TRAINING CONTENT AND PROCESS
Program Year
1
Program Year 2
Program Year 3
Program Year 4
Learning strategies
Awareness
Through Movement®
Functional Integration®
Class
Discussions
Small Group Experiences
Lectures
Supervision
Between Segment Assignments
Evaluating Process
Graduation
Program Year
1
In the first year of the program, we present the basic tenets of
the metod. To develop your appreciation of the work from the inside
out, you are immersed in Awareness Through
Movement (ATM).
Fundamental ideas - from learning theory, physics, kinesiology,
anatomy and neurophysiology - will be introduced through
experimental learning.
We begin by working on listening - with eyes, ears, and hands - to
develop your ability to observe movement and understand the mover.
Observing yourself and the other trainees, you will begin to
recognize how individuals organize similar movements differently.
Interactive exercises will bring you a new appreciation of the
experience and expression of the physical self.
Functional
Integration (FI) training will introduce the art of
making contact and the various ways of touching. Exercises will
emphasize developing tactile sensitivity, working with awareness
through touch, learning basic skeletal anatomy through experiential
exercises, and understanding the principles of movement.
Program Year
2
In the second year, you develop an understanding of the grammar and
syntax of ATM lessons. We review and elaborate on the themes from
Year one. Personal experience and discussion will guide you in
reflecting upon what constitutes the underlying structure of a
lesson.
We look in depth at a number of classic ATM lessons. You learn how
to give instructions and guide a class, as well as how to relate
the lessons to activity in daily life. You will teach lessons to
each other while being supervised by teaching staff. At the end of
the second year you will be authorised to teach FI to the public on
a provisional basis.
The teaching of FI will also be included. You will begin to explore
the relationship between ATM and FI, learning to teach the same
"classic" themes either verbally or by touch. In order to avoid
"recipes" and foster real understanding, the same theme is
developed from a number of different angles and with varying
constraints. Much of the hands-on work is introduced through guided
work in pairs and small groups.
You complete the second year understanding fundamental lesson
configurations through verbal and hands-on approaches.
Program Year
3
In the third year, you clarify concepts and refine the hands-on
skills needed to achieve competence in FI. These skills develop
through active learning and problem solving.
Self-guided exercises in small groups require you to grapple with
questions and solve problems creatively
Both hands-on and group teaching skills will be developed
throughout the program. Inquiry into the teaching of ATM continues
into the third and fourth year. As you begin to teach ATM outside
the program, we will present more complex ATM lessons, and provide
forums for questions, discussions, and exercises.
Through a supervised internship or project in your own community,
you begin to apply what you have learned.
You will be giving Functional
Integration lessons to other trainees and working
with a client from outside the program. In a private tutorial we
work closely with you to identify your areas of need and to develop
specific, personalized solutions.
This approach is designed to create a safe environment for
exploration and learning.
Program Year
4
In the fourth year, you will continue to refine and broaden your
skills in all aspects of the work. We will introduce more unusual
and challenging positions and situations both in group lessons and
in the hands-on work. We will continue to explore what constitutes
a lesson and to develop your understanding of how it works. You
will observe the teachers giving two to three lessons with the same
outside person.
The ideas behind a series of lessons will be developed. Special
attention will be given to the beginning and ending of lessons and
interviewing will be presented as a special skill. We will be
paying special attention to your ability to articulate and present
the work at this stage.
To provide as much individualized feedback and attention as
possible, we use small groups with increasing frequency and longer
duration in the final year. You will work in small groups under the
leadership and supervision of a trainer or assistant trainer.
During year four you will be supervised giving lessons to the
general public.
Learning
strategies
The following section explain each of the many teaching-learning
approaches on which the training will draw. These include class
movement lessons, individual hands-on lessons, small group work,
class discussions, lectures, supervision, and between-segment
assignments. In order to benefit fully from these learning
strategies, the average day at the training will consist of five
hours of actual class time.
Awareness Through
Movement®
You will experience many hours of Awareness Through
Movement (ATM)
lessons throughout the training. The core of the lessons will be
drawn from the trainings that Moshe Feldenkrais conducted and from
the classes he taught. We feel that it is important for you to
experience different types of lessons, including intricate lessons
that have an extended and interwoven structure as well as those
usually taught to the general public.
We will not make a strong distinction between Awareness Through
Movement and Functional
Integration (FI). When we practice the Method, we
know that they are the same, simply two sides of the same coin. We
will begin touching and developing basic FI skills right from the
start and we will continue to emphasize ATM throughout the
program.
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.
We begin to teach touching and contact skills early in the program,
emphasizing the development of basic sensing abilities such as
"seeing and listening with your hands." You will refine your
tactile and kinesthetic acuity in ATM lessons and in small group
work. In the third year you will be giving supervised FIs to fellow
trainees. In the third and fourth year you will also have the
chance to practice FI with the teachers in one-on-one tutorials.
Individual feedback will be given.
