Comments on: Online revolution http://blog.dodman.org/archives/70 All flesh is as grass Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:37:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: dod http://blog.dodman.org/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-28759 dod Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:37:16 +0000 http://blog.dodman.org/archives/70#comment-28759 Hello Magdalena, Thanks for your observations - you're absolutely right: the training of teachers would have to put a great deal more emphasis on what they see and hear, and their choice of words, and also the manner in which they speak. It's hard not to envisage current circumstances remaining unchanged, with small screens and decidedly cramped and limited working conditions; but I think it won't be too long before it is fairly commonplace to have a large flat screen in a fairly central position in the home that it is not necessary to sit in front of to interact with someone through their similarly sized and situated screen on the other side of the earth. Although there are a lot of potential downsides to working this way, as you've described, I think the pluses are many, too. First and foremost is the obvious one of convenience, with a student not having to leave their home; but perhaps equally important is the absence of any pressure on them to conform to either the implied configuration hidden behind the teacher's hands, or in their teacher's physical presence. I believe the greatest danger when learning the Technique is the irresistible urge students have to mould themselves according to what they perceive kinesthetically, via hands on, and visually, through seeing first hand what they assume is 'good use'. You may have read an earlier blog entry - http://blog.dodman.org/archives/32 - where I refer to this as 'Alexander tailoring'. I've had some very interesting email dialogues with people who have made useful progress simply through the ebb and flow of questions and answers allied to guided, personal exploration. I can't help but think this sort of progress could be increased exponentially in real time, especially with the addition of video. It's still early days, though! Nicholas Hello Magdalena,

Thanks for your observations – you’re absolutely right: the training of teachers would have to put a great deal more emphasis on what they see and hear, and their choice of words, and also the manner in which they speak.

It’s hard not to envisage current circumstances remaining unchanged, with small screens and decidedly cramped and limited working conditions; but I think it won’t be too long before it is fairly commonplace to have a large flat screen in a fairly central position in the home that it is not necessary to sit in front of to interact with someone through their similarly sized and situated screen on the other side of the earth.

Although there are a lot of potential downsides to working this way, as you’ve described, I think the pluses are many, too. First and foremost is the obvious one of convenience, with a student not having to leave their home; but perhaps equally important is the absence of any pressure on them to conform to either the implied configuration hidden behind the teacher’s hands, or in their teacher’s physical presence. I believe the greatest danger when learning the Technique is the irresistible urge students have to mould themselves according to what they perceive kinesthetically, via hands on, and visually, through seeing first hand what they assume is ‘good use’. You may have read an earlier blog entry – http://blog.dodman.org/archives/32 – where I refer to this as ‘Alexander tailoring’.

I’ve had some very interesting email dialogues with people who have made useful progress simply through the ebb and flow of questions and answers allied to guided, personal exploration. I can’t help but think this sort of progress could be increased exponentially in real time, especially with the addition of video.

It’s still early days, though!

Nicholas

]]> By: Magdalena Portmann http://blog.dodman.org/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-28726 Magdalena Portmann Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:54:39 +0000 http://blog.dodman.org/archives/70#comment-28726 Dear Nicholas, I read this post with great interest, and I have no strong reaction against or for such a teaching model. The one question that occupied me towards the end was whether the training of teachers would need to change, to incorporate more emphasis on the visual/observational, and the verbal, aspects, rather than hands on. Another point: in your last paragraph, you suggest that little would be gained by the student being able to see the teacher. I agree with this, in the context of on-line lessons - although the reaction of the student to the teacher is in itself a piece of useful information which could contribute to the student's learning. On the whole, though, I myself don't like to be bound to a screen for too long during the day and would worry what it might do to my own use; I also wonder whether the concept of being viewed on a smallish square screen might affect the student's thinking and use. I am thinking aloud now: it would be interesting to pursue the idea of e-teaching/learning, and see what could be gained. At the same time, it might be interesting to see what might be lost (in addition to the hands-on aspect): the physical presence of the teacher is a learning resource (a stimulus) that would be absent; the relationship in space (geographical space) between teacher and student would be distorted; the projection of the voices in that space (how they are projected and where they are aimed at), would be lost; it might be more difficult to allow silences in an e-teaching context. Hm - there might be more, but I am running out of steam! On-line teaching is definitely an idea that deserves looking at! Best wishes, Magdalena Dear Nicholas,
I read this post with great interest, and I have no strong reaction against or for such a teaching model. The one question that occupied me towards the end was whether the training of teachers would need to change, to incorporate more emphasis on the visual/observational, and the verbal, aspects, rather than hands on.
Another point: in your last paragraph, you suggest that little would be gained by the student being able to see the teacher. I agree with this, in the context of on-line lessons – although the reaction of the student to the teacher is in itself a piece of useful information which could contribute to the student’s learning.
On the whole, though, I myself don’t like to be bound to a screen for too long during the day and would worry what it might do to my own use; I also wonder whether the concept of being viewed on a smallish square screen might affect the student’s thinking and use.
I am thinking aloud now: it would be interesting to pursue the idea of e-teaching/learning, and see what could be gained. At the same time, it might be interesting to see what might be lost (in addition to the hands-on aspect): the physical presence of the teacher is a learning resource (a stimulus) that would be absent; the relationship in space (geographical space) between teacher and student would be distorted; the projection of the voices in that space (how they are projected and where they are aimed at), would be lost; it might be more difficult to allow silences in an e-teaching context. Hm – there might be more, but I am running out of steam! On-line teaching is definitely an idea that deserves looking at!
Best wishes,
Magdalena

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