Literature Review- Keith Cozart

Keith Cozart Commented on group 4 DAN WARD lit review and group 1 Shellee Dawalt

Physical Learning

Keith A. Cozart

Ball State University

September 26, 2015

Strategies for Teaching Adults- EDAC 635

Professor Bo Chang

Abstract

This paper focuses on Physical Learning within adult education.   It will describe notable definitions and aspects, identify major academic and physical learning scholars contributing to its’ honing and importance, compare and contrast a few of its many scopes and intersection with other learning theories and identify its most compelling significance to adult learning.  Thereafter the paper will draw conclusions and implications based on the reviewed material.

Physical Learning

The process of Physical Learning can be alternatively labeled or referenced in many different ways.  Kinesthetic, tactile, performance, motor, agility, coordination, muscle and skill learning/training are a few alternate and accurate examples of Physical Learning.  While there is a sparse amount of adult education literature aimed at learning that is physical (MacKeracher, 2004), the level of importance within education is paramount.  Physical learning along with visual and auditory stimuli fully connects our senses to learning new material more deeply.  We rely on professionals who have honed skilled skills acquired through physical learning.  To name a few, such service professions as surgeon, pilot, carpenter, aerobic instructor, piano teacher, electrician and military person all require high levels of training that is physical.

Physical learning takes place when students carry out physical activities rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations.  Dorothy MacKeracher (2004, pp. 141) identifies what is involved in physical learning as follows:

·      coordinating body movement and orienting the body in physical space (balance);

·      using tools and resources effectively/efficiently;

·      improving muscular strength, flexibility, body-image and cardiovascular conditioning;

·      learning new or improving physical skills required for activities such as athletics, arts/crafts, music, home improvement, workplace tasks;

·      maintaining and improving eye-hand coordination;

·      adaptation of existing skills based on life changes such as aging, injury or disability.

Through her examples it is clear that the scope of physical learning is extremely broad.  With that in mind, the focus of this literature review will aim at two areas of physical learning, Muscle Memory and Motor Skills with specific attention paid to the following:

·      the acquisition of skilled motor performance;

·      shifts in task routines during the learning of a motor skill;

·      the effects of practice schedules on learning and performance;

·      muscle memory and its’ independence from the nervous system.

General Themes of Reviews

The learning of a new or improved motor skill is a process.  In developing motor function, enhanced performance and muscle memory it has been proposed that such skills are developed in two stages: fast learning, an initial in session improvement time and slow learning, occurring after a break period of consolidating of new material occurs and where-after delayed incremental gains in performance are made with repetitive practice (Karni, Meyer, Rey-Hipolito, Jezzard, Adams, Turner & Underleider, 1998).  In short, initially learn the overview, allow for a settling period then try again repeatedly.  In the world of percussion, learning a new rhythm or drum technique aligns with the proposed stages.  Muscle memory required to play percussive instruments takes time and one of the most crucial events between stages is marked by the consolidation time.  Not only does it allow for the settling of new material/coordination/rhythm, but also helps alleviate frustration and fatigue.  Adults accumulate past experience and prior learning that is reflected upon during time of consolidation (MacKeracher, 2004) validating the learning stage process’s overall importance.

During the stages of motor skill learning, it is suggested by Adi-Japha, Karni, Loewenschuss, Parnes and Vakil (2008) that a shift in task routine occurs.  They describe a transient phase during a motor skill training process where after an initial increase in movement speed and a decrease in variability, the learner experienced a significant increase in variability along with no change in speed.  Thereafter the learner again showed decreased variability but demonstrated more clear coherence.  Stages in the learning process whether procedural, sequential, experiential or other manner directly affect learning efficiency and outcomes.  The transient phase is another reminder for the need of a settling period (consolidation time).

