch when reading out lists of words, as pitch is an essential feature in conveying the meaning of words in Tone languages.

EXP: Research shows that playing certain classical music while studying, such as a Baroque Largo, is highly beneficial. This is because its BPM (beats per minute) is the same as alpha brain waves, providing our most receptive & alert mental state. Also, waltzes have a BPM that are in tune with the natural rhythm of our body, creating positive mental energies & consciousness

##  Auditory Numerical learners understand numbers best if spoken or heard. They’ll say numbers to themself when mentally figuring math problems, learning a phone number, or add 3 numbers together without writing them down – & then easily remember sequences later.

Hearing by INTUITION (Clear hearing)
This is hearing in the mind’s ear as if remembering a sound (words, letters, music….), although sometimes it’s so strong you think it’s real.

AUDITORY Characteristics  –  pick out the ones you identify withauditory characteristics

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NEXT: Kinesthetic Learning (#2c)

OUR SENSES & LEARNING – Vision (#2a)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, Personal Growth, Problem-Solving, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-care, Self-esteem

visual learningI GET MOST OF MY INFO
through my eyes

PREVIOUS: Sensory Learning #3

SITE: MANY links re learning
• “5 things to know about how the brain learns”

QUOTE: “To develop a complete mind, study the science of art & the art of science. Learn to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.“ ~ Leonardo DaVinci

VISUAL Learning Style
According to Dr. David Sousa, 45% or more of student in most American classrooms prefer to receive information visually. This includes pictures, video tapes & charts, as well as reading, because the interpretation of symbols translate into mental pictures (“How the Brain Learns”).
Visual stimulation helps to shape children’s minds in powerful ways.  80-90% use their eyes to learn about the world, so they’re able to gather information nearby (what can be touched) as well as at a distance (beyond arm’s reach).

Our brain prefers processing information by vision compared to our other senses. The Visual Cortex, in the Occipital Lobes, is the largest system in the human brain, responsible for higher-level processing of visual images. It’s at the back of the brain, above the cerebellum. The neurons that handle visual processing make up about 30% of the brain’s cortex – more than double that of hearing & touch combined.

Both occipital & parietal lobes of the brain manage spatial orientation to make sense of what we take in, as the eyes take in images from visible light to build models of the world around the body. All imprints have a deep & lasting effect on the way we learn & think, as we store both negative & positive impressions at conscious & subconscious levels (images of AK-47s as well as beautiful waterfalls).
eye preference & dominance Hubel and Weisel showed that the primary visual cortex consists of cells responsive to both simple & complex features of whatever we’re seeing. Interestingly, most of these cells have a preference for one edge of an angle over another, called ‘orientation preference’, & to inputs from one eye over the other, called ‘ocular dominance’.

These 2 patterns (preference & dominance) are not fixed genetically, but develop from visual experience, mostly soon after birth.

The eyes & the visual cortex form a massive parallel processor that provides the highest band-width channel into the human cognitive centers. Processing, perception & cognition are closely interrelated, which is why the words “understanding & seeing’ are synonymous.” ~ Colin Ware (slide 17)
EXP : The average human attention span is 8 seconds, while the brain processes visual images 60,000 times faster than text, in roughly 1/10 of a second.

Most of our activities involve ‘seeing’, so the importance of this sense can easily be taken for granted, yet sight is crucial to learning. Visual learners take what is spoken or heard & make it into something they can see in their mind’s eye. They get the most out of visual aids, & put a lot of effort into observing / listening so they can turn info into notes, charts, graphs, pictures….
EXP: Imagine being in an open field. How far can you see? About 50 miles. How far can you hear? Maybe a mile or two. How about smell? 10-20 yards, assuming that the wind isn’t blowing. How about touch? Just an arm’s length. Taste? A couple of inches.

“Seeing”  by INTUITION (Clear Seeing) =  Being able to visualize possible scenarios in the mind’s eye, as if recalling a memory or imagining an actual picture.

VISUAL Characteristics
KEEP IN MIND that whichever style you prefer you’re not going to identify with everything  listed. That will depend on other factors, such as mixing in other learning styles with your primary one, your educational background & your native personality.
«visual Lern - charact
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NEXT: Auditory Learners (Part 2b)

OUR SENSES &LEARNING – Intro #1c

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-care, Self-esteem, self-help , , , , , ,

sense learning %



PREVIOUS: Sensory Learning (#1c)



SITE: Sight, Scent & Sound: The Role of Senses in Retail Marketing

QUOTE: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

OLD CHINESE PROVERB: “When I hear, I forget. When I see, I remember. When I do, I understand.”

