The Business of Learning?

or is it the business of health? Perhaps I could say the learning of business?

The last year has been quite a whirlwind of activity as I extend my experience in many new directions. Moshe Feldenkrais and many of his friends and students spoke about “learning how to learn.” Moshe himself was a master of learning – whether learning physics, anatomy, multiple languages (five?), judo…

However, I do not agree that the Feldenkrais Method is about learning how to learn. At least, not in the larger sense of learning how to learn multiple content areas and domains. As a Feldenkrais Practitioner, I spend many hours per month doing experiential explorations of my ability to find new sensory-motor distinctions. I do not do this though stretching, pulling, strengthening (etc., etc.) but by doing, feeling, experiencing, new movements that allow me to (potentially) learn a new way of acting. This is a crucial way of learning. A way of learning developmentaly analogous to how we learned as infants. But is it “learning how to learn”?

Yes and No. I am struck with how often I hear a Feldenkrais Practitioner mention, “Well, I am not a technology person,” or “I’m not really a marketing person.” Well, so what? If you truly are an embodiment of learning how to learn, should you not be able to learn those things? If you can learn to move with ease, grace and comfort, should not be able to learn the rudiments of technology, marketing, or anything else that you choose? To become a master of learning how to learn you must go out and learn how to learn. Learn something you did not think yourself capable of learning. Do something you did not think you would be able to do.

So what does this post have to do with the business of learning? or the learning of business? I’ll get back to you on that. Or perhaps, you will get back to ME when you have you have some new experiences and build some new generalizations.