Ok, my 3rd Dan testing is coming up soon, and I've finally been given my paper topic. While thinking about it, it struck me that I really need to talk this one over with people before I can get into the writing of it. This is what I've been given: So ok, I've got 2 pieces here... Teaching and Applying Technique in class, and my personal tourney experience. My tourney experience I can deal with. What I'd like is to get you guys' ideas on the first half - Teaching & applying technique in class. Just your thoughts on the matter. Anything to help me get my thoughts moving
Hi I'm new, but I'll chime in. Congratulations on your accomplishments so far! and good luck in your testing. These might be too basic to use for the test but they may get the thoughts going Teaching: Since this is a "test" question you may want to base your dissertation on how your instruction has changed due to your growth and understanding of the art of teaching. What insights have you gained? This new knowledge - how has it improved your skill in teaching. It's a knowledge of self that leads to the ability to help others. TKD is all about the journey of knowing "self". One can learn how to instruct oneself adequately enough. To feed that desire in another person takes insight into yourself, while offering oneself as an example of form and function to also identify with where the student "is" in terms of attitude, aptitude and drive. Once you know where the student is you can apply what you have learned to bring the student along. What about yourself now do you find helps you to better accomplish your duties as teacher? Applying technique: Since you are an instructor, this can also dove-tail nicely with teaching. Technique changes based on your understanding of the need for the technique. In example - the side kicks in forms and the side kicks in sparing are distinguishable, as is the side kick used to demonstrate to students. they are three different forms of the same kick. The difference is not that they are applied in different situations, but that they serve different purposes. The sparing sidekick is delivered with the intention of landing on a specific target during a specific point in time. The form kick while it is in time, is meant to convey the "perfection" of the sidekick, encompassing all the power and focus as art. With instruction you must be comfortable with all aspects of the kick and be able to focus on a specific part of the kick to demonstrate the need - the chambering of the leg, rotation at the hip, extension of the leg or placement of the edge of the foot
Before I put in my two cents you are a teacher outside of the gym right? I seem to remember that at one point or have I gone off the deep-end again.
Congratulations Cait!! Is there any chance you could fill 10 pages with tournament experience then just 5 pages on teaching?? Does tournament experience include officiating or coaching? My interpretation of "teaching and applying technique" is to look at different applications. One of my favorite approaches is to take techniques or sequences from patterns and make class exercises to demonstrate their application. (Honestly, if you practice WTF patterns, I'm sorry you don't have as much material to work with.) One-, two- and three-step sparring are ideal for this. Self-defense is a fun challenge. Find 3 very different applications of one pattern sequence. Can the same set of exercises be applied both to self-defense and to tournament sparring? Can the same set of exercises be applied both to stretching or balance and to power or speed? I hope this helps and best wishes in your success!
Okay good then . . . may want to look at Bandura social learning models as well as scaffolding models (I'm a huge fan of scaffold lessons) These work very well in a phys-ed environment and my experience is they work well in MA class as well. One other thing of note may be the difference in age when teaching and applying. That is how you may teach a student that is 6 y/o vs. say someone who is 30. For the 30 y/o guided practice may be something that you take a longer amount of class time with; whereas, a 6 y/o you may find more success in applying technique through games. Something I used to do with 4-6 y/o was play red light/green light. When I yelled green light they have to run and tag me before I yell red light. The catch is each game I have them work a specific stance and when I yell and turn around they have to hit the stance properly or they get sent back and start over again. I don't think this game would work with 30 y/o Tournament experience I can't help you with.
As to tournament experience, you may include observations as to what has changed from when you started and how it is now (restrictions, judging/officiating, approach, suggestions) As to teaching, may be a look back on how you started on teaching and how you changed as experience and confidence grew. Technique application may be a way to differentiate approach to kids and approach to adults, considering their level of understanding, including level of brutality/violence involved as a result of a technique. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks everybody for your input! Great suggestions all, and it's already got me thinking. 'Preciate it! Yes, I started in 2002... got my 1st in 2.5 years. I know that sounds ridiculously fast, but I was an assistant teacher for most of that time, and I was also logging 20-25 hours a week. I've also played sports for most of my life, so there was a lot I picked up quickly.
I could, but I don't have enough tourney experience to fill 10 pages! I do the Palgwe patterns also, so this can add a lot (I like them better anyways), plus I know all but the last black belt patterns... so there is actually a good deal of stuff to work with there. Thanks!
The Palgwes are much more artistic for the viewer and provide a more immersive experience for the practitioner than the taegueks in my opinion. I feel like the Palgwes allow for more "personalization" while maintaining adherence to the form. They seem less like "competition" forms and more like "performance" forms. You can compete with them, but two people can do the form equally proficiently and leave the observer with two different experiences. Having forgotten so much I was glad to find videos of all the palgwes (they appear for the most part correct in moves, but the execution seems lackadaisical and leaves a lot to be desired) http://www.natkd.com/tkd_forms.htm they work to help you remember, but that's about the extent of their usefulness
In anyones opinion, how well would artistic, "performance" forms lend themselves to teaching applications such as self-defense or tournament sparring?
Hmm, in the case of the Palgwes, they're more visually appealing as a direct result of their complexity and greater difficulty (at least, IMO). They contain far more techniques than do the Taegueks, and have an older feel to them. In comparison, the Taegueks feel dumbed down - even the later ones. So there's much more material to teach from in the Palgwes. And thank you, ragingsamster, that's definitely got things going in my head!
For the teaching, I would also go into how by teaching you yourself learn, even from whitebelts. (I was a TKD Asst. instructor over 10 years ago, and I did some work with kids with learning disabilities).
It'll be very difficult to write 15 pages on only that. It will depend on how much experience you have had teaching. My papers for my 4th dan grading wasn't anywhere near 15 pages... How times have changed -_-
LOL... Nope, it's got to be 12pt New Times Roman! I've been teaching almost as long as I've been training.. plus being a teacher by profession, and having coached a number of other sports... there's some good comparing/contrasting I can do there, so that should help.
