Class Curriculums

[MBuzzy]

I'm curious if anyone is willing to share how you construct an individual class' schedule/curriculum.

I'm working on preparing a class curriculum for my Assistant Instructor certification (Jo Kyo) and would love to see how other schools work things. We have talked a lot here about the average class and what you do and what goes on. I'm specifically interested in the process that goes into constructing a curriculum.

For example, how much time is spent on each issue? Do you focus on one major theme for an entire class or split the class up into several themes (ill soo sik, ho sin sul, hyung all in one class)? Do you use the concept of a single governing theme for the entire class (for example, one class on the topic of Moo Do, another on shinchoong, etc)?

If you would be willing to share a sample curriculum as well, that would be very helpful. Thank you!

PS - if there are any other US SBD Fed members, I'm looking for the "official" class breakdown...I was told that there is a pie chart or break out of how much time should be spent on each topic.

 

[SamT]

We don't follow a very intense structure, but generally, it goes like this:

Stretch
"Cha ryut!"
Bow to Korean flag
Sit
Meditate
Bow to Grandmaster
Bow to Master
Bow to Instructor

Then, we step back into a ha dan mahk ki, and do the following, up and down the dojang for each one:

Choong Don Kon Kyuck (Middle Punch)
Sang Dan Mahk Ki (High Defense)
Ahneso Phaku Ro Mahk Ki (Inside / Outside Block)
Phakeso Ahnu Ro Mahk Ki (Outside / Inside Block)

For basic kicks, we then step back into Hu Kul Ja Seh (fighting stance), and do the following, 10 times per leg:

Ahp Cha Ki (Front Snap Kick)
Tollyo Cha Ki (Roundhouse Kick)
Ahneso Phaku Ro Cha Ki (Inside / Outside Crescent Kick)
Phaku Ro Ahneso Cha Ki (Outside / Inside Crescent Kick)

In Chun Kul Ja Seh (Horse Riding Stance or Front Stance) up and down twice per kick:

Yap Cha Ki (Side kick)
Yap Hu Ryo Cha Ki (Hook Kick)

Then, Choon Be for forms, which are usually done twice:

Gi Cho Hyung Il Bu
Gi Cho Yung Ee Bu (for higher ranks)
Sae Kye Hyung Il Bu
Sae Kye Hyung Ee Bu (for higher ranks)

And then we're done warming up.

From there, it depends on the night. We may start working on self defense with either organization specific self defense or one steps, or whatever students need to work on more. We usually do a bit of Qigong after warming up to reenergize ourselves. Other times, we'll sit for a lecture from our instructor. At the end of class, we line up, and repeat the above formalities.

 

[MBuzzy]

It sounds like you have a good warm up plan!

From there, it depends on the night. We may start working on self defense with either organization specific self defense or one steps, or whatever students need to work on more. We usually do a bit of Qigong after warming up to reenergize ourselves. Other times, we'll sit for a lecture from our instructor. At the end of class, we line up, and repeat the above formalities.

This is the area that I am most interested. Basically, I'm concerned about what goes into deciding the night's topics. What is covered, how it is covered and for how long. The instructor's mindset basically, and then how he structures his objectives.

 

[MBuzzy]

Sae Kye Hyung Il Bu
Sae Kye Hyung Ee Bu (for higher ranks)

Very curious about this one - I've never heard of either of those hyung. What organization are you with? Would you mind describing the first few moves?

 

[dancingalone]

Very curious about this one - I've never heard of either of those hyung. What organization are you with? Would you mind describing the first few moves?

I've seen those forms before. They're essentially variations of the kicho pattern but with kicks added in the middle sections where you throw three offensive attacks in a row. I believe the first form uses front kicks and the second form uses the sidekick. Kyokushin karate has similar kata, designed to practice kicking basics.

 

[MBuzzy]

Sae Kye Hyung translates to World Form, so I was wondering if there were more to them.

 

[SamT]

Describe them? Gladly .

Sae Kye Hung Il Bu is basically the equivalent of Gi Cho Hyung Il Bu, but as the other person said, with three front snap kicks instead of three punches. Also, when going into that respective defensive position, we draw our hands back as we turn, bringing them together, and then move them back up into a Hu Kul Ja Seh stance. For each kick, we turn the rear leg, kick, then step back down into Hu Kul Ja Seh. And a kihap on the third kick, of course . Everything else is the same.