When learning any activity that requires muscle memory aimed for highly skilled performance such as music, ceramics and carpentry, the need for effective practice schedules and routines are important.  These highly skilled motor functions are extremely evident within sports and athletics.  For example, a major league baseball player at bat relies on his muscle memory to swing at the ball.  His body knows what it feels like to swing the bat hence improving his chances at making contact. The development of such skills takes a lot of time. Measuring the effects of practice schedule on performance gain can help increase results.  A study on low verses high-skill leveled tennis students show results that initial competency plays a part in how practice schedules are established and implemented (Hebert, Landin & Solmon, 1996).  Low-skill level students (beginner to intermediate) showed more improvement using a blocked practice schedule verses that of alternating, whereas the higher skill level students showed no significant gain from one schedule verses the other.  This study may indicate the importance of focused block learning for beginners that is more singular verses varied in the initial process of learning a new motor function.

Muscle memory makes or breaks the competency of any physically performed task requiring immediate reaction, results, speed, care, intricacy, repetition or accuracy.  So what is muscle memory?  Is it real?  Can muscles drive behavior and action independent from the nervous system?  A study by Liu and Jorgensen (2011) shows that while neuron input is likely require for initial muscle reactions, but that muscles can fire without.  This suggests that muscles retain movement codes from previous repetition.  While the description is morbid, muscle memory can be demonstrated the be-heading of a chicken.  When a chicken is to be butchered, often times the process is to remove the head.  After decapitation, the body of the chicken may run around, crow or even fly.  All of these happen without the input of the brain. This and other examples of muscle movement acting independently from conscious brain function will be a primary part of my research. 

Beginners should expectedly require more blocked time spent on specific processes, honing newly found skills with lots of repetition in concentrated time frames.  More advanced student within motor function such as athletics are less effected by block scheduling, making the option for separated schedule sessions warranted for different skill levels.

Implications

Learning motor skills and muscle memory takes time.  Any technically driven physical movement requires practice and repetition.  Patience along the process is crucial for mental and physical wellbeing.  Understanding the learning process helps learning facilitators structure materials/sessions in ways that implement known aids to the learning process.  By recognizing stages of fast learning followed by consolidation of new material (settling period) and a return to slow learning, facilitators can ease frustration, encourage the process and retain learners.  Learners will experience stages in the learning process.  Recognizing as typical or not can aid learners and facilitators become more effective and efficient with their time together and practicing separately. 

As research continues, it becomes more apparent that muscle memory can happen without the specific firing of neurons to stimulate muscle movement.  Through repetition, balanced practice routines and schedules that aim to acknowledge staged learning patterns in learning new motor function, facilitators can gear lesson plans to accommodate more productive and enjoyable learning processes.  In the end, the learning process should not be a “races to the finish line.”

Reflections Highlights

     The process of learning motor skills is complex and has many facets.  Based on the review of the above literature the following observations are made:

1.     Motor skill learning is a stage process that is best facilitated by a quick initial learning stage followed by a consolidation time ending with a more slow/deep learning stage.

2.     Settling time between learning stages are important.

3.     Beginners may need a different practice structure than more advanced students.

4.     Muscle memory is mysterious but real and worthy of much more research.

Reflecting the Process

     I rarely use collegiate databases to search for article/journals.  This process is new to me.  In the future I aim to get an earlier start on collecting materials.  I found that most all references contained a large amount of vocabulary and terminology that I did not know, using many scientific, mathematical, medical and biological terms.  When discussing physical learning, I now understand more fully the amount of work I have to perform based on my lack such vocabulary.  Lastly, the subject of muscle memory and physical learning is a relatively untapped area of professional scholarship and development, while it is something most everyone implements/practices on a regular basis.  Muscle memory is something we all aspire to improve upon without conscious effort.  From babies learning how to hold their bottle, kids learning the control panel on a video game system, young adults learning to drive a car, to adults working on home improvements, we just do it. 

Physical Learning	Main Themes and Ideas	Application/Implications
The Acquisition of Skilled Motor Performance	Fast and slow experience-driven changes occur in primary motor cortex during learning process.	Skilled motor performance is acquired in several stages: “fast” learning, an initial, within-session improvement phase, followed by a period of consolidation of several hours duration, and then “slow” learning, consisting of delayed, incremental gains in performance emerging after continued practice.
A Shift in Task Routine During the Learning of a Motor Skill	Describes a transient phase during training on a movement sequence wherein, after an initial improvement in speed and decrease in variability, individual participants’ performance showed a significant increase in variability without change in mean performance speed.	Mindful attention paid to learning phases can result in more effective and efficient learning process in the acquisition of learning motor skills.
Practice Schedule Effects on Learning	Measuring the effects of block verses alternating practice schedules on skill building (tennis).	Manipulating practice routines in physical skill building has a larger effect on low-skilled learners verses that of high-skilled.  Block practice schedule showed increases post-testing performance.
Muscle Memory	Can muscles really drive behavior independently from the nervous system?	Understanding the nervous system and how repetitive movement may become separated from the system (ie. becomes muscle memory) shows evidence that such training can produce rhythmic muscle contractions independent from neuronal input; indicating that muscle memory may become much as the heart (muscle), involuntary.

