Feldenkrais Professional Training

Learning Strategies

The training will draw on many teaching-learning approaches in keeping with the work of Moshe Feldenkrais. In order to benefit fully from these, each day at Melbourne 4 will consist of 6 hours of face to face time, as well as ‘online' learning time for the remainder of each term.

Awareness Through Movement

You will experience many hours of Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons throughout the training. ATMs are an integral part of how you create conditions for learning, for yourself, and from that extrapolate how you do this for others. The core of the lessons will be drawn from the trainings of Moshe Feldenkrais. We feel that it is important for you to 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 three individual Functional Integration (FI) lessons each year from members of the staff and from invited practitioners. We will also invite experienced practitioners present to attend the training and offer supplementary lessons. Beyond that, you will be given 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 encouraged throughout the whole of each term.

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 and fourth years 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 students' different backgrounds, skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Individual Processes

Continuing the theme of self-directed learning in ATM, students will engage in a variety of learning processes designed to promote reflection on course materials and experiences. Students will keep a journal throughout the program to support the process of reflective learning.

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 led to the Method. So that you understand how Feldenkrais differs from prevailing ideas about movement and learning, you will be introduced to relevant topics in the movement arts and sciences, contemporary education, and philosophy.

Online Learning

Students will engage in various learning activities and projects during all 12 terms of the training. These include: completing a selection of online modules covering disciplines 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. To promote reflective learning journal templates will be provided.

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 segment and also continue an online relationship during the part of the segment 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 journal which will be reviewed by your mentor periodically. Their feedback and support will enable you optimise your learning strategies.