- Thread Starter
- #21
One day John, we have to get together and train. I am sure when it comes right down to it we have more in common then we both think we do.
I, too, think that we would find that, because I strongly suspect that MGK dojangs ARE different, in many respects, from the standardized federation material in the MDK. From my conversations with my teacher, who knew Master Ferraro and from my conversations with Master Ferraro himself, I feel confident that you are all competent martial artists and self defense instructors. With that being said, I am also sure, from my conversations with you, Master Penfil, and with other instructors who are trying to bring back some of the old ways of doing things, that there are still some inconsistencies in the way the curriculum is philosophically organized and performed. Many of these inconsistencies are coming from the "traditions" that were passed down by the MDK and whose basis lies in the understanding that one can pick up from a library book on Karate.
With that being said, I want to address this statement...
All of the above things are taught in the Ho Sin Shul and Ill Soo Shik.
In education, we are constantly looking for something called "Best Practice." This is the principle that we use as an ideal for our teaching. If we are teaching our objectives with the most efficiency and efficacy, then we have acheived "Best Practice."
With that being said, do you think that the curriculum that you offer is the "best practice" to deliver your objectives to your students? For example, are the Ill Soo Shik and Ho Sin Shul that you practice the best way to get the desired results from your stated goals?
What if there really was a better way to do it out there?
Michael, these questions aren't digs. These are questions I ask myself all of the time and when I have student teachers, these are questions that I teach them to ask of themselves all of the time. This is the essence of reflective practice.