Do you wing it when teaching class or.....

[freedomfighter04]

Question for you guys. When you go an teach your classes do you have a game plan on what you teach to your students that night or do you just wing it.

[Chris Wade]

I like to have a couple of lesson plans "in the bag". Lay out a couple lessons, ideally write them down, and just file them away.

That way, if you are called upon at the spur of the moment, you can just pull one out and go with it, as if you planned it all along.

That being said, I have definitely "winged it" a few times. You end up pulling out drills from a number of previous classes and putting them together.

The trick is not to let students know you are winging it.

[bushinote]

According to the guys that teach for me I always "wing it". I know what I want to accomplish for the week, but how I accomplish it depends on the size and general rank of the class.

[Jeff Burger]

You should have goals and a plan to achieve them.


Jeff

[Musubi Dojo]

Have an end goal, but take a meandering road there sometimes. Train the basics a lot and interject new material as food for thought once in a while.

There definately have been nights where it was moment by moment though.

Cheers
c

[AllanJGAnderson]

You should have goals and a plan to achieve them.


Jeff

Ooooooooooo, profound !

[Bugeisha]

I tend to have goals and a general outline, but I like to keep things flexible, since the class may change depending on who shows up and what they need in particular.

[don]

I always have a plan with a general principle and specific techniques illustrating that principle.

Often I dump the plan to follow the students' needs. Maybe instead of working on getting UKE's balance into a dead spot, e.g., we have to back-pedal and do some remedial footwork.

You should have goals and a plan to achieve them.

Ooooooooooo, profound !

Is this a joke? I don't get it.

Jeff's comment sounds like good advice to me. And having coached novice teachers, I know that something this simple can be as a revelation.

[Jessica]

I'm all for having at least a rough game plan before class starts. Sometimes this happens 5 minutes before class, sometimes an hour, but going in totally unprepared just doesn't work out well for me.

[DragonMind]

Depends on whether you consider yourself a professional or not. Going into a classroom of any sort unprepared is inexcusable and fraud if I'm paying you for it.

[FunSPE]

Whenb I do teach class, I prefer to have a lesson already in mind. I really dont like to "wing it".

Robert Soliz

[Tang-Soo-Architect]

Depends on whether you consider yourself a professional or not. Going into a classroom of any sort unprepared is inexcusable and fraud if I'm paying you for it.

That was worth pointing out Barry, though I think that he's asking more about whether everyone goes into class with a specific list of things to teach that day or not.
When I first took a class solo I did sit down before hand and write down what I was going to do, including going into the details of what warm-up exercises to follow. I then worked out the time I needed for each section.
I used it on the day and followed it quite closely, and it gave me a very good indication of how to organise the lesson time, and I keep that original plan filed away at the back of my mind just in case.
Now I arrange my class schedule on the day based on what has been taught in previous weeks. This way I can ensure a good mix of teaching lesson to lesson without being too rigidly structured. It also keeps the classes more interesting for the students, there's no 'oh it's second wednesday of the month, that mean's self defence, I don't think I'll bother going' - things like that can happen, and too much regimentation can make a class feel stagnant.
It's also important to pick up on the ambience of the class. You will find that certain students prefer certain parts of the lesson. For us it's fighting that is popular so every lesson has sparring - and if for some reason it gets missed out we tell the students why and they get extra sparring time the following lesson.
Make the lesson work for the class not the other way round, and you will get more out of your students.

So to conclude: Have a rough idea of what needs to be taught in the lesson but do not get too bogged down in the planning for fear of loosing flexibility and adaptability, which you will need to ensure that the class responds well to your teaching regime.

[Tang-Soo-Architect]

Oh, just had another thought, something which I don't think has been mentioned though Barry sort of touched on it - An individuals teaching ability and teaching style.

Some people find teaching quite natural, others find it more difficult. Some find that they can ad lib a lesson successfully and others need to plan it out in their heads for it to run smoothly.

As Barry said, if a person is disorganised in thier mind in what they have to do then it's not going to go very well .

[Chris Wade]

Depends on whether you consider yourself a professional or not. Going into a classroom of any sort unprepared is inexcusable and fraud if I'm paying you for it.

I think that's a little harsh, unless I am reading too much into it.

Where I train we have had situations where the head instructor is unable to show up at the last minute. So there you are, it's now class time and someone needs to teach class.

So one of two things happens: I, or one of the other instructors, pull out a canned lesson plan and run with it, or as we progress through a warm up, you notice things that need correct. We do a lot of stand up fighting and grappling as part of the warm up during the first hour. Often techniques or drills will come to mind as we progress through it.

I don't see that as fraud at all. There is still value in what is being taught. It just wasn't predetermined before the class started.

[Jeff Burger]

I think that's a little harsh, unless I am reading too much into it.

Where I train we have had situations where the head instructor is unable to show up at the last minute. So there you are, it's now class time and someone needs to teach class.