References

Adi-Japha, E., Karni, A., Loewenschuss, I., Parnes, A., & Vakil, E., (2008). A shift in task routines during the learning of a motor skill. Journal of experimental psychology, 34(6), 1544-1551. doi: 10.1037/a0013217

Hebert, E., Landin, D., & Solmon, M. (1996). Practicing schedule effects on the performance and learning of low and high skilled students. Research quarterly for exercise and sport, 67(1), 52-58.

Jorgensen, E., & Liu, Q. (2011). Perspectives muscle memory. The Journal of Psychology, 589(4), 775-776.

Karni, A., Meyer, G., Rey-Hipolitos, C., Jezzard, P., Adams, M., Turner, R. & Underleider, L., (1998). The acquisition of skilled motor performance. National academy of sciences, 95(3), 861-868.

MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Muscle Memory Bill Slonaker

Muscle Memory EDAC635 Bill Slonaker People learn in many ways. As educators, it is important for us to recognize differences in learning styles in order to assist our learners. We view the mind as the primary learning mechanism. How can it not be? It is the seat of learning and intelligence, after all. Individual minds learn best by individual routes. For instance, some learn facts best by hearing, others by writing and still others by turning the facts into a song or a chant. The body also plays an important role in learning. Obviously how the body ‘feels’ is an important factor of learning. We do not learn well if we are sick and focusing on a runny nose or headache. Muscles also play an important role in how we learn, not only whether they are tense or fatigued (body issues), but by gaining a memories of their own. When muscle memory is mentioned, my first thoughts are of athletics. Athletes generally train over a long period of time to get their muscles to complete the desired actions as an automatic, thoughtless response. It would a very difficult process to dunk a basketball if the player had to focus on the biomechanics of the act. Likewise, a tap dancer would have quite a difficult time getting anything done if he had to concentrate on each individual tap of the heal or toe. Musicians, equestrians, athletes, dancers, and most humans for that matter, rely on my primary impression of muscle memory in completing daily tasks. People do not learn to dunk a basketball by watching a video of how it is done. You can watch the video repeatedly, but should not expect be able to master the skill simply by watching it be done. Basketball is a good example for muscle memory. As a player looks at the floor trying to decide to pass, shoot or move up the court, he must be dribbling the ball as well. Because of ‘muscle memory’, the player can dribble the ball without focusing on it, freeing his mind to read a situation and do several calculations instead. Kinaesthetic learning is learning by doing or motion learning. We learn how to walk by ‘doing’. We learn to swing a hammer without smashing a digit by ‘doing’. Some people really can learn to build a fire by reading about it, but kinaesthetic learners would have a lot of difficulty as their method of learning is by doing. In our text, we are told that adult education literature on physical learning is sorely lacking (MacKeracher, 2004). By adopting the findings and concepts of the literature that is out there, we can often apply physical learning to the classroom environment. Literature on muscle memory covers many aspects; everything from practicing a movement slowly in order gain mastery of the movement when completed quickly to muscles gaining movement information solely from genes (in utero muscle development/memory). Christopher Jacoby defines muscle memory as “the ability of our mind to capture a particular activity or movement” (Jacoby, 2015). According to him, muscles learn certain actions and are able to replicate the movements even decades after having last used that skill set. Examples he gave were bike riding, driving, and walking. To some degree, I agree with his examples, but not completely. He says that several years can pass without using that particular skill and not have to think about it. My experience is that getting back on a bicycle after several years requires one to concentrate, even slightly, about staying upright and getting back into the swing, thus disputing it to be a muscle memory issue. On the other hand, once reacquainted with the contraption, it is an effortless endeavor. An interesting article I read compared several studies spanning over thirty years on worms (nematodes). Included in the findings are that tapeworm muscles continue their sinusoidal wave patterns when both the head and tail sections are detached (Jorgensen, 2011). The important thing is that the muscles continued their normal movement as opposed to involuntary jerky motions resulting from electrical