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.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Observations
(L) Throughout my time practicing karate, I've learned my fair share of life lessons, but one of the most significant one is this: observation.
(I) Observing goes beyond simply looking, its about truly internalizing what you see. In karate, as in any other thing in life, you can learn by observing. You can learn simply by watching other people practice.
(A) For example, if you see somebody make a mistake in a technique, you can see that maybe they swung out their arm too early, and know that if they waited a second longer to swing out their hook punch would be just right. By observing this you can then apply it to your own practices and understand that maybe you are making the same mistake and at this point you can apply what you learned and better your own technique. Another instance would be to watch a sensei perform a technique and pay attention to what they do in order to execute the technique right. This is pretty much the reason why when a teacher is teaching a new concept, they first show an example in the board while they explain it step by step. Observing is the first step in the learning process. First you must observe before you try something, which then you might later seek to perfect.
Quite frankly, I think I've learned far more on how to teach by watching students practice, than by actually teaching myself. This way, before I actually go in front of a class to teach, I actually know what students struggle with, and I then make sure to explain that part of the technique more clearly.
Honestly, in the end, everybody can learn by osmosis. By learning the art of observation, you can learn a lot more about everything that surrounds you. It doesn't hurt to step back every once in a while and just observe the world around you (aka people watching in a coffee shop).
Here is an article that goes into more depth why observations is such an important factor in teaching.
(I) Observing goes beyond simply looking, its about truly internalizing what you see. In karate, as in any other thing in life, you can learn by observing. You can learn simply by watching other people practice.
(A) For example, if you see somebody make a mistake in a technique, you can see that maybe they swung out their arm too early, and know that if they waited a second longer to swing out their hook punch would be just right. By observing this you can then apply it to your own practices and understand that maybe you are making the same mistake and at this point you can apply what you learned and better your own technique. Another instance would be to watch a sensei perform a technique and pay attention to what they do in order to execute the technique right. This is pretty much the reason why when a teacher is teaching a new concept, they first show an example in the board while they explain it step by step. Observing is the first step in the learning process. First you must observe before you try something, which then you might later seek to perfect.
Quite frankly, I think I've learned far more on how to teach by watching students practice, than by actually teaching myself. This way, before I actually go in front of a class to teach, I actually know what students struggle with, and I then make sure to explain that part of the technique more clearly.
Honestly, in the end, everybody can learn by osmosis. By learning the art of observation, you can learn a lot more about everything that surrounds you. It doesn't hurt to step back every once in a while and just observe the world around you (aka people watching in a coffee shop).
Here is an article that goes into more depth why observations is such an important factor in teaching.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Reoccurring factors in teaching
After having some experience both teaching students techniques and teaching students teach said techniques I've realized that there's a lot of reoccurring factors. These factors are something that apply to any technique you teach and possible any other type of teaching.
The factors are:
- Describe every little detail. You can't expect a student to already know what you are going to say or what you are teaching them. In order for a student to know how to properly execute a kick you must explain it step by step. A student will learn much better if you describe the posture they should have, how the kick is executed, and exactly where the attack is geared towards. Giving the students all the details helps them paint a better picture in their minds as in how the technique should look like.
- Show, don't tell! The greatest leaders in the world lead by showing, not telling people how to do something. It's impossible for a student to know how a technique is executed if all you do is tell them. You need to show them. Students need to see how a kick is done in order to follow suit and do it. If you ever go to any dojo you will never, or shouldn't, see an instructor teach a new technique by just standing to the side dictating things.
- Repetition is key! At first I would get annoyed when my sensei kept telling to repeat things as much as I could, but now I understand how important it is. Given that the students are barely trying to get a grasp of the technique they are still experimenting with it, so it's likely that they might get distracted while you're explaining a vital component of a technique. In order to ensure that students understand the technique in its entirety, you must repeat it.
