Testing...in quarantine

[skribs]

How are your schools handling belt tests during the quarantine? Or are you too shut down to do classes?

My Master is looking into doing belt testing over Zoom, just like the online classes. We'll have to see. Normally we pre-screen students in class to see who's ready, and we haven't been doing that so far. It's a lot harder to check their progress over Zoom (and most of what we're doing is just having them follow along to get some practice and a workout).

Have any of you thought about how to do testing during quarantine? If this goes too much longer, it may be our only option.

 

[jobo]

How are your schools handling belt tests during the quarantine? Or are you too shut down to do classes?

My Master is looking into doing belt testing over Zoom, just like the online classes. We'll have to see. Normally we pre-screen students in class to see who's ready, and we haven't been doing that so far. It's a lot harder to check their progress over Zoom (and most of what we're doing is just having them follow along to get some practice and a workout).

Have any of you thought about how to do testing during quarantine? If this goes too much longer, it may be our only option.

no , it seems so far down the list of thing to worry about, that its not worth worrying about, my biggest issue at the moment is how to fit my ice cream in the freezer with my stock pile of veg , but i suspect this might drop down the list

 

[JR 137]

Why would it have to be an option? What’s the hurry to get promoted? Maybe this could be a good learning experience for them to learn that MA is about improvement and not about rank. Sure rank and promoting is important, but it shouldn’t be the point of training. Not that I think you’re in disagreement with that.

I don’t understand why testing is any priority now or even if this goes on a few more months.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Gotta keep generating that income...

 

[JR 137]

Gotta keep generating that income...

I wonder how many places are still charging tuition while they’re closed down?

 

[skribs]

I wonder how many places are still charging tuition while they’re closed down?

I'm seeing on Reddit and Facebook that a lot of students are opting to keep paying for classes, because they want a gym to go back to.

And it's important because it's important to the kids. Adults can be a little more patient. The kids are already cooped up enough. It can be something to brighten up their spirits through this. They can't go to school and see their friends. They can't have parties anymore.

I'm not saying we give the belts undeserved. But for those that are ready, it can be a uplifting for them.

 

[drop bear]

I wonder how many places are still charging tuition while they’re closed down?

Mine does on a volunteer basis. And they do on line lessons.

 

[Headhunter]

As others have said its not important. Do classes if you want but testing over a computer isn't a good idea what if students don't have the space to do their stuff properly, they don't get promoted because they don't live in a big house? Just wait until it's finished if kids don't like it then tough luck

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I can see individual tests working out. Maybe even two at a time. But more than that would be very tough to do when you're watching people on a small screen split 5 ways.

 

[JR 137]

I'm seeing on Reddit and Facebook that a lot of students are opting to keep paying for classes, because they want a gym to go back to.

And it's important because it's important to the kids. Adults can be a little more patient. The kids are already cooped up enough. It can be something to brighten up their spirits through this. They can't go to school and see their friends. They can't have parties anymore.

I'm not saying we give the belts undeserved. But for those that are ready, it can be a uplifting for them.

Mine does on a volunteer basis. And they do on line lessons.

I’m not talking about people paying on a voluntary basis. That’s a good thing to do. I’m saying I wonder how many places are still charging tuition and saying it’s in the contract. Supporting your dojo is one thing, someone being required to pay and a school hiding behind a contract is another.

As far as parties go, my daughter turned 7 on March 21st. We had to cancel her party. The place we had booked closed and refunded our money, and we weren’t going to have a party in our house for obvious reasons. We’re going to have a party at our house once this is all over with. Bounce house in the yard, stuff like that. Now if my brother will agree to wear a clown outfit, it’ll all come together

 

[drop bear]

By the way I am with Skribs on this one. They are probably not going to get much better from home. But working towards a goal in going to be good for a lot of them.

 

[dvcochran]

How are your schools handling belt tests during the quarantine? Or are you too shut down to do classes?

My Master is looking into doing belt testing over Zoom, just like the online classes. We'll have to see. Normally we pre-screen students in class to see who's ready, and we haven't been doing that so far. It's a lot harder to check their progress over Zoom (and most of what we're doing is just having them follow along to get some practice and a workout).

Have any of you thought about how to do testing during quarantine? If this goes too much longer, it may be our only option.

