self growth

ORIGINAL Laundry List + Healthy Version

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bad family IT’S GOOD TO HAVE CLARITY
about the source of our damage

PREVIOUS:


SITE:  Psychological Characteristics of ACoAs – article

NOTE: Part 1 & 2 Reprinted from the ACoA World Service Org.
— The Laundry List serves as the basis for ‘The Problem’ statement – the intro read at every ACA meeting

BASIC LAUNDRY LIST – acting out the Wounded Child
1. We became isolated and afraid of people and authority figures.
2. We became approval seekers and lost our identity in the process.
3. We are frightened by angry people and any personal criticism.
4. We either become alcoholics, marry them or both, or find another compulsive personality such as a workaholic to fulfill our sick abandonment needs.
5. We live life from the viewpoint of victims and we are attracted by that weakness in our love and friendship relationships.

6. We have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility and it is easier for us to be concerned with others rather than ourselves; this enables us not to look too closely at our own faults, etc.broken heart
7. We get guilt feelings when we stand up for ourselves instead of giving in to others.
8. We became addicted to excitement.
9. We confuse love and pity and tend to “love” people we can “pity” and “rescue.”
10. We have “stuffed” our feelings from our traumatic childhoods and have lost the ability to feel or express our feelings because it hurts so much (Denial).

11. We judge ourselves harshly and have a very low sense of self-esteem.
12. We are dependent personalities who are terrified of abandonment and will do anything to hold on to a relationship in order not to experience painful abandonment feelings, which we received from living with sick people who were never there emotionally for us.
13. Alcoholism is a family disease; and we became para-alcoholics and took on the characteristics of that disease even though we did not pick up the drink.
14.Para-alcoholics are reactors rather than actors.
Tony A., 1978

OPPOSITE of the LAUNDRY LIST – healthy version
1. We move out of isolation and are not unrealistically afraid of other people, even authority figures.
2. We do not depend on others to tell us who we are.
3. We are not automatically frightened by angry people and no longer regard personal criticism as a threat.
4. We do not have a compulsive need to recreate abandonment.
5. We stop living life from the standpoint of victims and are not attracted by this trait in our important relationships.

6. We do not use enabling as a way to avoid looking at our own shortcomings.
7. We do not feel guilty when we stand up for ourselves.repaied heart
8. We avoid emotional intoxication and choose workable relationships instead of constant upset.
9. We are able to distinguish love from pity, and do not think “rescuing” people we “pity” is an act of love.

10. We come out of denial about our traumatic childhoods and regain the ability to feel and express our emotions.
11. We stop judging and condemning ourselves and discover a sense of self-worth.
12. We grow in independence and are no longer terrified of abandonment. We have interdependent relationships with healthy people, not dependent relationships with people who are emotionally unavailable.
13.The characteristics of alcoholism and para-alcoholism we have internalized are identified, acknowledged, and removed.
14.We are actors, not reactors.

NEXT: REVERSE L.L. (Part 2)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Combos (#6)

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PREVIOUS: Taste #3b


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 brain cells receive stimuli that overlap the different modalities, & it kicks in when no one particular sense responds to an event.

Most people – about 60% – use a combinations of the 3 main modalities (sight, hearing, body movement). While some may have 1 or 2 strong preferences, it’s normal for all the other senses to be used as well. Because it involves more Brain areas, multi-sensing allows for more mental connections & associations when learning any new concept. This makes it more efficient & effective, providing redundancy & enhancing 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. It helps kids tap into learning strengths & form memories. And it allows them to use a wider range of ways to show what they’ve learned.

It gives them more ways to connect with what they’re learning & lets them use many ways to show what they’ve absorbed. It helps students:
• Collect information & make connections between new info & what they already know
• Understand & work through problems, using nonverbal problem-solving skills. Providing multiple ways to learn gives every kid a chance to succeed

Audio-Visual-Kinesthetic: A-V-K students learn best by doing, experiencing, being personally involved. They definitely need a combination of stimuli. Handling material along with seeing & hearing words and numbers make a big difference to them. Otherwise they may not seem to be able to grasp or retain info unless they’re totally involved. They want to touch & handle whatever they’re learning. Sometimes just writing or a symbolic wiggling of the finger is a symptom of the A-V-K learner.

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

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

Qs re Learning Tpes

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.

Sensory – from MBTI : 70%, important for “HOLDING DOWN the FORT”
INFO: Sensors need it 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)

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PREVIOUS: Taste #3b

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, and 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.