- Try to make students understand the technique by relating it to another activity, for example a knife hand strike can be a lot like throwing a baseball. Getting students to relate an activity they are familiar with helps them better understand how a technique gets carried out. Since a good portion of students tend to be kids and teenagers, they still don't have a good grasp on how to move their bodies properly. This lack of coordination is the very result of growth spurts, and the very simple fact that they are changing. Giving them a hand in relating an activity with another can go a long way in helping with hand- eye and foot-eye coordination.
The factors are:
- Describe every little detail. You can't expect a student to already know what you are going to say or what you are teaching them. In order for a student to know how to properly execute a kick you must explain it step by step. A student will learn much better if you describe the posture they should have, how the kick is executed, and exactly where the attack is geared towards. Giving the students all the details helps them paint a better picture in their minds as in how the technique should look like.
- Show, don't tell! The greatest leaders in the world lead by showing, not telling people how to do something. It's impossible for a student to know how a technique is executed if all you do is tell them. You need to show them. Students need to see how a kick is done in order to follow suit and do it. If you ever go to any dojo you will never, or shouldn't, see an instructor teach a new technique by just standing to the side dictating things.
- Repetition is key! At first I would get annoyed when my sensei kept telling to repeat things as much as I could, but now I understand how important it is. Given that the students are barely trying to get a grasp of the technique they are still experimenting with it, so it's likely that they might get distracted while you're explaining a vital component of a technique. In order to ensure that students understand the technique in its entirety, you must repeat it.
- Try to make students understand the technique by relating it to another activity, for example a knife hand strike can be a lot like throwing a baseball. Getting students to relate an activity they are familiar with helps them better understand how a technique gets carried out. Since a good portion of students tend to be kids and teenagers, they still don't have a good grasp on how to move their bodies properly. This lack of coordination is the very result of growth spurts, and the very simple fact that they are changing. Giving them a hand in relating an activity with another can go a long way in helping with hand- eye and foot-eye coordination.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
EQ
1. "I have reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."
- Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadths and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
- Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
- Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)
2. Review the following EQs and tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria, and why it does or why it doesn't.
a. What is the best treatment a physical therapist can provide for a leg injury?
I feel like this EQ does a good job of providing a good stance on the topic The only aspect that I believe should be possibly fixed is to specify which type of leg injury so as to provide an even more specific framework for research
b. What is the most effective course of action a bystander can do in a medical emergency?
It's a solid EQ because it takes a very specific stance, but I feel like its a little bit too vague. I'm sure there are many different situation where a bystander should take different courses of action and this might affect the answers. Just specifying what type of medical emergency would make this EQ more solid.
c. What is the most effective way to promote education to socioeconomically disadvantaged teenagers in Los Angeles?
This EQ is pretty solid in the sense that it takes a firm stance and it provides specific framework for research. Its already as specific as it can be unless they decide to specify which sections of L.A. or what gender or heritage are the target students.
d. How can you troubleshoot cellular coverage in a city?
I feel like this EQ is too vague. It should probably be more specific as in to the size of the city. Also, I think that it just might cause problems later on as even if there are different variations on how to trouble shoot the coverage, their solutions might be a little similar to each other.
3. Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.
What is the best way to successfully run a karate class?
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Teaching karate!!!
Throughout this month I've done a lot of research on teaching karate. After putting my research to the test, through observation or simply trying it out myself, I found that there's a few things that all teachers/ senseis should do in order to be really good teachers/ senseis. Some of these basic things are:
- Patience! I cannot say this enough. Patience is one of the most fundamental things you need in order to teach anything. When teaching karate, especially little children, you need to be able to explain things over and over and over again with out being aggravated or getting stressed. At times, some kids are bound to mess around not pay attention and just play around. This is when patience needs to kick in for you to be able to put order to the class with out being too upset. Unfortunately, rowdy young students are very common.
- Know your stuff! This is very important. You can't go and try to teach karate if you don't know the techniques. If you're confused about how to perform a kick, you can't go and teach it to someone else because you'll just wind up confusing them and yourself. In order to be successful you need to be able to teach in a concise way that students really understand what you are trying to convey. The only way to do this is if you've taken the time to not only learn the techniques, but to master them. At first, even if you know all the techniques very well, you'll find it hard to teach. The reason for this is because you need to know everything so well to the point where you can put it in the simplest terms possible.
