Anatomy Study for Kinaesthetic Learning Styles
Hands-on and Tactile Resources for Studying the Human Body
May 18, 2009
Learning anatomy can be daunting. It's especially challenging for students who find that traditional resources, usually highly visual and verbal, don't match their learning styles.
Kinaesthetic learners, those who process information best by moving, handling objects, and sensing directly through touch, have a wide range of resource options and do-it-yourself approaches available.
Anatomy of Movement
Blandine Calais-Germain's classic work, while in many ways a traditional reference book, uses discussions and illustrations of the moving body to teach musculoskeletal anatomy. Kinaesthetic learners may find this book and its movement explorations more memorable that Gray's or Netter's, though it is more limited in scope. Its companion volume, Anatomy of Movement: Exercises, offers even more information through specific exercises.
- Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of Movement (Eastland Press, 1993), ISBN 978-0939616176
- Blandine Calais-Germain and Andree Lamotte, Anatomy of Movement: Exercises, revised edition (Eastland Press, 2008) , ISBN 978-0939616589
Anatomy Coloring Book
Kapit and Elson's is standard. Colouring in these detailed plates, which cover both gross and cellular anatomy, makes the structures concrete and easier to remember. These colouring books are a popular choice for medical students, but it's easy to choose pages that are relevant for any level of study.
- Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M Elson, Anatomy Coloring Book, 3rd edition (Benjamin Cummings, 2001), ISBN 978-0805350869
Trail Guide to the Body
Andrew Biel's text, reissued several times, is aimed at bodyworkers, but appropriate for any student of musculoskeletal anatomy. It encourages students to palpate muscles, tendons and bones in order to learn their locations and how they move. It's ideal to use this book with a willing partner on hand! Supplementary workbooks, flashcards and DVDs are also available.
- Andrew Biel and Robin Dorn, Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More, 3rd edition (Books of Discovery, 2005), ISBN 978-0965853453
Anatomy in Clay
In this workshop series, often offered at bodywork and fitness conferences, students start with a rigid skeleton model and build musculature directly onto the skeleton. There are options for studying the body in anatomical neutral position as well as in various active poses.
- Jon Zahourek, anatomyinclay.com
Cadaver Dissection
The ultimate in hands-on learning, dissection has long been a staple in medical curricula. However, there are increasingly options available to bodyworkers, movement teachers, and artists. Gil Hedley of Integral Anatomy runs what he calls "somanautic" explorations worldwide, dissecting the body layer by layer in an integrated, multifaceted approach.
- Gil Hedley, gilhedley.com
Do-It-Yourself Approaches
Resources can be expensive, and workshops can be hard to get to. It's very possible to adapt traditional materials to a kinaesthetic approach. Try studying an atlas of human anatomy using the following activities:
- Sculpt individual bones life-size in plasticine, or make miniatures in Fimo and turn them into jewellery or fridge magnets.
- Draw anatomical structures on a partner in soap crayon, or paint them onto T-shirts and leggings.
- Do specific strengthening exercises and use the resulting muscle soreness to explore each muscle's actions in various movements.
- Make models of different body systems using craft techniques like applique, needlefelting, paper collage or embroidery.
A strong kinaesthetic sense is a gift for students of the human body. Choosing resources wisely will help to make anatomy study easier and more effective, as well as providing fresh and valuable insights.
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