Movement and Intelligence (ECE512)

Movement and Intelligence introduces students to the central role of movement in human learning and living. Movement is involved in each of our sensory perceptions, our early years development, and our mastery of the body, of ourselves, and the way we engage with the environment. The ability to sit still at a desk, pay attention to a topic, and demonstrate higher cognitive skills of reading and writing, all rely on strong foundations of movement that enable capacities for attention, balance, and coordination. In other words, any form of learning readiness arises from a wealth of movement-derived intelligence. ECE511 Movement and Intelligence investigates concepts of movement in multiple dimensions of the human experience: the seven senses, gross motor development, the use of the voice, the execution of the hand, the activity of the mind, the emotions, as well as language and literacy. Regulated vestibular and proprioceptive functioning stabilises the child’s perception of the world and reception of information, enabling them to feel oriented, competent, confident, positively challenged and motivated to engage.

• The A.B.C. of early learning (a. Attention, b. Balance, c. Coordination)
• Primitive and postural reflexes
• Sensory integration and its psychology
• Motor intelligence and its psychology
• Movement of the body (a. Gross motor skills, b. Postural stability, c. Locomotive variations, d. Dancing)
• Movement of the voice (a. Control of breath and speech apparatus, b. Resonance of cavities, outwardly directed, c. Centralising inner ears, self-oriented, d. Singing)
• Movement of the hands (a. Manipulation of objects, b. Expression and execution of ideas, c. Reflexive responses to barriers or external feedback, d. Playing instruments)
• Movement of the mind (a. Flow of thoughts and visual images, b. Spatial orientation and mental scanning, c. Discrimination and organisation of sounds into meaning, d. Composition and performance)
• Music and brain development (a. Musical processing at all levels in the brain, b. Specialised and integrative function of left-right hemispheres, c. Motor, sensory, emotional, and verbal fluency, d. Vestibular-cerebellar influences on cognitive abilities)
• Singing, language, and literacy
• Movement, health, and learning readiness (a. States of physical and neurological arousal, b. Attentional processes, c. Agency, d. Curiosity and creativity)
• Education through movement

• Analyse an activity and differentiate between the different systems of movement and stability involved in the task. Distinguish and discuss the types of intelligence at play
• Relate challenges observed in a child to difficulties in sensory, motor, postural, verbal, cognitive, or emotional domains and propose ways to support these difficulties
• Assemble three elements of movement into a big picture and discuss how they contribute to learning readiness
• Deconstruct an activity or an observed behaviour into simpler components and examine the type of skills needed
• Modify an activity or environmental set up to address learning needs
• Design a movement-oriented learning activity and evaluate its appropriateness and effectiveness for education