impulses. The implication is that the muscles of tapeworms do not require a brain or intact nervous system to work in their normal fashion. A big benefit of muscle memory is that people who have been physically fit in their past 1) are better able to again be fit, 2) should be less frail as they age (Saey, Muscles Remember Their Strength, 2010). Study findings are that the number of nuclei increase as the muscle works in a repetitive fashion. Even if the muscle becomes detached and withers, the number of nuclei remains the same (Saey, Muscles Can Remember Past Glory, 2010). The DNA template of the muscle actually changed in the workout. In practical terms, following a devastating injury a muscle which is well developed has the capacity to return to its well-developed state. The muscle actually gained memory as it can return to its optimum state not the state is was at birth, for lack of a better comparison. By following this concept, we can reasonably argue that muscles do in fact have memory of their own. They have the ability to repeat, independently, a learned action/skill. This is how we are able to walk, maintain our balance, breathe, etc. How else can this knowledge be applied? Where else in our every-day lives can we find examples of muscle memory? The illustration of muscle memory in social roles was the one that surprised me the most. I had not really given it much thought. The idea is very sound looking at it through personal experience. Richard Shusterman brings to light that some professions require a certain authoritative attitude and carriage. He mentions police officers, judges, and drill sergeants success being partially dependent on the way they carry themselves (Shusterman, 2011). Even if they carry themselves, shall we say ‘with less purpose’ in their off time, part of their ‘dress’ is actually their comportment. Where muscle memory comes in to play is that their comportment changes automatically when entering the courtroom, squad room or exercise yard. As I reflected on Shusterman’s observation, I was able to see that this also encompasses interpersonal relationships. In our personal lives we can all relate to someone who affects the way we carry ourselves. My example will use someone who causes your muscles to tense in a fight or flight response. That one person who makes your blood boil for whatever reason. We automatically walk more erect and with more purpose. Our muscles bunch, ready for a fight. We automatically look for weak points, exit routes and scan the lay of the land. Our muscles become tense because of muscle memory. Picture that special someone in your mind, replay past encounters with them, and then check your neck muscles. Are they tense? Could it be they are tense because they remember what to do around this person? Shusterman tells the story of a judge who unknowingly brought his courtroom home with him (Shusterman, 2011). After leaving the court room he would go straight home for dinner where he would treat his family as if they were court officers or defendants. He spoke to them in an authoritative manner during the course of the meal and held himself quite apart from them. He did not realize he was doing this until they brought it to his attention. In an attempt to rectify matters, he changed his after work routine, took a different rout home and took time to decompress before having dinner with the family. He had to take off the mantle of authority, part of which was the way he carried himself. Musician Maxim Rysanov says that he works very hard to develop muscle memory as it enhances his performances and keeps him from worrying so much while preforming (Rysanov, 2014). He states that he believes fifty percent of the musical intonation is a result of muscle memory, as muscle memory actually delays fatigue for him. He tries to build into his muscle memory places for his muscles to automatically relax, again giving increased longevity. World-class tennis pro Joe Dinoffer answers questions about muscle memory in a manner anyone can understand. He says memory in muscles is similar to programming in a computer, and that once the muscles learn a task they do not really forget. His common sense example is that you sit in a chair and cross your arms. Notice how comfortable you are in that position. It feels natural. Now uncross your arms and try to cross them in the opposite direction. Once you think about the biomechanics of doing it the opposite way, chances are you feel very awkward in this position. This is a result of neuro pathways for that particular skill being formed. The muscles are not comfortable in that stance because that is not how they learned it; it is not how they were programmed. (Dioffer, 2010) In contrast to Dioffer, Nancy Armour wrote an article on gymnastics in which she says “It takes