- Be nice but not too nice. This especially applies to teaching large karate classes to small children (ie kids 5-13 yrs old). The reason for this is because you want your students to respect and listen to you. If you are too nice the kids will start seeing you as their friend and they will stop taking you seriously. So, you want to be nice enough for the kids to feel comfortable coming up to you and asking you things about the techniques, but not the point where you're buddies.
- Different learning styles. Believe it or not this actually plays a very big part in teaching karate. You want your teaching style to hit as many different learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinetic). A way to do this is to explain a technique in a way that they can understand it (compare a knife hand strike to throwing a baseball) and show them step by step. Then have them do the technique with you step by step until you thing they understand. This hits all three different styles because by explaining it you get the auditory learners, by showing them you get the visual learners, and by having them do it you hit the kinetic.
- Do things for the benefit of the student not yours. Although this is a peculiar concept, it's actually pretty important. It's not the same when a sensei pushes a student to their limit because they want the student to reach their full potential for the benefit of the student, as if they do it for the benefit of the academy. When a sensei has the best interests of the student in mind they are bound to do everything in their power to show that student everything they can in a wise and kind way. When a sensei does it because they want the academy to look good or because they want to make themselves look good, students are more bound to be resentful. Usually mean, greedy senseis like that don't prosper so much. Believe it or not a student can tell if the sensei is pushing them to their limit for their own benefit or for the sensei's benefit. Actually they are bound to want to come back if they see that the sensei cares enough to push them for their (the student's) benefit.
- Patience! I cannot say this enough. Patience is one of the most fundamental things you need in order to teach anything. When teaching karate, especially little children, you need to be able to explain things over and over and over again with out being aggravated or getting stressed. At times, some kids are bound to mess around not pay attention and just play around. This is when patience needs to kick in for you to be able to put order to the class with out being too upset. Unfortunately, rowdy young students are very common.
- Know your stuff! This is very important. You can't go and try to teach karate if you don't know the techniques. If you're confused about how to perform a kick, you can't go and teach it to someone else because you'll just wind up confusing them and yourself. In order to be successful you need to be able to teach in a concise way that students really understand what you are trying to convey. The only way to do this is if you've taken the time to not only learn the techniques, but to master them. At first, even if you know all the techniques very well, you'll find it hard to teach. The reason for this is because you need to know everything so well to the point where you can put it in the simplest terms possible.
- Be nice but not too nice. This especially applies to teaching large karate classes to small children (ie kids 5-13 yrs old). The reason for this is because you want your students to respect and listen to you. If you are too nice the kids will start seeing you as their friend and they will stop taking you seriously. So, you want to be nice enough for the kids to feel comfortable coming up to you and asking you things about the techniques, but not the point where you're buddies.
- Different learning styles. Believe it or not this actually plays a very big part in teaching karate. You want your teaching style to hit as many different learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinetic). A way to do this is to explain a technique in a way that they can understand it (compare a knife hand strike to throwing a baseball) and show them step by step. Then have them do the technique with you step by step until you thing they understand. This hits all three different styles because by explaining it you get the auditory learners, by showing them you get the visual learners, and by having them do it you hit the kinetic.
- Do things for the benefit of the student not yours. Although this is a peculiar concept, it's actually pretty important. It's not the same when a sensei pushes a student to their limit because they want the student to reach their full potential for the benefit of the student, as if they do it for the benefit of the academy. When a sensei has the best interests of the student in mind they are bound to do everything in their power to show that student everything they can in a wise and kind way. When a sensei does it because they want the academy to look good or because they want to make themselves look good, students are more bound to be resentful. Usually mean, greedy senseis like that don't prosper so much. Believe it or not a student can tell if the sensei is pushing them to their limit for their own benefit or for the sensei's benefit. Actually they are bound to want to come back if they see that the sensei cares enough to push them for their (the student's) benefit.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Blog 8: Research and Working EQ
1. What is your working EQ?
- What is the most important factor to effectively teach karate?
