Exploring with the physical style
involves finding ways to incorporate movement and touch into your training. Get
up and move around while learning. Try walking around while reading or listening.
Go further and get your hands on physical expressions of the topics you are
learning. Use role-playing. Try using index cards to arrange topics physically,
or tick off items as you read them. Here are those points in more depth:
Walk about while reading or listening. If possible, get up and walk around while reading or listening to
content. Stop and pause on important points, and keep walking when reading less
important material. Another idea is to simulate procedures while walking around
a room. For example, for flight training try “flying” circuits, forced
landings, instrument approaches and other procedures by walking around your
living room. If you are learning to sail, perhaps try tacking and docking in a
similar way. Have your notes with you and read out what you are doing at the
time.
Get hands on. If you are learning about physical objects or topics, find ways to
get your hands on them. For example, if you are learning about how an engine
works, get outside and open the front of a car or aircraft. Touch each of the
parts. Some schools also have old parts around so you can see the internal
workings, so ask around. If you have an old engine, for example from a worn-out
lawn mower or chain-saw, pull it apart. Note likenesses and differences between
that engine and the engine you are studying.
Another example: If you are
learning about the weather, keep your own weather station for a while. Observe
and write down rainfall, cloud, wind, temperature, and barometric pressure
daily.
Use role-playing. If you are
in a group, why not try some role-playing exercises that involve physical
activity. Instead of reading about the rules controlling right of way when
approaching another aircraft or boat, for example, get up and do a few examples
with other students.
Use index cards & Post-it notes. Write the
key facts and ideas on index cards, and then physically sort them in different
ways. Alternatively, write snippets of information on post-it notes and stick
them to a wall according to relationships with other ideas. This is almost like
physically building a mind map on the wall.
Tick it off.
While you read, tick off or mark each paragraph as you read and understand it.
This helps you concentrate as well as involves movement.