Class
Discussions
We will hold regular discussions, both in small groups and with the
entire class. These discussions will vary in style from questions
and answers, dialogues, open-ended talks, and specific
conversations. You will be asked to grapple with difficult
questions, and to investigate them without pre-determined answers.
To encourage autonomy and competence, there will be opportunities
for student-led discussions.
Small Group
Experiences
Small groups will facilitate the process of learning. Group
exercises will include discussions and assigned activities, such as
observing a movement or working with each other in specific ways.
Small groups will also be used to develop your ability to
understand and teach FI and ATM. For example, you will review ATM
lessons in class, analyzing and discussing the structure and logic
of the lessons. As the training progresses, you will have the
opportunity to present short sections of the lessons and develop
your presentation skills.
We are committed to creating a constructive atmosphere for small
groups. The purpose of this setting is to create a place where you
and the other students can speak and be heard. In these small
groups, you will discuss the training process by reflecting on
class events, identifying difficulties, and developing solutions.
By drawing on the different skills and backgrounds that the
trainees bring, the group will be a place for collaborative
interaction and cooperative learning. We want to expand beyond the
idea of individual learning in a group to create a process of
learning with a group.
Lectures
Trainers, assistant trainers, and guest lecturers will present
short talks on the background of the Method, 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 instruction, you will be introduced to
relevant topics in the movement arts and sciences, contemporary
education, and philosophy.
Supervision
The educational directors will get to know you, work with you
individually, and track your progress. By observing how you learn,
interact, and practice, we will be able to assess your progress and
development.
That means that supervision - in the sense of watching and guiding
- will be an ongoing aspect of the program.
To facilitate this process, Alan and Diana will be available to
meet with trainees who want to discuss their learning process. Any
subject areas or skills that need work will be identified.
A personal strategy for supplemental study will be mapped, and
assignments for focused learning between segments formulated.
Between Segment
Assignments
The training is designed to facilitate your continuous, incremental
learning. This includes making sure that the intervals between
training segments are well utilized. To that end, we encourage you
to take ATM classes or workshops offered by your local
practitioners during the interim periods. In this way, you can
learn about styles of teaching and begin to interact with future
colleagues. For the same reasons, we also suggest that you receive
at least a few series of FI lessons between segments.
To deepen your understanding of the method and to strengthen your
ability to express that understanding, we will ask you to read
specific texts and give you writing tasks between segments. For
example, during the second year, we will ask you to write an
outline for a talk to the public; these outlines will then be used
in small groups for discussion and suggestions.
To support your ongoing learning, we will record the training
program on MP3 CDs and DVDs. These materials will be available to
students for a nominal charge. To help keep in touch with each
other and with the learning process, we will ask you to participate
in regular study group meetings with other trainees from the
program. We will assign different tasks and exercises for you to do
in your study. During the second half of the third year and the
first half of the fourth year, you will do an internship or
community-based project. You will be asked to apply what you've
learned about teaching ATM for the benefit of a specific group in
the community with the guidance of a local practitioner.
Evaluating
Process
Our emphasis is on personalized training, in which you will have
ongoing contact with the teaching staff.
Supervision and feedback are inherent in the training process. Your
progress and learning will be closely followed, supported, and
guided throughout the four years.
Our personalized approach, and emphasis on small group learning,
enables us to monitor your progress through the training in a
collaborative and supportive fashion. Thus, we can identify your
areas of need, develop a plan of action, and follow up over the
course of the program.
We expect trainees to exhibit professional behavior throughout the
training. However, should this not occur, we will address the
matter immediately and seek a positive solution.
To graduate from the Santa Fe 4 Feldenkrais
Training Program you will
be required to:
• demonstrate, in-class, the ability to teach Awareness Through
Movement and
give Functional
Integration lessons to a professional
standard;
• attend fully throughout all the segments.
Any student missing more than 5 (five) training days per year or
more than a total of 10 (ten) days over the course of the entire
four years will be required to make up lost time before being
eligible for graduation. Tuition will not be reimbursed for missed
days.
Should you miss more than the maximum allowed number of class days,
special arrangements must be made with the Educational Directors to
make up class time in Santa Fe 4 makeup segments or another
training program. This will possibly incur additional costs.
The Educational Directors reserve the right to ask any student to
receive further training before being considered for
graduation.
Graduation
Graduation from the Santa Fe 4 Feldenkrais
Training Program means you
are qualified to practice as a Feldenkrais
practitioner.
As a graduate you will be eligible to apply for membership to the
guild of your choosing as a Guild Certified
Feldenkrais Practitionercm (GCFP). This will give you the rights
to use the service marks the FGNA now own that protect the
Feldenkrais
Method® in the community. Certification is
entirely the responsibility of the graduate.
You will receive a diploma from Movement Educators and can apply
for certification with North American TAB which will be recognized
by all Guilds who are members of the International
Feldenkrais
Federation.
Graduation is complete only after all monies have been paid in
full.