Teaching multiple belt levels of kids

[Shodan]

Hello all-

As our studio starts to grow, I've noticed it getting a little more difficult for me to be everywhere at once in the kiddie class!! We teach ages 5-14 in the kids' class and now have kids at varying levels and working on different material. It seems if I put them with partners and have them work on a specific technique....as soon as I turn my back, the two behind me act up, I get them straightened up and then the other two act up!! And on it goes with any pair I leave alone for a few minutes to work on something.

For those of you who teach kiddie classes- how do you keep everyone on task and still make time for them to work on their prospective belt material? When we are doing things as a group, they are generally on task and great....but the upper belts get bored doing the same lower belt material all the time and likewise, if I work on upper belt material with the group, the newbies are lost!! Just wondering how to balance all this out?

Also, I like to have the kids learn to work their techniques on each other (with control) early on......do most of you just have kids work things in the air and then attack them yourselves? I'm wondering if having them work on each other is causing the messing around in class factor to rise!! Although....even leaving them for a second to do something in the air falls apart shortly after my attention leaves that particular group/student!!

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have on all this!

Tara

 

[terryl965]

Tara start a reward program for a few of the higher belts if they work with there partners the right way they can eran different patches or whatever you like to give them. But the best way is simple time it just takes time to get them on the same page, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[IcemanSK]

I have students 7-16 in the same class. My highest ranked students are 7th Gup (so not terribly far along). I realized that I needed to start a beginer class & move everyone who had tested once into an intermediate class. Since I needed the extra hands, I asked the 2 oldest students (a brother & sister) to help in the beginer class as well. Terry & I have the same idea, here.

Because of the situation being the only instructor with young students, I do a lot more line drills than I'd do if I had help or adults. You're not alone in your dilemma: but you'll be fine.

 

[Grenadier]

If you're at the point where you have a good class size and range of ranks, you may want to think about tacking on another class for the higher rank folks.

This way, you can continue to teach the classes for beginners, sticking with the beginner material. If the advanced students want to train in that class, they're more than welcome to do so, but they must realize, that the beginner material will be emphasized.

If they want to learn advanced material, they can take the next class.

It also sounds like you could use an assistant, which is a good thing.

 

[Big Don]

My instructors use the higher ranked students to help teach. In the kid's classes what they generally do is start with 20 minutes of games that focus on eye-hand coordination, focus, and following directions, followed by 30 minutes of Kenpo. My fellow adult students and I started teaching basics and techniques, under supervision, somewhere around the time we got our Purple Belts. This approach seems to work very well.

 

[searcher]

I just started a new class at the YMCA that I work at. I started a class in the 5-16 age range(not expecting to many students) and I have 34 in the class, all of which have no previous experience. The only way I keep everything in order is my assistant instructor. Without her I could not do it.

So my advice is, get yourself a good assistant instructor.

 

[Kacey]

I agree - you need an assistant. There are several ways to get one. First, use the senior ranked and/or older students to help you - there is no better way to be sure you understand something than to have to teach it to someone else! Second, if there's an adult class, as for some of them to volunteer; all of my students help teach, but some are more skilled and/or enthusiastic about teaching. Third, talk to the parents - they may not have the technical knowledge, but there could easily be 1 or 2 who would be willing to help ride herd on the kids, and who you could trust to do what and how you ask them to do (as opposed to those who try to "improve" on what you're doing).

Good luck - and congratulations; this is a great problem to have!

 

[Laurentkd]

Great tips so far!
Another one is to make sure you give the kids a specific task when you have them work on their own. Along with putting someone in place as a "junior leader" (or the like), don't say "go work on your form" instead say "do you for form 10 times, stopping on each move to make sure you stance looks exactly how we discussed. Once you are finished take a break then come back to me and stand quietly until I give you your next task."
I have found great success when I give very specific instructions, and just a lot of horse play when I don't.
Plus, the more you put kids in these situations the better they will get at it. Just takes patience and consistency in your expectations.
Good luck!

 

[Andrew Green]

One common "mistake" is to think of progression as linear, at this belt they do this, at the next one they do that. A lot of the stuff done does not need to be learnt in that order though, You could have white, green and blue belts all doing the same thing and it being new to them for a good portion of the class. They would even test on some of the same material for there next belts, higher belts being expected to meet a higher standrad of course.

So instead of looking at the progression as a ladder, it's more of a puzzle. They don't take a step up the ladder at each level, they add more pieces to the puzzle. In the end everyone gets the whole puzzle, just in different orders.

 

[MJS]

Hello all-

As our studio starts to grow, I've noticed it getting a little more difficult for me to be everywhere at once in the kiddie class!! We teach ages 5-14 in the kids' class and now have kids at varying levels and working on different material. It seems if I put them with partners and have them work on a specific technique....as soon as I turn my back, the two behind me act up, I get them straightened up and then the other two act up!! And on it goes with any pair I leave alone for a few minutes to work on something.

For those of you who teach kiddie classes- how do you keep everyone on task and still make time for them to work on their prospective belt material? When we are doing things as a group, they are generally on task and great....but the upper belts get bored doing the same lower belt material all the time and likewise, if I work on upper belt material with the group, the newbies are lost!! Just wondering how to balance all this out?

Also, I like to have the kids learn to work their techniques on each other (with control) early on......do most of you just have kids work things in the air and then attack them yourselves? I'm wondering if having them work on each other is causing the messing around in class factor to rise!! Although....even leaving them for a second to do something in the air falls apart shortly after my attention leaves that particular group/student!!

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have on all this!

Tara

Ages 5-14 is too wide of an age range. It should really be broken down more, both by age and rank. Its a big help to have assistant instructors during those large classes. You could give each person a group based on rank, and have them work on the required material. I'd avoid partner work with kids that young, for the reasons you already gave.