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, & often found doodling.
Those who combine haptic & visual styles learn best through a demonstration, followed by hands-on practice.

brain & wordsLANGUAGE
Auditory: Learning hearing words spoken. These learners 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 best from reading words in books, on the chalkboard, charts or workbooks. Learners may even write words down they hear spoken, absorbed by seeing them on paper. They remember & use information better which they’ve read

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 themselves & move their lips when reading a problem

Visual : Learners need to see numbers – on the board, in a book or on paper – in order to work with them. They’re more likely to understand & then remember math facts if they’ve seen them, & don’t seem to need as much oral explanation. (MORE….)

🌍    🌎    🌏
LEARNING in various COUNTRIES

Germany: math through moving
The 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 themselves 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 – 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 #5b

OUR SENSES & Learning – Taste (#4b)

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PREVIOUS: Taste 3a

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 and 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 combination of inputs.   ARTICLE: “Why does food taste so delicious?”

At the Institute for Food Research (UK), classes introduce students to the science of the sensation of taste. Subjects including chemistry, biology and food science, cbad tastesovering topics such as the nervous system, healthy eating, genetics, anatomy, molecular biology and organic chemistry.

One of their exercises: Pupils try a set of compounds that represent the five basic tastes. The solutions used are 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.
EXP: Color has significant effects 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. The greater number of senses used with taste, like smell & vision, the more accurate the detection of  flavored stimuli will be.

Since color plays a role in identifying flavors, then there must be top-down processing before we actually taste something, tasting w/ smellwhich starts with familiar knowledge & only then is experienced by the senses.

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

In any learning situation, associating a fact with a fun experience or memory helps to retain more information, so the love of food can be used educationally. Aside from Food Technology classes, taste can play a large part in the broader curriculum, such as:
• 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 modalitiesscience & 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 (Part 4a)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Taste (#4a)

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taste testPREVIOUS: SMELL & TASTE (Part 4d)

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 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 are 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 combos of foods.

While our sense 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 themselves tend to use words such as bitter, chocolate, minty, sour, spicy….

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, much as Proust described how the taste of the madeleine biscuit evoked a string of memories.
Students of all ages & learning levels benefit from Forest School activities which 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 (Part 5)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Smell (#3b)

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chef smelling soup

PREVIOUS: Olfactory Learners (#2d)

SITEs: The World Though our Senses

• Learning Styles Affects How You Play GOLF

 


OLFACTORY Learning
According to Dr. Ira Greene, of “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.

EXP: “…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.”

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

smell & imagesResearch also 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.

The “Proust Effect” – from Marcel Proust’s influential multi-volume novel “In Search of Lost Time” – names smell’s ability to trigger involuntary memories, illustrating literature’s crucial role in shaping our understanding of how smell works.

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)

L. Stanley’s article “What does purple smell like?” (Child-Ed) 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 study, 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.

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

In July 2003, the Summer School on HUMAN OLFACTION was held in Dresden, Germany.
Its aim was to provide participants with up-to-date info on various aspects of human chemical senses, through lectures, practical demonstrations & experiments carried out by participants.

EXP: 6 Vehicle Warning SMELLS  (from the Car Care Council, in MD.)
1. Burning Carpet – often 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 hoses that could be rubbing against rotating accessory drive pulleys.
Note: don’t reach in if the engine is hot

3. Gasoline – likely sign of 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. Signs will be 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 a sign the car is leaking engine coolant from some component of the cooling system. Note – don’t open radiator cap when hot

NEXT: Taste (Part 2f)

OUR SENSES & Learning – Smell (#3a)

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 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.

Olfactory memory plays an important role in many types 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….)

Neuro-anatomy supports the idea 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,  relaying the signal to other brain areas for additional processing.  Smelling is the only sense that doesn’t shunt its data to the brain via spinal cord or cranial nerves.

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

So there’s good scientific evidence for the validity of aromatherapy, from studies that examine chemical reactions – of the nerve endings in the nose – to various substances, how that data is conveyed to the cortex & then coded. (“Women nose ahead in smell tests”). (“Smell & the Brain”) // (Essential Oils = scroll to 11/2014)

Other 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.  No longer should humans be considered poor smellers!

In fact 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)

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.
Olfactory stimulation can change our brain waves & mood in powerful ways.

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….). .

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.

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 with 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 2e)

OUR SENSES & LEARNING – Touch (#2c)

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kinestheric learningPREVIOUS: Auditory (#4b)

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 thought: 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, others – 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, these 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 touch, and even better if they made it themselves.

