Comments on: Fall Down Seven Times…

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:57:21 +0000

@Carl- Wow! She was tough! I never pushed anyone over, but I always asked when folks did fall whether it hurt or not. Of course it didn’t, but I knew the students were much more likely to believe a fellow student than me!

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:53:33 +0000

@Emily-Sarah… to answer your question about children- they don’t become self-conscious (conscious of themselves as truly separate entities) until somewhere around 9. Before that, they are not really able to look at themselves from the outside like we adults seem to do all the time. So that’s one of the reasons children aren’t afraid to ‘look stupid’ they can’t step outside their own experience far enough to imagine how another might see them.

@JoVE- Interesting- I had no idea about rugby- but I can see that diving for the ground wouldn’t come naturally! And I totally agree that artists (the best ones) get that it’s messy sometimes. Those who are afraid of the mess are the ones who don’t get very far.

@Kerrie- I’ve also had the experience of being excited about learning something, but not so excited once I’m competent. This makes me think of the sweet spot of flow where challenge is just about equal to ability. More challenge than ability= frustration. More ability than challenge= boredom.

By: Carl Ollivier-Gooch

Carl Ollivier-Gooch — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:07:05 +0000

In teaching adults to ski, my beloved was much more cruel than Liz: she’d stop beside them and push them over, both for the experience that falling on snow (generally) doesn’t hurt and to practice getting back up.

By: Emily-Sarah

Emily-Sarah — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:54:35 +0000

I’m good at being bad when I’m interrupted. And I’m good at being too practical at times (aka “wet blanket” over hubby’s grand ideas). The first one (interruption) is something I truly try to control when it really does matter if I can’t stay on track … but sometimes (OK, almost always) the second one is exactly this not wanting to fall thing. You’re right about young children, and isn’t it fascinating how their self-esteem is so well formed in some ways that falling, literally in front of a crowd or metaphorically when striving to develop a new skill, isn’t a bad thing at all. I wonder if this is something we naturally grow out of as children or if it’s something adults “help” us learn. (In other words, are my actions and attitudes helping my five-year-old son to learn to be afraid/overly cautious/worried about appearances?)

By: JoVE

JoVE — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:39:13 +0000

Your skiing example reminded me of when I was learning to play rugby. In university. I was a grad student but others on the team were undergrads. The thing is we were girls. And even the girls who did other sports (most of them but not me) did not want to fall.

To the extent that the member of the men’s team that was coaching us actually made up a drill to teach us how to fall. And DIVE at the (muddy) ground. Because in rugby you actually have to touch the ball down to score, not just cross the line. And when folks are chasing you, that means diving over the line more often than not.

which makes me want to extend your metaphor. Because some folks are okay with falling and getting dirty if it is a legitimate part of the game. And they learn to do that well. (I think artists might recognize this around the messiness thing.)

But others hate the mess and dirt and potential for injury from hitting the ground, even if it is part of how the game is played. They need to unlearn that fear of falling in order to play the game well.
.-= JoVE´s last blog ..Common Problems with Grant Proposals =-.

By: Kerrie

Kerrie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:22:54 +0000

My problem is once I learn how to do something and gain some competency, I lose interest. Like my art, I’m more interested in the process than the product. So learning? GREAT! But applying what I’ve learned? Eh…
.-= Kerrie´s last blog ..“Do I need a website?” =-.