Multiple instructos, how do you handle disputes?

[satans.barber]

For those of you that teach as part of a team (like me), how do you handle the situations that occur when you disagree on a technique or move, as in how it should be taught an executed?

Say a fellow instructor is teaching, and you're watching or helping, and you basically think 'that's wrong, I know a better/more efficient/more powerful/faster way of doing that'.

Do you step in and say 'well, that's good but I do it this way...'?

Laugh at it and say 'D'oh!! So-and-so's teaching that wrong again!'?

Say nothing at all and be unhappy with the way it's taught?

Keep quiet at the time but approach teh student later and show them your own way?

Open a discussion?

I find it quite awkward myself, I never want to step on anyone else's toes but I sometimes find it hard to keep my mouth closed when a collegue is teaching something basically 'wrong' - how do you handle it?

Ian.

 

[Nightingale]

don't contradict another instructor when they have the floor. It undermines the authority of the instructor on the floor, and can usually piss them off. afterwards, discuss things with ALL the instructors and come to a consensus about how your school is going to teach the item in question. Talk it over with everyone, because while you may know a better way than Instructor A, Instructor B might know a better way than you do. Have an open dialogue and figure out the standard for your school.

 

[Bammx2]

All problems between instructors should be handled in a proffessional manner AWAY from the students.

If they cannot reach a good compramise...they should part ways.period.
I think the best option should be to offer "alternatives" to thier students,benefits from BOTH sides and let the individual choose the what works for them then help the student from there.
Not letting it fall back to...."my style is better than your style"
what kind of an image does that convey to the students?

 

[Ceicei]

There are usually two or three instructors on the mat with group classes. There may be slight variations, but the technique is unmistakeably the same. These, I have learned, are just simply that, and is not a cause of quibbling. Sometimes I will ask them why they do in their particular way and their reasons are intriquing and may help with the technique (example: taking advantage of a pressure point or an emphasis on a principle).

If it is obviously a difference, we inquire with the head instructor and he makes a decision. He does remind all of us that, ultimately, it is up to us to make the martial art work for us and sometimes the difference may be in adapting to the partner we are practicing on. Generally though, the instructors tend to be consistent because they know the need of students who learn new things to have the material be the same.

- Ceicei

 

[tshadowchaser]

All problems between instructors should be handled in a proffessional manner AWAY from the students.

I'll agree on that. Even if you are the senior instructor corrections should be made off the floor UNLESS the the technique is way off base then the senior might want to signal the other instructor and have a moment away from the students to discus it

 

[kenpo tiger]

There are usually two or three instructors on the mat with group classes. There may be slight variations, but the technique is unmistakeably the same. These, I have learned, are just simply that, and is not a cause of quibbling. Sometimes I will ask them why they do in their particular way and their reasons are intriquing and may help with the technique (example: taking advantage of a pressure point or an emphasis on a principle).

If it is obviously a difference, we inquire with the head instructor and he makes a decision. He does remind all of us that, ultimately, it is up to us to make the martial art work for us and sometimes the difference may be in adapting to the partner we are practicing on. Generally though, the instructors tend to be consistent because they know the need of students who learn new things to have the material be the same.

- Ceicei

Could not have said it better. Thanks, Ceicei! KT

 

[Rob Broad]

I agree never discuss it in front of the students. I would ask teh head instructor of the school how it should be done so he can get everybody on the same page and teaching with consistently.

 

[terryl965]

I agree with ciecie as well.

 

[TigerWoman]

That doesn't happen very often in our school, since our master instructor wants "complete control". But as we black belts are practicing our stuff, lower belts will ask us about form, technique etc. because if the class is large its takes a half hour to get the master's attention. I would never contradict another black belt in the presence of others but would later talk to him in private. If we can't get it settled then we would go to the master for his opinion. That's why we need black belt instruction classes!!! To get us all doing the same program. TW

 

[Rich Parsons]

don't contradict another instructor when they have the floor. It undermines the authority of the instructor on the floor, and can usually piss them off. afterwards, discuss things with ALL the instructors and come to a consensus about how your school is going to teach the item in question. Talk it over with everyone, because while you may know a better way than Instructor A, Instructor B might know a better way than you do. Have an open dialogue and figure out the standard for your school.

This is about what I was going to say.

I agree discuss it in private later. Have the differences listed as variations, or personal favorites later when the students are opened up for playing.

 

[OC Kid]

For those of you that teach as part of a team (like me), how do you handle the situations that occur when you disagree on a technique or move, as in how it should be taught an executed?

It depends on my relationship with the instructor. I would get alone with them and ask them why they taught it that way. Who knows you may be the one doing it incorrectly.

Say a fellow instructor is teaching, and you're watching or helping, and you basically think 'that's wrong, I know a better/more efficient/more powerful/faster way of doing that'.

All roads lead to the same place. Maybe you know another way to explain it but maybe its the only way that the student can understand. The instructor should know how to reach the student.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

This has happened, and I would never contradict an instructor in front of another student. I agree that it undermines their authority, and can cause them embarrassment as well. If they ask for assistance, or look to me for clarification on something of course that is different, and that has happened at times. If I am teaching something and have a question I will ask for assistance also. Usually if I see something being taught that is contrary to what my instructor teaches (like blatant things) I will wait until after the class and relay it to our head instructor. If I am reviewing techniques with a student in a class I am teaching alone and they complain about the differences, I just show them how I have come to know it and why, but I would never comment to them about another instructor's way of doing things, aside from saying that we all have slightly different ways of doing things. Most of our students take private lessons with our head instructor so I have a few times discussed the differences with him so he could then clarify the techniques for them during their lessons. I also encourage them to take one class a week with our head instructor.

MJ :asian:

 

[MJS]

I too, would wait until I was alone with the other instructor and then inquire about his method. Like its been said here, questioning the instructor IFO the students will not look good. Its one thing when you're questioned by the students, as to how a tech. is gonna work, nevermind being questioned by another inst. During the times that this has happened, rather than tell the student that the way he was shown was wrong, I'd simply provide them with another option of executing the tech. making sure to tell them that both ways can work, but I usually leave it to them to decide what works best for them at the time.

Of course, making sure that all of your inst. at the school are teaching the same way is an important thing, its also important to realize that we are not robots, and we all have different height, weight and reach advantages. What a 5'3 person can do, is going to be different from what a 6'3 person can do, and its important to always remember that.

Mike

 

[Han-Mi]

Whenever I get a situation where a student learned something one way and I told them it was wrong, if they explained who taught it to them, I would say to do it that way. I would then go to the other instructor and show them my version and we would decide from there what to teach from then on.