Questioning mind over matter

Writing in FE Focus, Professor Bill Lucas and Professor Guy Claxton, Co-directors of the Centre for Real World Learning at the University of Winchester, argue that our understanding of practical and vocational learning is outdated.

Referencing Antonio Damasio's critique of Descartes dualist approach to mind and body, the article discusses new research from the cognitive sciences, such as the emerging discipline of embodied cognition.

Commenting on the practical aspects of our thinking, they commented: "A new model of 'mind' is emerging, in which physical activity and practical learning play a key role. 'The hand', as Jacob Bronowski put it, 'is the cutting edge of the mind'. What happens to the quality of your thinking when you doodle, lie in a bath or go for a jog? Our bodies are not just a way of transporting our minds around: what we do with them is intimately connected with the quality of our thinking."

Visit the Centre for Real World Learning
Read Edge's report on Embodied Cognition