Tactile
Massage therapy labwork is the epitomy of tactile learning.
This I see as common for any hands on profession. We always seem to have to practice on each other prior to practicing on a real person. Sometimes it can be intimidating to practice on a classmate though too.
Hi Meredith,
Good example of a poor career choice. Sad she got as far as she did before understanding how this was not the choice for her. Your counseling helped her to see that and I hope she selects a career area that will meet her interests.
Gary
Wow! That's actually shocking to me. Massage is artistry and science. I tell my students the very first day of Intro to Massage class that I don't want them learning a cookie cutter massage that they give everyone...and they are warned that they need to come up with their own routine. They're taught a variety of strokes, and they need to choose which ones they like, and connect them and have good flow between body parts and their chosen strokes.
I did have a massage student in an on campus Kinesiology class my very first quarter teaching. I quickly learned that she was uncomfortable with touching muscles and bony landmarks on other students. When I brought up this inconsistency between her discomfort and her chosen field, the student said I was honestly the first person to ever point this out to her. She only wanted to work on backs and did not feel comfortable touching other important muscles/landmarks. This student did not graduate the massage program.
Absolutely true. But massage therapy students also need to use other learning styles to help them learn. For example, a student may need to see pictures or drawings of various muscles in order to be able to identify and massage the appropriate muscle in a real-life setting.
Hi Bridget,
That is for sure. If a student doesn't feel comfortable working in this learning preference area then they might be in the wrong field.
Gary
