Chapter 4- Simulations and Bodies
This chapter emphasizes the importance of full emergence in subject matter for full understanding of that subjects vocabulary. When the author says, "learning doesn't work well when learners are forced to check their bodies at the school room door like guns in the old West," he means to say that the students can't merely sit around and work. As part of our culture of learning, we must use our bodies and our physical power as a means to learn about subjects. Students must have specific learning experiences rather than memorizing words. No one just reads, rather, the learner reads a specific material. According to the author, merely "reading" is not enough to gain a large vocabulary. He believes that one must actually experience the worlds that the vocabulary words refer to. Those words have a specific place in those places they belong. The meaning of the word depends on that words usage, as a word could mean something different in many different places. In essence, a words meaning comes from its usage in the subject. For instance in the sentence "My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present," the term "off the hook" means that the subject of the sentence does not need to buy his/her sister a wedding present any longer. In the sentence, "Them shoes are off the hook dog," "off the hook," means that the shoes are very much desirable and the speaker is interested in them. Finally, in the sentence, "Man that cat was fighting 6 people and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook", you should have seen it!!" the term "off the hook," means that the fighter beating up 6 people at once was intense, ridiculous, and unexpected.
According to the author, the "work" of childhood is play. Children, when given the opportunity to play, are given the opportunity to learn. They can learn the true meaning of different aspects of life, for example, sharing, compassion, love, hard work, leadership, discipline, as well as vocabulary, basic math, and many other basics for subjects. I agree with this, as students are much more prone to want to play if they learn that they are doing something they don't like to do in the process of playing. One example the author uses when it comes to reading literally and cognitively is reading the instruction manual for a video game. This can be confusing with all of the new vocabulary introduced that requires explanation and rereading different sections, if one does not have the original knowledge of the game. By NOT reading the instruction manual first, the player can play the game and begin learning through doing, and when a question arises, they can refer to the manual, with the newer knowledge of the vocabulary they didn't know beforehand.
Although it is advantageous to read the manual, the literal meaning of a word may not be what is required to understand the word. There is a lot of implied meaning that goes in with a word in many subjects. By narrowing one's eyesight to the literal meaning of a word, the reader might become confused or frustrated completely by the word's meaning. In games, a player needs to be following rules to be identified as playing the game. The game, in real life, could be used in place of identity. One of my games I play is the game of music educator, and I am following the rules of learning to teach music, and teaching music, as well as getting my degree to graduate with a certification. Another game I play is that of conductor. I must plan rehearsals and keep the beat for the ensemble. I also play the game of friend. As a friend, I must be available to be talked to, I must also be compassionate and share my feelings with others.
According to the author, good learning is learning that is done, rather than studied or taught. The learner needs to be actively engaged in an activity to be a sufficient learner. This can only be done through experimentation and experiences.
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