Ee bu, I believe is the same, but instead of Ha Dan Mahk Ki for blocks, it's a Sang Dan Mahk Ki, if I recall correctly.

We're under the World Tang Soo Do Association, and regionally, the American Tang Soo Do Karate Institute. According to my beginners manual, Grandmaster Shin of the WTSDA created the World forms, with Grandmaster Hwang Kee being the creator of the basic forms.

Regarding what we do after the warmup, it's usually in the hands of students. Our instructor will ask if there's anything we'd like to work on, and then we progress from there. Our 3rd Gup student generally prefers to work on her ATKI one steps. We go back and forth untill she goes through all the ones she needs for her 2nd Gup test, with me just repeating the ones I know. This is usually when it's just me and her. There are two other girls, both 10th Gups, who joined recently (currently on vacation), who would work on specific self defense situations after they had learned all their basic kicks and hand techniques. The main reason for that was because of their upcoming vacation to Mexico.

Lately, we have been working more on Qigong, mostly due to request. This usually takes place after everything else, though as I mentioned before, we do do a brief bit of breathing after our warmup.

Though, there are times when our instructor chooses to go the entire session with straight techniques, often working on forms. The only special thing is a move that seems to be of a more Chinese style, and more of a sparring move. We don't have a name for it, but it consists of side stepping a punch, brushing it out of the way with one hand, grabbing with the other, and then doing a backfist with the first hand.

 

[MBuzzy]

Sorry to have veered us off of topic! Thank you for the response, SamT!

In your classes, do you tend to work on a single theme or exercise for the whole class or mix things up between forms, one steps, self defense, etc?

 

[SamT]

Honestly, it depends on the tides . Some days it's straight and hardcore, but most of the time, it's a mix up of various things. We may spend 25 minutes on forms, then 15 on specific kicks, or 20 minutes on self defense with one steps, and only go through our forms once. Several times, we spent the last 20 minutes of class (we go for about one hour) just working on the five Qigong breathing excercises. And then there are times when we get done with our warmups, and I'm dumb enough to ask a question about Tang Soo Do... 35 minutes later, "And that's how I trained with Grandmaster Shin as an eighth gup. Now let's line up and bow out."

 

[Makalakumu]

Class structure and curriculum are two very different things. Class structure should flow from your curriculum and your curriculum should flow from your objectives. When I hand you a list of everything that I teach, THAT is my curriculum. When I hand you a lesson plan, that reflects my curriculum.

 

[MBuzzy]

Class structure and curriculum are two very different things. Class structure should flow from your curriculum and your curriculum should flow from your objectives. When I hand you a list of everything that I teach, THAT is my curriculum. When I hand you a lesson plan, that reflects my curriculum.

I don't know much about the correct terms. So I suppose the thing that I was looking for was class lesson plans. The biggest thing that I'm interested in is how you translate your curriculum into a lesson plan?

Basically, since I've seen your curriculums, which are excellent and very well structured, so what interests me now is how you go about constructing classes day to day from your curriculum?

 

[Makalakumu]

I have a long post buried somewhere on MT that describes that very thing. I'll try and find it later.

Here's the synapsis...

Whenever you teach, you start with a set of objectives that you want to accomplish. Your curriculum becomes the bits of information that you feel will meet those objectives. Your lesson plans are what you do on a day to day basis that will transfer your curriculum.

These can be incredibly varied and their are as many approaches as there are snowflakes. Some are better then others depending on the objectives. I'm not sure if this is something that many MA teachers ever spend much time thinking about, but it really is important when it comes to education.

 

[SamT]

That actually sounds like how my instructor teaches. That's a great way to put it.

 

[foggymorning162]

Our head instructor posts a three month corriculum for all the instructors to follow usually a minimom of three things are covered: forms,self defence and the third varies. By doing three months at a time he can make sure that the students get everything they need for their gradings (every thirteen weeks)

 

[tsdclaflin]

Very curious about this one - I've never heard of either of those hyung. What organization are you with? Would you mind describing the first few moves?

I'm not him, but World Forms were created by World Tang Soo Do Association from what I have been told.