🌺      🕺🏼     🧤     🕶    👂🏾
MAIN SENSORY INPUTS
We express ourself internally & externally from VAKOG forms of gathering knowledge & understanding:
1. Visual = SEEING 🌀       2. Auditory = HEARING
        3a/b. Kinesthetic/Tactile = SENSING/TOUCHING
4. Olfactory = SMELLING 🌀          5. Gustatory = TASTING

Only the first 3 are widely used as major input channels for collecting data about our surroundings. 1, 2, 4 & 5 are obvious. #3a refers to whole body experiences involving sensations, emotions & motion itself. #b refers to learning by touch – such as the blind reading in Braille.

Stimulus-to-Response pathwayssensory process

 

🤷🏽‍♂️ OTHER Sensory sources (equally important sources of internal/ external info) :
1. Chemo-receptors:  These trigger an area of the medulla which detect blood-born hormones & drugs. Also involved in the vomiting reflex

2. Equilibrio-ception: Helps to keep our balance & a sense of physical movements, such as acceleration, directional changes, & a sense of gravity.
It’s the Vestibular Labyrinthine system, located in the inner ear. When malfunctioning, we can’t tell up from down, so moving from place to place without help is nearly impossible (↗️ Facebook  Article)

3. Hunger: Allows the body to detect when we need to eat
4. Itch:  A distinct sensor system, part of other touch-related senses

5. Magneto-ception: Ability to detect the Earth’s magnetic fields, providing a sense of direction.  It’s not strong (like in birds), but experiments show we do have some. The mechanism is not clear, but may have to do with deposits of ferric iron in our nose. It could be, since humans given magnetic implants have it much stronger than those without (MORE…. )

6. Noci-ception:  i.e Pain – once thought to simply come from overloading other senses such as Touch. Actually, it is its own unique sensory system.  with 3 types of pain receptors: cutaneous (skin), somatic (bones & joints) & visceral (body organs)
7. Pressure: Identifying shapes, softness, textures, vibrations….

8. Proprio-ception : The ability to tell where our body parts are, relative to each other. Police test this when checking for a potential DUI driving drunk, by asking: “Close your eyes & touch your nose”.
This sense is used regularly in small ways, such as scratching an itch without having to see where the hand needs to go

9. Sound: Detects vibrations along some medium in contact with the ear drum, such as air or water
10. Stretch Receptors: Found in the lungs, bladder, stomach & the gastro-intestinal tract. One type, which senses dilation of blood vessels, is often involved in headaches
11. Tension Sensors: Found in places like muscles, allowing the brain to monitor muscle tension
12. Thirst: Allows the body to monitor its hydration level so the body knows when we need to drink

13. Thermo-ception: A specific brain system, plus a combo of senses, for monitoring internal body temperature. It  includes the ability to notice heat & cold, using the 2 hot/cold receptors

14. Time:  This one is debated, since no single mechanism has been found that allows people to perceive time. However, experiments have definitely shown that humans have a startlingly accurate sense of time, particularly when younger.
This seems to come from some combination of the cerebral cortex, cerebellum & basal ganglia.
— Long-term time-keeping seems to be monitored by the supra-chiasmatic nuclei, responsible for the circadian rhythm
— Short term time-keeping is handled by other cell systems

15. Touch: Rather than located in one or more specific areas, this sense is our whole body – made up of a very fine network of receptors in our skin, forming our largest sensory system. (More….)

🔆 These “HIDDEN” Senses automatically, unconsciously help to :
• control bodily functions, such as temperature & bladder fullness
• control timing & movement of food through the body (digestion)
• measure the amount of sugar & salt in the blood
• regulate the amount of oxygen that’s taken in, for breathing…..synesthesia

✔️ SYNESTHESIA – when 2 or more senses combine / overlap, such as seeing numbers in color, tasting words….
It’s hereditary, estimated to occurs in 1 out of 1000 individuals, in various forms & intensity.
(MORE…) // (Science of Synesthesia chart)

NEXT: Visual Learning (Part 2a)