The 4 steps of Learning

4 October 2024

Highlights

1. Announcements:
New Feldenkrais training in Paris

2. Thoughts of the Week:
Think like a physicist: Feynman’s 4-Step Path to Mastery

3. Book of the Week:
Immutable or changeable? An interesting theory by Carol Dweck

4. Quote of the Week

Announcement

New Feldenkrais Training in Paris, in collaboration with Feldenkrais Education!

We are pleased to announce the start of a new professional training program in PARIS. The training will begin in July 2025!

Twelve years after PARIS 13, the last professional training led by Myriam Pfeffer, PARIS 14 takes up the torch under the educational direction of Sabine Pfeffer.

Myriam Pfeffer, who introduced the Feldenkrais Method to French-speaking countries in Europe, was trained by Moshe Feldenkrais himself during his very first professional training. Alongside her mother, her daughter Sabine Pfeffer attended Moshe Feldenkrais’s last professional training in the United States. Therefore, PARIS 14 bases its teaching not only on fidelity to the source but also on a great proximity to it. Sabine Pfeffer founded and directed, with Myriam, the Parisian center Accord Mobile, where from 1988 to 2012, the first practitioners in France learned and were certified.

Several of our members were trained under their guidance, so we are delighted about this new collaboration with Feldenkrais Education!

This new training will bring together seven French and international instructors in a new studio built by Lionel Gonzalez.

Thought of the week

Think like a physicist: Feynman’s 4-Step Path to Mastery:

At Feldenkrais Education we are always on the look-out for strategies for better learning. Here is a simple process for effective learning in 4 steps. It was first described by theoretical physicist Richard Feynman. Try it out and let us know how it went !

Step 1: Teach it to a child
Write down the topic you want to learn about and explain it in simple terms, as if teaching it to an 8-year-old. Avoid complicated words or jargon. If you can’t explain something clearly, it shows you don’t fully understand it.

Step 2: Review
Identify areas where you’re struggling. Go back to the source material and relearn those parts until you can explain them easily.

Step 3: Organize and Simplify
Refine your notes into a simple, clear explanation. Read them aloud to check for any confusion.

Step 4 (optional): Test yourself
Explain it to someone else or an actual child to ensure you’ve mastered the concept.

Moshe Feldenkrais used very simple language in his orignal lessons. Some elements of a lessons might be a mental or physical challenge, but he wanted everybody to understand the basic instructions. It seems both Feynman and Feldenkrais thrived to unlock learning by turning the complex… into childplay.

Richard Feynman has a collection of anecdotes where he describes his curiosity and learning style in Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Book of the week

Immutable or changeable? An interesting theory by Carol Dweck

In our four-year professional training program, or in a Feldenkrais practice in general, we have observed that students often transition from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset. What do we mean by this?

In her book Mindset, Carol Dweck describes two contrasting ways of thinking.

Individuals with a Fixed Mindset believe that their abilities and intelligence are static and unchangeable. In the context of movement, they think they are either naturally good or bad at it—their abilities are innate and cannot be developed. On the other hand, those with a Growth Mindset understand that abilities and intelligence can be cultivated and developed over time through persistence and learning. When it comes to movement, they believe their skills can improve through practice and learning.

Here are the core components of the Growth Mindset theory:

Embracing Challenges:
When faced with a challenge, someone with a growth mindset will persist and view challenges as opportunities to learn and improve, while an individual with a fixed mindset might shy away to avoid failure and maintain their sense of competence.

Persistance and Persistence:
People with a growth mindset believe that persistance leads to mastery. They understand that the effort of figuring out strategies and using them effectively can lead to improvement. Those with a fixed mindset may give up easily when confronted with obstacles or challenges.

Learning from Feedback:
Individuals with a growth mindset are open to feedback, using it as an opportunity to learn and develop. In contrast, someone with a fixed mindset might interpret feedback as a judgment on their abilities and become defensive.

Success of Others:
Those with a fixed mindset might feel threatened or envious of others’ improvements, while individuals with a growth mindset are inspired by others’ success and see it as an opportunity to learn.

Where do you think you find yourself today on the scale between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset?
For more on this topic, consider reading Mindset by Carol Dweck.

Quote of the week

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

— Albert Einstein