The training will draw on many teaching-learning approaches in keeping with the work of Moshe Feldenkrais. In order to benefit fully from these, usually a day will consist of 6 hours of face to face time. ‘Online’ learning activities will be offered for the time away from class.
Awareness Through Movement
You will experience many hours of Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons throughout the training. ATMs are an integral part of learning how to create conditions for learning, for yourself, and from that extrapolate how you do this for others. The core lessons will be drawn from the trainings of Moshe Feldenkrais. You will experience different types of lessons, from simple to complex, stand-alone and series that cover the whole range of human action.
Functional Integration
As part of your training experience, you will receive at least twelve individual Functional Integration (FI) lessons each year from members of the staff and from invited, experienced practitioners. You will have opportunities to observe lessons given during class, lessons given to other students during non-class hours, and video tapes of Moshe Feldenkrais giving lessons. Both ATM and FI practice will be developed throughout the whole training.
Touching and contact skills will be introduced early in the program. Through a variety of approaches designed to refine your tactile, kinaesthetic, and visual discrimination that will, in alliance with knowledge of ‘classic’ Feldenkrais FI strategies, enable you to create meaningful lessons.In the third year you will be giving supervised FI to fellow trainees with the teaching staff in one-on-one tutorials, and with the public. Individual and group feedback will be given.
Small Group Activities
Group activities, such as discussions and practical exercises, will be used to analyse and develop your understanding of course materials, ATM and FI. Through these processes an atmosphere of open learning will develop that acknowledges and draws from the diversity of your colleagues’ different backgrounds, skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Individual Processes
Continuing the theme of self-directed learning in ATM, you will engage in a variety of learning processes designed to promote reflection on course materials and experiences. You will keep a journal throughout the program to support the process of reflective learning and planning your ongoing learning focus.
Talks and Presentations
Short talks on the Method will be presented by the educational team (including those given by Moshe Feldenkrais from primary source video materials) on related areas of current knowledge, and on developing and running a practice. You will learn about Moshe Feldenkrais and how the historic, philosophical, and scientific bases of his education and experience formed the basis of the Method. So that you understand how Feldenkrais differs from other disciplinary ideas about movement and learning, you will be introduced to relevant topics in the movement arts and sciences, contemporary education, and philosophy.
Online Learning
You will engage in various learning activities and projects between the face to face segments of the training. These include: Participating in interactive online modules covering topics related to understanding and practicing the Method; participating in face-to-face, and online forums, group discussions, ATM classes, having FI lessons; reading selected books and articles. Reflective learning will promoted through all activities .
Supervision
Each student will be assigned to a mentoring group under the supervision of an educational team member. You will meet in this group throughout the program year continuing an online relationship during the part of the program that is not face to face. You will be monitored through group interaction, individual conversations, participation in online activities and by means of a personal summary journal which will be reviewed by your mentor periodically. Their feedback and support will enable you optimise your learning strategies. You will also engage in ongoing personal and peer reflective processes based on the Feldenkrais Practitioner competency profile.