2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ?
- To get parents more involved and more interested in helping out their kids in learning karate.
- Having effective ways of explaining techniques in a way that students can easily understand and
follow.
- Practice! Practice makes perfect. If you can get students to get motivated enough to practice
regularly, they are bound to be good at karate, or at least improve.
3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?
- The most important article/source that has helped me the most would have to be "The Art of Teaching" by Peter Lindsay. It explains how important a good teacher is and what exactly constitutes a good teacher/sensei. Also, I'm not sure if this counts as a source, but my mentorship has been instrumental in reaching my EQ and its answers. I can read about what a good teacher is and how they teach, but I think that being able to work under a great sensei has helped me the most.
4. Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?
- My mentor's name is Fabian Villalobos and I'm volunteering at his Friday night classes. They are from 5:30- 9 pm. I basically help him out in demonstrations, in doing the stretches with the students, occasionally teaching, and in whatever else I can help with. Since I lead the class a great deal and I'm perfecting my teaching skills, I'm coming closer to getting concise answers to my EQ, not through reading research, but with experience. By teaching, I get to observe what helps students the most and that is basically what my EQ is all about.
- What is the most important factor to effectively teach karate?
2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ?
- To get parents more involved and more interested in helping out their kids in learning karate.
- Having effective ways of explaining techniques in a way that students can easily understand and
follow.
- Practice! Practice makes perfect. If you can get students to get motivated enough to practice
regularly, they are bound to be good at karate, or at least improve.
3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?
- The most important article/source that has helped me the most would have to be "The Art of Teaching" by Peter Lindsay. It explains how important a good teacher is and what exactly constitutes a good teacher/sensei. Also, I'm not sure if this counts as a source, but my mentorship has been instrumental in reaching my EQ and its answers. I can read about what a good teacher is and how they teach, but I think that being able to work under a great sensei has helped me the most.
4. Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?
- My mentor's name is Fabian Villalobos and I'm volunteering at his Friday night classes. They are from 5:30- 9 pm. I basically help him out in demonstrations, in doing the stretches with the students, occasionally teaching, and in whatever else I can help with. Since I lead the class a great deal and I'm perfecting my teaching skills, I'm coming closer to getting concise answers to my EQ, not through reading research, but with experience. By teaching, I get to observe what helps students the most and that is basically what my EQ is all about.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Independent Component 1 Approval
1. For my Independent Component 1, I plan on beginning to teach with a higher frequency. Also, I will begin working with students one on one and help them with their techniques. So basically, I will work on my teaching abilities by working with students so I learn how to better word things and how to make students understand better. Then, I will start teaching whole classes more often to test my newly learned skills.
2. To meet the 30 hour requirement, I will continue to work under my tutor. The only difference now is that now I will just focus more on teaching, rather than helping him out in the class doing demonstrations and other such things. So, to show this, I can just take pictures of me teaching and tutoring students.
3. My topic has been karate from the start, but I've decided to narrow it down to teaching karate. I think that once a person can successfully teach anything, it shows true mastery of the subject. So working with students one on one will help me learn what works best in trying to get a student to understand any given technique or stance. Actually teaching class would help me test our my new skills in teaching and it will show if my teaching style has improved.
4. My log is right there =>
2. To meet the 30 hour requirement, I will continue to work under my tutor. The only difference now is that now I will just focus more on teaching, rather than helping him out in the class doing demonstrations and other such things. So, to show this, I can just take pictures of me teaching and tutoring students.
3. My topic has been karate from the start, but I've decided to narrow it down to teaching karate. I think that once a person can successfully teach anything, it shows true mastery of the subject. So working with students one on one will help me learn what works best in trying to get a student to understand any given technique or stance. Actually teaching class would help me test our my new skills in teaching and it will show if my teaching style has improved.
4. My log is right there =>
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