Qualified instruction

[SingingTiger]

I've been following the conversation in the "Interesting Quotes..." thread. I thought I'd start a new thread specifically devoted to the concepts of qualified instruction and instructors that were raised there.

I'm a fairly new student, having started studying Kenpo about a year ago (at a school that's definitely not a "two year black belt" school; although I've progressed rapidly so far, I see a black belt as being at least three or four years away), and a very new poster to this board. I'd like to humbly add my perspective to the discussion.

My school is fairly small, and I think there are only two or three 3rd dan black belts (the sensei is 7th dan). It would be difficult for all private instruction and all group classes to be run by those few individuals. While I don't think that alone is enough of a reason to "lower" teaching standards, I also have seen nothing wrong with the instruction offered by 1st and 2nd dan black belts, or even by lower ranks.

My own private instructor is a 2nd degree brown belt. I feel I've learned a great deal from him, and that there's a great deal more I can learn from him.

The Saturday morning beginning group class is being taught by a red belt who was a green belt when I first started studying. I've also learned a lot from him. There have been a few times when a question has been raised that he couldn't answer, so he referred the question to the sensei. Would it have been better at the time if he could have answered the question? Sure. But everyone in the class knows his rank and nobody had a problem with his inability to answer the question. We didn't feel as though we were being shortchanged in what he was teaching us, or that what he had taught us so far was invalidated.

Someone raised the high school analogy, and the question was asked, "Is a high school graduate qualified to teach high school?" That question reminded me of an experience I had in high school: when I was a junior or senior I tutored a freshman in geometry. I had no teaching credential, and I don't feel I would have been qualified to teach a high school class for a number of reasons. But that didn't mean that the knowledge I had in a particular area could not be imparted on someone else effectively (and, as I recall, the student's geometry grade improved). I think there are a number of flaws in the general analogy, but I think the point is that qualified instruction does not always have to come from someone who has been training or studying for X number of years more than the student receiving the instruction.

Just my two cents. Other opinions welcome.

Rich

 

[Seig]

There are several different ways to look at teaching. Some look at it as sharing. My father taught me about fishing as he learned form his father, etc.... Am I a good fisherman? Yes. Was my father a good teacher? Yes. Did he have to go to school to learn it? No. Some look at it is a calling. One of my students teaches elementary school and several others are going to school to become school teachers. Are they good? I cannot answer that. Only time will tell. I teach Kenpo. Why? Because I love the art. Am I the best teacher? No. Am I a good teacher, yes and it shows in my students. Some look as teaching as a tool. To truly understand something, you have to be able to convey it to others. In teaching others, you learn more about what you are teaching. In all instances, the learning process for the teacher never stops. If it does, you have no business teaching. And that is the difference between a great teacher and a lousy one. I'll use myself as an example. I teach about 70 students on a weekly basis. I know a vast amount more than they do. I do not know it all, thus, I too have a teacher. I spend a LOT of time receiving instruction on material, theory and teaching methods. My feeling is this, teaching is about growth.

 

[cdhall]

Originally posted by SingingTiger


My own private instructor is a 2nd degree brown belt. I feel I've learned a great deal from him, and that there's a great deal more I can learn from him.
...
There have been a few times when a question has been raised that he couldn't answer, so he referred the question to the sensei. Would it have been better at the time if he could have answered the question? Sure. But everyone in the class knows his rank and nobody had a problem with his inability to answer the question. We didn't feel as though we were being shortchanged in what he was teaching us, or that what he had taught us so far was invalidated.


Just my two cents. Other opinions welcome.

Rich

I have to say I agree with pretty much everything SingingTiger and Seig said in the first two posts.

But I'll just add my little insight here as I think it applies to the quote.

When Mr. Duffy first assigned me to teach a class I was still sort of a "convert" and since he was often accessible while I was teaching I followed 2 major rules:

1. Be able to prove that it works. Whatever it is, be able to prove that it is true or that it works like you say. Faith will come later and the students will follow you unquestioningly perhaps, but still it is good to be able to confirm/verify your assertions.

2. If there was something I didn't know the answer to, or I couldn't make work I'd stop right there and go get the answer from Mr. Duffy. I'd let the students work on what we had so far and I'd come back with the right answer, or a changed move, or maybe Mr. Duffy himself.

This worked great. While it was my intention to not pass on any kind of suspect information or material, a lot of the students gained even more respect for me because before I went off I'd explain my thoughts to them and when I came back and I was right it made me look even better than they thought I was. It also showed them that I was not just droning at them, but that I had the goods and eventually they came to understand that all my stuff worked like I said/demonstrated...

So as a teacher I try to be sure not to teach anything questionable and I encourage students to ask questions and probe... I mean the guy that said "That won't work" will not forget it when you show him that it does work. And neither will anyone else!
:asian:

 

[Michael Billings]

You can have great Martial Artists who are NOT great teachers. You can have great teachers who are so-so Maritial Artist. They have learned to the best of their ability, but are awsome at sharing, coaching, teaching, training others. You can have instructors good at both ... or neither.

Think of teaching as a vocation. It has a skill set that must be learned ... in whatever areana, then can be generalized into whatever the area of expertise is. With Kenpo or Martial Arts in general, this is no different. We have to teach not only proper execution and fundamentals, but how the correct technique "feels" when you are executing it correctly ... for you. This is not knowledge learned from a manual, although you need to know the material in the manuals, but rather it comes from critical observation, and an ability to communicate this to others.

Any type of activity which requires a self-awareness of your physical self, depends on the instructor's ability to check, correct, recheck, and affirm it is done correctly. This allows you to learn what the ideal phase feels like when done properly. Think about riding a horse, it is definitly all "book knowledge", but the ability to "feel" what is correct and what is not - in a complex feedback circuit involving a "living system" consisting of horse and rider. This same analogy holds for Martial Arts instructors ... or should.

When classes get too big, or you have not taught your instructors how to teach, or even if it is difficult for them to "see" how to correct another student's problems, it is the responsibility of the Senior Instructors to train the juniors. I have had 2nd Degree Blacks who could do it right, see that someone else is not, and try their best to "fix" it. Whether their repetoir is just not large enough, whether they have just not spent enough hours on the mat, or whether they just want to be a Black Belt and think that makes them a teacher, they still need some support and guidance.

Rank is not the sole factor in a good teacher, but make sure if someone is teaching, that they are doing it correctly. It is hard to undo when the "perfect practice" was not perfect after all.

That being said, I believe everyone should teach, starting as early as possible. Whether it is stretching, or exercising, or coaching on the hand mitts. The earlier the exposure, the less adversive the experience later on, and the longer you have to work on the skill set they hopefully will need later on. Plus a good pat on the back keeps them interested.

-Michael
UKS-Texas

 

[SingingTiger]

That being said, I believe everyone should teach, starting as early as possible.

I'm happy to see that stated by someone with your credentials. As a purple belt, I was asked to lead warm-ups one Saturday. It was a surprise, so I did basically what our instructor usually does, but it got me thinking about what I would do differently if I'm asked again. And I'm looking forward to it! I think I'll learn as much teaching as I will as a student.

Rich

 

[Michael Billings]

Keep it fun, keep the energy alive, and we keep the Art alive.

-MB

 

[jeffkyle]

Is great, I love it, for many many reasons. It is a constant learning process.