Do you remember how in elementary or maybe middle school, when they had everyone take a little quiz to determine what kind of learner you are? Visual, auditory, etc.? Well, I have always been a tactile and kinetic learner. I was the girl in your science lab group who always had to be the one to set up the equipment so I could understand for myself how exactly it worked; I greatly looked forward to field trips because it meant a chance to move; I secretly loved the dorky hands-on, creative activities that the other students groaned at.
Even now, in college, I’m understanding more and more what it means to be a tactile/kinetic learner. I’m a Geology major, which means that once a week for four hours we’re out in the field, witnessing and describing the geologic phenomena we hear about in lecture. We’re using the rock saw to make our own thin-sections. We’re tooling around with the scanning electron microscope to see what minerals are present in a rock. We’re learning by doing geology, not just reading about it.
Here at Antiochia, I’m learning about archaeology by just doing archaeology. The kind of work we’re doing means that I am completely in my element. Rather than spend lots of time hearing lectures on how to properly excavate, or completing lengthy readings about proper trowel technique, we have simply been turned loose under the careful eyes of Howe and the TAs. I use my trowel as an extension of my hand, feeling the earth, clearing a wall. The constant motion means I’m constantly engaged; my sense of touch is constantly utilized.
Some may look at this program and think it’s not properly ‘academic’ enough, despite the readings and discussions we have almost every night. However, I find myself having the complete opposite experience. I’ve never found material more engaging than when I’m experiencing it with my own hands, when I’m getting in the thick of things and doing it myself. Excavation is my ideal classroom to learn about archaeology–learning by doing is the way to go.