learning physical skills

[piranha]

firecat was talking about knowledge acquisition in math, and then segued into something i've been thinking about just today while writing email to the *poing* about teaching housekeeping, so i am gonna noodle some on it here.

when it comes to doing things with my hands, i need to learn ^[1] some basic theory first, then watch a lot how it's done, preferably by different people who are good at it, try it a little by myself (alone), read and watch more, try more and that time possibly with somebody correcting me, read more, practice, practice, practice, read, practice.

if i just watch complex motions without knowing some of the theory, it's all a visual swirl and doesn't get anywhere -- in fact i will get sidetracked by the motion, which will feel like a dance, and pretty all in itself, but just like dance for me, it will have no meaning ^[2]. if i read too much theory without watching, it doesn't connect to the physicality of it in my mind; it just flops around loosely, and over time might get forgotten.

which explains why i am currently not learning how to spin -- i've never actually consciously watched somebody who's good at it do it; i only have books -- i've got enough theory to know what should happen, but all the nice still photography in the world is not doing it for me. i need to find a couple of videos, or a spinning group locally.

^[1] mostly done by reading since i learn much better that way than by listening to somebody lecture.
^[2] i know dance is supposed to have meaning, but i don't speak the language.

Comments

[crantz.livejournal.com]

spinning?

Re: learning physical skills

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

not as in "spinning my wheels" since i am perfectly capable of doing that all on my own, but as in spinning yarn from fibre.

Re: learning physical skills

[crantz.livejournal.com]

ahh. For some reason I thought you meant records, actually.

Re: learning physical skills

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

you mean like those DJs who make funky noises with them? no, í've never learned that. but if i did, it might go similarly.

hm. i wonder. musical things don't quite follow the same pattern; i never really needed to watch somebody to learn to play flute or guitar, though there are aspects of it where seeing it once helps (certain finger picking techniques). how much of what those DJs do is about the sound, and how much is about the movement? is there an aspect of dance to it? i've never thought about that.

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

Sounds just like me.