months of repetitions to make those skills look effortless yet only a few weeks for that muscle memory to be erased” (Armour, 2015). If we look at the evidence gathered thus far, that statement cannot be proven. Instead, it is more plausible that the gymnast’s body has changed in some manner by growth or additional weight, and therefore doesn’t not respond in exactly the same manner as before. Lisa Withers is an associate professor of piano at Emory & Henry College. She tells her students there are two types of memory; conscious and unconscious. Unconscious memory is her term for muscle memory, “the memorization of certain physical gestures through repetition” (Music Teachers National Association, 2014). That is another great descriptor for my interpretation of muscle memory. Proving Withers’ statement regarding unconscious memory, wearable technology has proven the ability to teach muscle memory while the mind is occupied with other tasks. Tad Stamer developed a computerized glove, on the top of each finger being small vibrating motors. Wearing the glove for a couple of hours daily, Ariel Bleicher “acquired sufficient muscle memory to play sixty-one notes of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” with hardly any effort” (Schneider, 2014). Withers believes that muscle memory is critical to mastering difficult pieces, and interestingly she believes it is also critical to ‘creating instincts’ (Music Teachers National Association, 2014). This belief in echoed many times in articles by music professionals regarding muscle memory. The creative instincts refer to improvisation, and that improv is able to occur because the muscles have memorized the basic movements necessary to perform successfully, allowing the mind to meander and compose on the spot or play from the heart. James Dean reviewed and transcribed performance footage of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. Dean’s points of interest were the improvised solos. He concluded that because Metheny has mastered all of the mechanical movements required to seamlessly play the guitar, his mind is freed to construct improvisations (Dean, 2014). Just look at the progression of ideas regarding muscle memory in this paper thus far. We have gone from tapeworms muscles continuing in a normal manner with no connection to brain or nervous system to muscle memory being the seat of a creative force! Amazing stuff. The remaining question is how this knowledge can be translated to the classroom. For one, anyone who is teaching labs can rest assured that repetition is indeed a reliable method of teaching/learning. The learner will gain skill by physically repeating the task as shown by the computerized glove. In non-lab class, body posture alone can signal the brain that it is time to commence an activity, which can be reading, discussing, etc. This was evidenced in both social and performance situations. Muscle position can make you ready for other things, and help you be ready to learn. Bibliography Armour, N. (2015, July 27). Seeking Repeat, Douglas Leaps Back Into Sport. USA Today. Baxmann, I. (2009). At the Boundaries of the Archive: Movement, Rhythm, and Muscle Memory. A Report on the Tanzarchiv Leipzig. Dance Chronicle, 32(1), pp. 127-135. doi:10.1080/01472520802690333 Dean, J. (2014, April). Pat Metheny's Finger Routes: The Role of Muscle Memory in Guitar Improvisation. Jazz Perspectives, 8(1), pp. 45-71. Dioffer, J. (2010, August). Do Muscles Have Memory? Tennis Life, pp. 34-35. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from http://www.tennislife.com Jacoby, C. (2015). What Is Muscle Memory? Retrieved September 22, 2015, from Healthguidance.org: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/14351/1/ Jorgensen, Q. L. (2011, February 15). Muscle Memory. The Journal of Physiology, pp. 775-776. MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making Sense of Adult Learning (Second ed.). Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press. Music Teachers National Association. (2014, February/March). This & That. America Music Teacher, 63(4), pp. 51-53. Rysanov, M. (2014, January). Practice Dairy. Strad, 124(1485), p. 19. Saey, T. H. (2010, September 11). Muscles Can Remember Past Glory. Science News, 178(6), p. 15. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from http://wwwjstor.org/stable/27862663 Saey, T. H. (2010, August 17). Muscles Remember Their Strength. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from Discovery News: http://news.discovery.com/humans/genetics/muscles-memory-strength.htm Schneider, D. (2014, September). Muscle-Memory Programmer Resources - Hands On). IEEE Spectrum, 51(9), pp. 23-25. Shusterman, R. (2011). Muscle Memory and the Somaestheric Pathologies of Everday Life. Human Movement, 12(1), pp. 4-15.

