Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

Content:

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I'm proud that I was able to make time. In my first presentation I had an issue with that but this time around I made time. Also I feel like I did an ok job connecting both my research and my answer so I felt pretty good about that.

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P          AP       CR       NC

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
I feel like I deserve a P because I made sure to meet all the requirement. I tried to make everything work out to the best of my ability. For example, I made sure to write speaker notes, I brought a decent amount of books and printed research, I brought a lot of props, and I tried to connect my research and mentorship to my answer. I strived to get an AE, but I honestly feel that I wasn't fully able to go above and beyond enough to fairly deserve an AE.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
I would have to say that my lesson 2 gave me the foundations I needed to begin effectively formulating my next answers. I also feel like my activity was effective enough to perhaps be used in me final presentation.

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
Maybe I would change my wording of a few things. I feel like I might have unintentionally put too much emphasis on the fact that teaching karate is an actually business and that my answer (parental involvement) was not only important to my EQ (which focuses on teaching only) but also in creating a healthy business.I guess to a degree, I might have come off as if I was putting my effort on keeping a business alive and not on effectively teaching kids, which is the point of my topic.

5. Finding Value
What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

I think that my answer 2 will be: A positive and encouraging attitude from an instructor can go a long way to encourage and inspire students to learn. My research for this is still in the works, so I'm not entirely certain about it quite yet.

The Respect of a Given to a Belt

Often enough I've noticed that, in martial arts, people get respect both by their belt color and by the skills the show they have. A lot of if has to do with the amount of experience you have. This is especially noticeable when you go to tournaments and when you have guest sensei's come over and teach for a day.

In tournaments, you will always be given respect, but usually you don't get as much respect until you either show that you have some pretty ninja skills or that you really know what you are doing. In essence, a black belt to other senseis does merit respect, but they will not take you seriously until you, in one way or another, prove that you really deserve that belt. A belt will just be empty unless you can really show that you truly have the expertise that a black belt should have. The way that this is usually done is when you either do a demo and show off some ninja skills with a bo staff, or if you simply show that you really know karate and that you're not just a freak that bought the belt on Amazon.

Whenever a sensei is asked to come over to a class, right off the bat you know that they are knowledgeable. This is mainly because they would not be invited if they weren't. Yet the interesting thing about this is when you observe how a class reacts to them. I have stepped back and watched how a class didn't take a substitute sensei seriously regardless of the fact that he was doing an ok job. Sure he got respect because of his belt, but the kids didn't really give him their full respect. But now, the fun part is to watch a sensei who has over 25 years of experience teach. The kids tend to respond almost immediately. She never raised her voice yet they readily followed her commands word by word. It was so intriguing to watch her mold the most rowdy and rude students to calm and respectful. This is the mark of a true master.

Even if you don't know a karateka as well, you will always be able to tell a lot about their knowledge and experience level just by watching the unheard respect that those around them give them. Its the way that you can tell apart who is a first degree black belt with barely a year of teaching experience as opposed to a fourth degree black belt who has been teaching for decades.

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

For my third interview I'm planning on interviewing my sensei's mother. Not only has she been taking her kids to martial arts classes since they were very young, but she has been helping my sensei run all the paper work for his karate class for the past 10 years. To me it's important to understand the perspective of the parents as they are the ones that bring in their kids for classes. Now without further ado, here are my interview questions.

1. To you, what are the most important factors for effectively teaching karate?
2. What is the best way to keep kids interested in learning and staying in karate?
3. How do you get parents to give support to their kids in karate?
4.  What is the most difficult thing about running a karate class for kids?
5. How does having an adult karate class help parents stay interested in karate? How does it not help?
6. What type of activities(ie sparring, bags, katas, weapons, random games) help the kids understand karate better?
7. What is most essential thing to have in order to be a successful and effective instructor/ sensei?
8. What is something that you've noticed good teachers tend to do?
9. How do you deal with injuries that might occur during class?
10. What is the best way to handle kids with special disabilities?
11. What is the best way to handle disrespectful or hyperactive kids?
12. What is the best way to handle disrespectful or rude parents?
13. What do you consider to be the best age for a child to begin learning karate? Why?
14. In what ways did learning karate help your kids?
15. Have you noticed anything in common with the kids that tend to take karate classes?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 hours check

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
For my mentorship, I've been assisting my sensei in teaching karate classes. I've also been teaching and having my sensei tell me later what I do wrong and what I do right. Also, I help out some kids one on one when they ask me for help. 

2.   Who is your contact?
My contact/mentor is Fabian Villalobos. He's been working as a sensei for 11 years. 

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   
I've completed a total of 28 hours with 30 minutes for my independent component. 

4.   Summarize the hours of service you did.
I've done demonstrations, I've taught katas, I've taught students how to teach katas, I've taught full classes, and I've judged in tournaments.

5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number confirming who they should call to verify it.  
I already filled out the information on spreadsheet Mrs. Pittman gave us.

*You need 50 hours plus the original 10 in the summer by May.   The original 10 from the summer do not count toward the 50.  By the end of the year, you will have 60 hours counting that original 10.

Senior Project: The Holiday

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?
During Winter break I was finally able to go over a lesson plan binder that my sensei gave me. It is literally a textbook's worth of information on techniques, how to teach, lesson plans, how to do some activities that help with karate, and so many other great ideas and tips for senseis. I went through every page and put post it notes on pages that I found interesting or that I could use as reference for later.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?
Overall, I got a bunch of new ideas and tips on how to improve my skills in teaching. Honestly, I think that this is the most helpful source I've read so far. I truly believe that by applying what I learned from all those lesson plans really is going to help me better organize how and what I teach. 

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?
I'm planning on doing my interview on my sensei's mom. The reason being that she's been through the whole experience of taking her kids to martial arts classes when they were young and she knows what it's like to be a supportive mom for her kids. After so many years she actually knows a very great deal about the techniques and how to administer a karate teaching business as she she helps her son in running his classes. I believe it's very important to not only understand and address issues that might arise with the kids, but also their parents. They are the ones that bring their kids to karate classes and its of paramount importance to understand them and know what concerns they might have. By conducting an interview with her, I will have a more complete understanding of a sensei's perspective (I interviewed my sensei in my first two interviews), the student perspective (that would be me and some of my peers), and the parent's point of view.