A Look At Pen & Paper Learning Vs Exercise Related Learning

dkmathstats (61)in #steemiteducation • 6 years ago

Hi there. This educational post is a look at pen and paper learning versus exercise related learning. What inspired me to make this post is looking at the learning types used in my own life as someone who is proficient in mathematics and does fitness kickboxing as a hobby. The main point of this is that not all learning is the same.

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Pen & Paper Learning

A common image of learning is classroom based learning where students are sitting at a desk in front of a teacher.

Subjects which have pen and paper learning include:

Mathematics
Sciences
English, Grammar and Writing
Language Studies

With a lot of these subjects, students typically are seated, take notes from the instructor and homework is usually done while seated. A lot of the homework comes in the form of readings, problem solving sessions, practice problems, preparing presentations and writing papers.

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Exercise Related Learning

Not all learning involves pen and paper while sitting down for stretches of time. Learning which involves exercise and body movement has students using a different set of skills. Someone who is good at pen and paper learning does not necessarily mean that they are good at body movement type of learning and vice versa.

Exercise based learning includes activities such as:

Dance
Individual Or Team Sports Like Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Hockey
Martial Arts
Self-Defense Classes
Cooking
Nursing
Driving Classes (In The Car)

With these activities, moving your body is very common. In addition, there is not a lot of pen and paper learning so there is a lot of thinking involved. Some of the thinking that takes place is done on the spot as some decisions have to be made fast. As you learn with your own body, you build muscle memory, you get familiar with patterns and develop better body awareness.

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Notes

If you are doing a lot of tasks which involve sitting down for long stretches, include exercise in the schedule.
Neither learning type is better than the other. They are just different. Everyone has their own speciality and chooses what they like.
Some activities and educational courses require both a theoretical pen and paper learning part and a movement (practical) part. Examples include driving lessons, cooking and sports.
One type of learning that is not mentioned here is audio based learning. Activities related to this include playing a musical instrument, music production and DJing.
In my math student learning days, I would sometimes seek an empty classroom with a whiteboard/blackboard in the early mornings and late evenings. Not only I could focus with minimal distractions but I also got the chance to do homework while standing and moving around. You can implement some moving around with pen and paper learning.