Lit Review Ray Harmon

I commented on Group 1-Holly and Group 6 Alexandra

Physical Learning-Muscle memory

Ray Harmon

Ball State University

September 27, 2015

Introduction

The physical learning style is a style that is typically one in which the learner uses their body and their physical surroundings to help them better understand what they are learning. The use of touch, action, movement and hands on activities are some of the ways physical learners excel. ASIYAI, R. (2014). The environment is important as well. The ergonomics of the environment can affect both the learner and the facilitator. Items this includes are lighting, sound quality, outside distractions through windows and the comfort of the chairs and tables or desks. All of these areas can have a positive or negative effect on the learning environment. Along with the environment there are other areas of physical learning as well. Kinesthetic learning is another very important in the physical learning environment. Kinesthetic learning is a learning style that takes place when the learner is carrying out physical activity. This activity is generally called hands on and often times can include muscle memory exercises.  

General Themes

Environment

In a study done in public and private schools to find out how students perceive their physical learning environment, private schools ranked higher than public schools. Students in private schools viewed their physical learning environment higher than students in public schools. The students were given 10 statements in which they were asked to grade the statements on a scale of 1-4 with 1 being strongly disagree and 4 being strongly agree. The final tally showed almost a full point difference between the public and private schools. ASIYAI, R. (2014).

Physical memory

There are 2 types of physical memory, discursive and procedural. Discursive is the memory we as humans use when we learn a fact and then repeat it at a later time. Muscle memory comes more within the procedural memory. This procedural memory is our ability to just do things without actually thinking about doing them. For instance we can walk and talk on a phone and not really have to think about the walking part at all. We just do it. Within the realm of procedural memory there are three phases. These phases are cognitive, associative and autonomous phase. In the cognitive phase since we are learning the movement we must think about each thing we do. This is very tedious and can cause some learners to quit at this point, say from learning to skate or play a musical instrument. The associative phase is when the movement is starting to work smoother for the learner and it often actually encourages the learner to practice more as they begin to see positive results. When practice begins to make the movement easier and smoother the learner enters the autonomous phase in which it becomes second nature to do the movements that only a short time ago were very frustrating. Cochrane, R. (n.d.). Muscle memory is often said to be perfected by the old saying “practice makes perfect”. Learning to write, play a musical instrument and typing are all examples of muscle memory.

Work Based Learning-Cooperative Education

Work base learning or cooperative education has formally been around since the 80’s. This program allows students to work in the field they are training for with companies that agree to allow the students to work for them and receive a paycheck. This experience for the learner is invaluable, as they actually get to work in their chosen industry and learn how business operates. They use the hard and soft skills learned in their formal education in the work place. “Working outside the classroom immerses students in hands-on, project-based work experiences that align with industry trends and standards. The result is a meaningful connection between concept and application that students take with them into postsecondary education or the workforce.” Xanthis, B. (2015).

Implications

The best way to keep the physical learning environment settings as to keep learners involved is to make them comfortable yet not so much they become tired or sleepy. If the lighting is set so the learner can see what is going on and the sound quality allows them to hear what they need to hear you are setting them up for success. If any outside distractions are blocked out as much as possible with the use of shades or blinds this will also help. The chairs and tables should be arrange according to the use of the classroom. If you are facilitating a well-rounded discussion the chairs may be best suited in a circle. If you are presenting and all of the information is coming from the front of the room standard rows will work.

Physical memory, at least procedural memory, is used to learn how to create muscle memory that will allow learners to take on tasks such as learning to write or any other task that is repetitive. By doing this practice over and over the learner will develop the skills needed to perform the task without even thinking about it. This is called the autonomous phase of procedural memory.

Cooperative education is an idea that has been around since the 80’s. The evidence of the programs’ success is well documented. From employers finding valuable employees without having to actually hire them full time to students gaining valuable skills within their chosen industry, cooperative education is win-win for all.

Reflection

The physical learning environment plays a large role in how learners and facilitators work together as well as how the learner gains the knowledge needed to move forward in their journey. If the environment is distracting the learners will have difficulty focusing on the task at hand. Facilitators should work at making the physical learning environment as conducive to learning as possible. This includes blocking any outside distraction, as much as possible, and making the close up environment as neutral and learner friendly as possible. The proper use of lighting, sound, technology and comfort of chairs and tables is very important to facilitate the learners’ ability to focus. While not everyone will be happy with every possible setup, an effort to make sure most of the students feel comfortable in their learning environment, is very important.