They come to understand how to use their bodies & how to communicate with others by touch, most of which comes 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 themselves through movement, with the distinct ability to control the body’s actions & handle objects skillfully. Through interacting with the space around them, they are able to remember and process information, which allows for a good sense of balance & eye-hand co-ordination.

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

They need external stimulation, otherwise 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 themselves.

Learning a physical skill by first visualizing the activity (dance, a sport, driving…. ) is known to be very 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, taking & 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

General KINESTHETIC Characteristics
Remember, you’re not going to identify with every characteristic. which will depend on other factors, such as mixing in other learning styles, education & basic personality.

kinestetic char
NEXT: SMELL (4d)

OUR SENSES &LEARNING – Hearing (#2b)

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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.

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

It’s estimated that 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.

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 they a fuller experience.lestening learners

As a group, strong auditory learners are somewhat difficult to describe.  Some learn best by listening, & some by talking, but most combine them, with strengths & weaknesses in each. This style is considered a difficult way to learn new material.

Auditory Listeners learn mainly by hearing. When listening to a new topic, or overhearing conversations – they focus on what’s being said, often remembering key words and phrases, directions & descriptions – in great detail. They may like to hear stories, or learn the context of a subject, while others may actually find off-topic background confusing.

Since listening requires more concentration than seeing, they’re usually slower at reading than other learners, preferring plays & dialogue to lengthy passages. Hearing an overview of a lesson is helpful, allowing them to better absorb subsequent info. Some auditory learners find it hard to listen & take notes, or to listen & watch something at the same time.
Also, some study better with ambient sounds (TV, music, people talking….) – to block out distraction, while others find noise breaks concentration.

audotory talkersAuditory Talkers need to discuss what they’re learning. They ask a lot of questions to solidify new info, & helps them pass it on to others. By discussing what they understand about something new, they form links between that & what they already know, clarifying their grasp of a topic.
Speaking also gives a chance to learn by listening – to themselves. When studying on their own they’ll move their lips or talk to themselves. Because of a fine-tuned ‘ear’ they may find learning a foreign language relatively easy.

Strong verbal skills allows them to express ideas clearly, carry on interesting conversations, have an appreciation for words & with a well-developed vocabulary. Auditory learners become skilled at interpreting info & reproducing it. This 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…..”

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

listen 7 studyAuditory 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 themselves humming or tapping a song or jingle, that pop into their head without prompting. Some music will invoke strong emotions in them.

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

Re. 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.

General AUDITORY Characteristics
Regardless of which style you prefer, you’re not going to identify with every characteristic. That will depend on other factors, such as mixing in other learning styles, education & native personality

auditory characteristics

NEXT: Kinesthetic Learning (Part 4c)

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 learning
I 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 and 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 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”)

Our brains give preference to processing vision, compared to our other senses.
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 is not blowing. How about touch? Just an arm’s length. Taste? A couple of inches.

The Visual Cortex, in the Occipital Lobes, is the largest system in the human brain, responsible for higher-level processing or visual images. It’s at the back of the brain, above the cerebellum. It interprets info from visible light to build model of the world around the body. As the eyes gather information, the brain interprets & makes sense of what we take in. Both occipital & parietal lobes manage spatial orientation.

The eyes & the Visual Cortex form a massive parallel processor that provides the highest band-width channel into human cognitive centers. At the higher level of processing, perception & cognition are closely interrelated, which is the reason why the words “understanding & seeing’ are synonymous.” ~ Colin Ware (slide 17) attention span

The average human attention span is 8 seconds, & our brain processes visual images 60,000 times faster than a text, in roughly 1/10 of a second.

Hubel and Weisel showed that the primary visual cortex consists of cells responsive to both the simple & the complex features of whatever we’re seeing. Interestingly, most of these cells have a preference for one edges 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.

80-90% of children use their eyes to learn about their world. They’re used to gathering information nearby (what can be touched) & at a distance (beyond arm’s reach). Visual stimulation helps to shape children’s minds in powerful ways.eye preference & dominance

Science tells us the neurons that handle visual processing make up about 30% of the brain’s cortex – more than double that of hearing & touch combined. Via this method we store both negative & positive impressions in the brain (images of AK-47s & beautiful waterfalls), at conscious & subconscious levels. All imprints have a deep & lasting effect on the way we learn & think.

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….

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

SOME general VISUAL Characteristics
KEEP IN MIND that whichever style is your preference you’re not going to identify with every single characteristic listed. That will depend on other factors, such as mixing in other learning styles with your primary one, your educational background and your native personality.visual Lern - charact
NEXT: Auditory Learners (Part 4b)