 

[Shodan]

More great ideas to ponder folks!! Thanks so much!!

Tara

 

[Mark Lynn]

Shodan

I posted on the White belts thread where I covered how my class has progressed with some of the same ideas that have been expressed so I won't rehash that material here.

However I do believe your age group of 5-14 is to big of a gap. I teach 6-9 year olds then 10-15 year olds and then adults. Kids learn at different speeds and different ways and I would suggest that you spilt your class up by ages first off.

My class sizes range from generally 10-12 kids per class and I have fooling around. I have no assistants to speak of except the kids. So I have used even junior belts to help teach or demonstrate the techniques. In fact I had a Orange Belt yesterday show my Gold belts 1/2 of their next form. he did an excellent job of it. It's not that I want to pawn off my teahcing responsibilities to a junior belt, but I had to work with the Yellow belts on their Gold belt form and he came early for his class so I used him.

But I gave him specific instruction (cover this to this point), laid out clear instuction to the Gold belts, "he is teaching you" and then I watched him as I taught. At the end I had the students he was working with get up in front of everybody and had him lead them through the kata, praised him for a job well down and then stressed to everyone the need for them to know their material because they too will sometime be called to help out in class yada yada yada.

I find that involving the kids more (especially the younger ones) if it is even helping with the counting of the kicks, or leading the class to step forward in their stances etc. etc. makes them more serious and less playful (fooling around) because they are the leader for the moment. And I spread the leadership duties around to everyone in a small class (counting for a kicking drill for example).

I also split my classes between White and Colored belts and give them both seperate classes for one class per week. This way the white belt class can be a make up for any colored belt but they know going into it that they will be working on White belt material. Also they know if I need a demonstrator or a helper they will be called upon to demonstrate with. I have one class where both White and Colored belts are together, this way the white belts do a little bit more advanced material and they have good examples of what they are working towards. The Colored belts get a better grounding in the basics in that class as well. In this class I'll also cover things like break falls, rolling, self defense, etc. etc.

One last thing though, kids will be kids. I came up very militaristic in my teaching, and I had to learn to relax and have some fun in my classes. It's not that I let the kids fool around (I try not to) but rather I have them run short relay races to warm up where they laugh, get excited etc. etc. I'll over play the victim when teaching self defense or something giving them a laugh to lighten up the mood somewhat. But the students should know the difference of when it's time to train and to be serious about it. This class has made me a better teaccher by learning to teach kids.

Mark

 

[Mark Lynn]

Shodan

I posted on the White belts thread where I covered how my class has progressed with some of the same ideas that have been expressed so I won't rehash that material here.

Sorry that was to have Beginners or Not? thread.

Mark

 

[Balrog]

Hello all-

As our studio starts to grow, I've noticed it getting a little more difficult for me to be everywhere at once in the kiddie class!! We teach ages 5-14 in the kids' class and now have kids at varying levels and working on different material. It seems if I put them with partners and have them work on a specific technique....as soon as I turn my back, the two behind me act up, I get them straightened up and then the other two act up!! And on it goes with any pair I leave alone for a few minutes to work on something.

For those of you who teach kiddie classes- how do you keep everyone on task and still make time for them to work on their prospective belt material?

Mr. Pushup and Mr. Peer Pressure are your two best friends.

In your scenario, you put Joe and Billy together to do one-steps, then start working with Sam and Tom. Joe and Billy start playing grab-***. You stop the entire class, give a brief lecture on courtesy and respect for fellow students, then put the entire class down for 10 pushups on your count and make sure they understand it is due solely to Joe and Billy's actions. When you stand them back up, remind them that the next time, it will be 20.

It's been a while since I've had to do that. I rarely have to do it more than once in a class.

 

[IcemanSK]

Mr. Pushup and Mr. Peer Pressure are your two best friends.

In your scenario, you put Joe and Billy together to do one-steps, then start working with Sam and Tom. Joe and Billy start playing grab-***. You stop the entire class, give a brief lecture on courtesy and respect for fellow students, then put the entire class down for 10 pushups on your count and make sure they understand it is due solely to Joe and Billy's actions. When you stand them back up, remind them that the next time, it will be 20.

It's been a while since I've had to do that. I rarely have to do it more than once in a class.

Yeah, that'll work!:mst:

 

[chinto]

Hello all-

As our studio starts to grow, I've noticed it getting a little more difficult for me to be everywhere at once in the kiddie class!! We teach ages 5-14 in the kids' class and now have kids at varying levels and working on different material. It seems if I put them with partners and have them work on a specific technique....as soon as I turn my back, the two behind me act up, I get them straightened up and then the other two act up!! And on it goes with any pair I leave alone for a few minutes to work on something.

For those of you who teach kiddie classes- how do you keep everyone on task and still make time for them to work on their prospective belt material? When we are doing things as a group, they are generally on task and great....but the upper belts get bored doing the same lower belt material all the time and likewise, if I work on upper belt material with the group, the newbies are lost!! Just wondering how to balance all this out?

Also, I like to have the kids learn to work their techniques on each other (with control) early on......do most of you just have kids work things in the air and then attack them yourselves? I'm wondering if having them work on each other is causing the messing around in class factor to rise!! Although....even leaving them for a second to do something in the air falls apart shortly after my attention leaves that particular group/student!!

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have on all this!

Tara

ok first of all we usualy have one of our upper belts from adult class come in early and help a bit, then we brake the kids up into rank groops and have one of the upper belts help the lower ones if they are learning the pattern of a kata say.. and well push ups for not paying attention and or goofing off work wonders .. as does say 5 min in seiza ..