Process

I completed this assignment using the Cincinnati State Library online database searches. I had previously thought a little about the physical environment but only to the idea if the sun was shining brightly into a room I was teaching in I would close the blinds. I never really considered the sound, use of technology or comfort level of the chairs and table prior to this assignment. I also didn’t think much about muscle memory in items such as typing, although I have had students that struggle in that area. As far as the coop experience, Cincinnati State is one of the country’s largest coop schools so I am familiar with the benefits to the coop experience. Overall this has been a good assignment to help me learn how to pay attention to the physical learning environment.

Theme Title	Main Theme in Literature	Application of Theme
Environment	The physical environment has an impact on learning. Lighting, sound, technology and comfort of the learner all are important in the learning environment.	The learning environment setup should be considered as it will affect learners. Lighting, sound, technology and outside influence are a few of the items needing attention when setting up the learning environment.
Physical Memory-Procedural Memory	There are three phase to procedural memory; cognitive, associative and autonomous. As each phase is completed the learner gains more skill and muscle memory.	For skills using muscle memory, practice makes perfect. Learners will be frustrated at first but with practice will begin to gain self-confidence and master the skill.
Work Based Learning-Cooperative Education	Students are given an opportunity to take the hard and soft skills learned in the classroom and put them into practice at a work place in their chosen field.	Cooperative education has been around since the 80’s and should be incorporated into learning if possible. The skills learned on the job will go with the learned in their chosen path.

References

ASIYAI, R. (2014). STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE CONDITION OF THEIR CLASSROOM PHYSICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR LEARNING AND MOTIVATION. College Student Journal, 48(4), 716-726.

Cochrane, R. (n.d.). What is muscle memory? Retrieved September 26, 2015 from http://cochranemusic.com/guitar-muscle-memory-speed

Xanthis, B. (2015). WORK-BASED LEARNING The Key to Connecting Students to the World of Work. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 90(1), 30-33.

Group Plan

Keith Cozart responded to Group 1 and 2

 Group 3- Physical Learning, GROUP PLAN

Keith Cozart, Ray Harmon, Bill Slonaker

No.	Assignment	Due Date	Comments Due Date	Members Roles
1.	Topic Summary and Selection	9.6	9.13	Individual Work
2.	Group Plan	9.20	9.27	·       Keith- (Group Leader**), organizer of initial conversations, set-up blog, designed/posted table to blog, posted BB IM to course blog. ·       Bill- Topic Selection, Muscle memory, Phone conversation, BB IM, initial research, ·       Ray- Phone conversation, BB IM, cross over into other areas of learning brainstorm (experiential, motive and emotional learning) ·       WHOLE GROUP: Instant messaging via Black Board
3.	Literature Review	9.27	10.4	Individual Work
4.	Syllabus Design	10.25	11.1	·       Keith- (Group Leader**), Table, References and Introduction. ·       Bill- Rational and reflection ·       Ray- syllabus document editor and draft/design ·       WHOLE GROUP: Draft review, Instant messaging via Black Board, course design.
5.	Syllabus Evaluation	11.8	11.15	·       Keith- Students’ responses ·       Bill: (Group Leader), reflections ·       Ray- Evaluations and Table ·       WHOLE GROUP: Draft review, Instant messaging via Black Board.
6.	Final Demonstration	12.6	12.6	·       Keith: Demonstrations (Multimedia) ·       Bill: Group reflection ·       Ray: (Group Leader**), Summary ·       WHOLE GROUP: Draft review, Instant messaging via Black Board.

**Group leader:  facilitates progress, keeps individual work accountable, final proof of all written drafts and post assignment to our blog and other (if applicable).

Notes:

·      Group live messaging will be performed using Black Board Instant Messenger. 

·      Share document will be facilitated via Google Docs.

·      Focus subject MUSCLE MEMORY.

·      Next BB IM live chat meetings: Sunday, Oct 18^th, 7:00pm and Sunday, Oct 25^th, 7:00pm.