I strongly feel too much is lost in something like a promotion test when done via video. For the person testing, so much is missing in regards to the normal stressors and human interaction factors. There would be no resistance. There would be less opportunity to input pressure/stress to test things like character, mindset, muscle memory, etc...
For the person(s) giving the test it would just seem hollow.

You mentioned prescreening which I agree is very important. Since it never happened that could be a compounding problem for the Next test. If they were not quite ready for the current video test and just slid through, that should make the subsequent test much harder.

I do realize this Pandemic is going to change a Lot of how we work in our day to lives. My wife's firm is in the process of setting up video equipment to hearings via video conferencing. However, there is a pretty clearly defined process for these hearings and not a lot of fluidity.
I see a MA test as almost the polar opposite. There should be a 'fear' of the unknown. There should be apprehension and excitement. There should be external stressors and pressures. There should be the unexpected.
There are just too many factors that would prevent most of this from happening, many of which have been mentioned (personal space, etc...).

I get the financial component that is likely motivating your instructor. In my opinion, the greater value will be to keep the students engaged enough to stay active and to build anticipation for when we can finally have regular testing's.

Man, I think that first testing should be such a celebration that is has an almost party like atmosphere. It could be a fantastic promotional event.
This is exactly how we are planning it.

 

[theboxer]

Just hold off on it until this whole thing is over with. There's no rush to get promoted.

 

[KenpoMaster805]

Our karate school is lockdown due to covid19 however we will have a class nextweek using zoom but our belt exam is cancelled im happy that we gonna have through zoom but im disappointed that there will be no exam it took me 3 years just to pass my pretest and i pass my pre test but the real test was yesterday it has been cancelled due to covid19 when this covid19 epidemic is over ill have my real test

 

[Headhunter]

Our karate school is lockdown due to covid19 however we will have a class nextweek using zoom but our belt exam is cancelled im happy that we gonna have through zoom but im disappointed that there will be no exam it took me 3 years just to pass my pretest and i pass my pre test but the real test was yesterday it has been cancelled due to covid19 when this covid19 epidemic is over ill have my real test

Well more important things going on than a test right now

 

[KenpoMaster805]

Well more important things going on than a test right now

Agree

 

[Gerry Seymour]

How are your schools handling belt tests during the quarantine? Or are you too shut down to do classes?

My Master is looking into doing belt testing over Zoom, just like the online classes. We'll have to see. Normally we pre-screen students in class to see who's ready, and we haven't been doing that so far. It's a lot harder to check their progress over Zoom (and most of what we're doing is just having them follow along to get some practice and a workout).

Have any of you thought about how to do testing during quarantine? If this goes too much longer, it may be our only option.

I won’t. There’s no rush for testing, in any case. But my curriculum has long stretches between belts (about a year to first promotion), so it’s a different situation from what you guys have.

I might try doing some kata-only online classes for a while, but I can’t really see a path to really teaching online, so no progress toward testing anyway.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

no , it seems so far down the list of thing to worry about, that its not worth worrying about, my biggest issue at the moment is how to fit my ice cream in the freezer with my stock pile of veg , but i suspect this might drop down the list

If it doesn’t fit, just eat it.

 

[PhotonGuy]

How are your schools handling belt tests during the quarantine? Or are you too shut down to do classes?

My Master is looking into doing belt testing over Zoom, just like the online classes. We'll have to see. Normally we pre-screen students in class to see who's ready, and we haven't been doing that so far. It's a lot harder to check their progress over Zoom (and most of what we're doing is just having them follow along to get some practice and a workout).

Have any of you thought about how to do testing during quarantine? If this goes too much longer, it may be our only option.

My Goju Ryu school is shut down indefinitely. It will stay closed until the crisis has passed and therefore everything that we do in our school has been suspended including belt tests. Last month I was going to test for a purple belt and a friend of mine in the school was going to test for a black belt but that has been postponed. Im still training on my own though and Im still working on improving my skill and my sensei is even doing some teaching on Facebook. At my Goju Ryu school Im not so concerned with belts I mostly just want to learn the material and develop skill, which Im still doing.

 

[Buka]

You guys just keep training on your own, stay strong, don't let this crazy time deter you.That's the real test.

Just keep at it. best wishes to you , my brothers. Stay strong.