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Smart Moves

Smart Moves is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Smart Moves rather than just read about it. In short: The book Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head was written in 1995 by neurophysiologist and educator Carla Hannaford (revised and enlarged second edition published in 2005), and includes an introduction by neuroscientist Candace Pert. In Smart Moves, Hannaford looks at the body's roles in thinking and learning, citing research from child development, physiology, and neuroscience.

Smart Moves — main illustration
Smart Moves — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Smart Moves belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Smart Moves to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Smart Moves from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The book Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head was written in 1995 by neurophysiologist and educator Carla Hannaford (revised and enlarged second edition published in 2005), and includes an introduction by neuroscientist Candace Pert. In Smart Moves, Hannaford looks at the body's roles in thinking and learning, citing research from child development, physiology, and neuroscience. Hannaford examines the ways that sensorimotor experiences affect short and long-term memory from infancy through adulthood, and argues that movement is crucial to learning. Hannaford discusses the relationship between different brain areas and learning, along with the interaction between the brain, body, and environment. She highlights the importance of movement and play in learning activities, discussing the importance of sensorimotor development (visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic readiness) to the learning process. Her findings and research are identified as Brain Gym activities. The book also discusses how emotions and stress impact learning in both children and adults, introducing the term 'SOSOH' (Stressed Out, Survival-Oriented Humans) to describe individuals facing learning challenges or attention difficulties, suggesting a link between stress and learning impediments such as ADD and ADHD. Hannaford suggests in her book strategies for improving learning, such as dietary changes, incorporating physical movement, and creating supportive environments for those with learning challenges

See also Stress: General adaptation syndrome Perceptual learning Vision training

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Smart Moves

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Smart Moves claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Smart Moves before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Smart Moves ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Smart Moves

In research
Smart Moves appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Smart Moves in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Smart Moves is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1995 non-fiction books, Works about educational psychology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Smart Moves outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Smart Moves in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Smart Moves means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Smart Moves out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Smart Moves in simple terms?

The book Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head was written in 1995 by neurophysiologist and educator Carla Hannaford (revised and enlarged second edition published in 2005), and includes an introduction by neuroscientist Candace Pert. In Smart Moves, Hannaford looks at the body's roles…

Why does Smart Moves matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Smart Moves?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Smart Moves.

Tags

  • 1995 non-fiction books
  • Works about educational psychology

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