Learning and brief notes on spatial intelligence
It's interesting to see different perspectives on learning. Some people believe that we have a specific learning style, while others will contradict this and say that we could be preventing learning in different ways through pigeon-holing ourselves to a specific learning style (Tesia Marshik- Tedx talk- learning styles and the importance of critical self reflection).
In this talk, Tesia Marshik expressed that what we learn is stored in terms of meaning. It doesn't make a difference how we learn, although we may have our slight favoured ways; as long as we connect and find meaning to the information we are being presented. I agree with this because unless you are passionate about what you are learning, you won't retain the information, therefore you wouldn't learn. Additionally, unless you take the time to fully absorb and understand what it is you are learning, it can still leave you in a state of confusion no matter how passionate you are. Tesia marshik states in the TedX talk that the best way to learn something depends on the content itself. Some may disagree, but I also feel like you can learn in many different ways and not just visually or audibly; it's a fluid state that changes as your emotions and motivations do.
Howard Gardener's model closely represent this. He proposed 8 different types of intelligence - spatial, bodily- kinaesthetic, and musical are a few examples. Gardener's view was that there are these 8 intelligences that we change between as we learn and have new experiences and use as a tool to make sense and learn from this world. One that I was drawn to was spatial.
Spatial is defined as " relating to or occupying space"- Oxford Dictionaries
Spatial intelligence is defined as- "the ability to visualize a space and imagine it from different angles, noting facets and fine details, as well as recognizing visual scenes without the presence of a visual stimulus."- scienceabc.com
Sight and seeing the world is one way that most of us with functioning vision make sense and learn from the environment around us. When we visualise choreography we are using spatial intelligence. I feel this is a valuable skill for remembering sequences and can be developed, like any other, through practice. Before a show I use visualisation to map out where I am on the stage, what movements I am doing and with what feeling/ dynamic. I find on reflection, I also do this in class. When I observe someone I admire, I pinpoint the specific movements that they do which I think work well. Then I work out and visualise how to replicate that moment, which then will translate into my muscles. I then can practice the quality they had doing that movement. I suppose you can say that comes under visual learning but because different types of intelligence are being used, it can be a mixture of the multiple intelligences. I feel like this is also a way of reflection and self evaluation that is happening within a matter of moments.
Spatial intelligence isn't just from visual stimulus'. Blind people also have spatial intelligence, their sense of the surroundings comes from touch instead of sight. They can create a map of pathways and what the world around them possibly looks like. It would be an interesting experiment to move without seeing, but with feeling how the movement is created in your body and how, by doing this, it changes the look of a movement. We could use this visualisation technique (I am sure some people do this already) to create a 'world' around us to enhance story telling. Or it could be used for creating some choreography when you dont have access to space to experiment in, so visualising movements to develop motifs can be a start. I think that using spatial intelligence can have the capability of aiding creativity, not just memory and the learning of steps.
Reference links
https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/what-is-spatial-intelligence.html
module 1 handbook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs
Hi Katie, I really enjoyed your post and learning a bit more about spatial intelligence. I never really thought about how we use this intelligence to pick up choreography/watch shows, it definitely plays a big part of our practice in dance. I think it is important that we as humans challenge ourselves to learn is as many ways as possible. As dancers, it would be silly for us to say 'I only learn kinaesthetically'. By doing this we could dodge learning so many things and we wouldn't pick up on essential life skills. x
ReplyDeleteHi Katie, that was a really interesting read! Thanks for sharing. It's leading me to look at a few different threads too :) It's so nice to feel that years of dance training also had a greater use for our lives, and now we all can really explore areas that probably always came second nature to us, but now suddenly seem to have greater meaning and a theory and a method behind them. x
ReplyDeleteHi Katie,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and I really like your unique take on the topic. I agree that during the choreographic process visualisation is widely used, since I feel a huge amount of inspiration comes from looking outside of the studio. I have found myself visualising the choreography or even the lighting for a piece I am interested in creating in the most bizarre of places. x
Hi Katie, I agree with everything you said, I think it's really interesting, I think though that there is more to learning than just being passionate about it as there have been plenty of things in my life alone that I have had to force myself to learn because I haven't wanted to but needed to. I do think it definitely helps when you're interested in what you're learning though.
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