The Liminal Space..it's all in your head.

In the classroom I often hear the words "my brain hurts".

In fact..I think I have said this many times too! The function of our brains working hard to store and retrieve information, takes alot of effort. Do we try to work out why our brains " hurt" or do we give up and walk away from whatever it is that is requiring this monu "mental" effort ? Is this " hurt" a physical symptom, or an emotional one? What if that "hurt" was actually all the information in your head working it's way through time and space, to become something tangible? Or indeed even something that is not tangible ?

The experience here is known as the Liminal Space. Liminal is from the latin word limin , meaning "threshold". It's a transitional, invisible space where students go from "not knowing" to "knowing". It's where we draw connections, make assumptions and learn new skills . The way we "hold' our selves in this space, can transform the way we go through life. As educators, we need to be aware of how to guide our students through this sometimes very uncomfortable ,messy learning space. I love this picture by David Didau-from his blog-The Learning Spy. It portrays the transitional process perfectly and can help us understand our way through the Liminal Space .