So one of two things happens: I, or one of the other instructors, pull out a canned lesson plan and run with it, or as we progress through a warm up, you notice things that need correct. We do a lot of stand up fighting and grappling as part of the warm up during the first hour. Often techniques or drills will come to mind as we progress through it.

I don't see that as fraud at all. There is still value in what is being taught. It just wasn't predetermined before the class started.

I dont think thats harsh. People are paying moeny for a service promised to them.
If that situation is a recurring thing then he should pass off a class plan to you and train you to teach it.


Jeff

[Chris Wade]

I dont think thats harsh. People are paying moeny for a service promised to them.
If that situation is a recurring thing then he should pass off a class plan to you and train you to teach it.


Jeff

And they received the service - martial arts instruction.

I don't mean to suggest it's a regular thing. However, stuff happens.

If what you are saying is that if instructors often appeared unprepared, disorganized, or the quality of instruction suffered, then yes I would agree. However what I am suggesting is be prepared.

[Budderfly]

We have a set plan usually. Lots of drills to build up techniques they'll be practicing and tested on later. If the students are doing really good with thier curriculum, then we throw in some more fun options like drills and skill-building games.

[DragonMind]

I think that's a little harsh, unless I am reading too much into it.

I'm not meaning to be harsh, but I am being very blunt. There are professional instructors and there are people who play at being instructors. One sign of a professional is that they have a formal curriculum and clear lesson plans for every day of class.

Where I train we have had situations where the head instructor is unable to show up at the last minute. So there you are, it's now class time and someone needs to teach class.

So one of two things happens: I, or one of the other instructors, pull out a canned lesson plan and run with it, or as we progress through a warm up, you notice things that need correct. We do a lot of stand up fighting and grappling as part of the warm up during the first hour. Often techniques or drills will come to mind as we progress through it.

I don't see that as fraud at all. There is still value in what is being taught. It just wasn't predetermined before the class started.

The importance of lesson plans goes way beyond just what we do today. Each lesson plan is a building block that fits into the overall structure of the curriculum. Remove that block and the structure is weakened. Remove enough blocks and you have random chaos. If I am paying good money for your services as a professional, delivering anything less is consumer fraud.

I can generally predict a school's drop-out rate by looking at how well structured their curriculum and lesson plans are. Overly rigid lesson plans are just as bad as overly vague or non-existant ones. For example, if today's lesson goal is to introduce the front thrust kick to new students, it should have several methods of teaching and a variety of drills to choose from that work it. That gives the instructor flexibility to adapt to something about the class he/she notices but still remains on focus for the goal of the lesson. Let me show you a sample lesson plan for that class based on a 45-minute youth class.

Class Plan WB-6

Goal: Focus on learning a new technique, front thrust kick.

Line up and warm ups (10 minutes)

00-00 to 00:10

Notes to Instructor:
Line up is repeated until all the students hit their marks while maintaining straight lines and good posture.

After a brief bow-in, the instructor reminds everyone to perform at “level 10 intensity” and that they're to practice the idea of “Black Belt Effort” while doing warm ups --to make sure they're giving their best effort.

Warm-ups consist of basic techniques from the curriculum: Fighting movement in a sparring stance; fast jabs; one two punches; etc. During the warm-up drills the instructor previews what is going to be worked on and the level of effort she is looking for from the class. For instance, “We need to get our legs warmed up because we have a lot kicking to do today. You guys are going to be blasting those legs, so let's get ready for a black belt level class.”

Core lesson - 30-minutes

00:10 to 00:13
3 Minutes Demo/Explanation

Demonstrate front thrust kick. Break down component steps and walk through several repetitions of each step. Kicks facing the front of class (class lined up like warm ups) 3 sets of 15. The first set done slowly the second set done fast and the third set done with maximum intensity. 15- to 30-second rest.

00:13 to 00:16
3 Minutes Kicking (emphasis on targeting)

Front kicks with students facing each other. Again, 3 sets of 15 with the last set being an all-out effort. 15- to 30-second rest.

00:16 to 00:19
3 Minutes Kicking

For the final three minutes the instructor has all the pairs of kickers sit down on one knee and then highlights each pair by having them demonstrate their kicks while everyone watches. Philosophy queue: Point out the importance of proper execution of the technique and the dangers of getting sloppy in martial arts and in life such as schoolwork. Imagine everything you do has your signature on it like a painting. Your name is important and you want it associated with quality.

00:19 to 00:22
3 Minutes Kicking

Front kicks with students in lines of 5 executing multiple kicks down the floor (try and have several lines moving at once). This practice is set to a three minute round. The students practice on their own cues while the instructor walks the room teaching the finer details to individuals wherever needed. Philosophy queue: Point out that confidence comes from execution while you are tired. If you are fresh, kicking is easy. It's when you are tired and still kick hard that you gain your confidence. You can rest when you get home.

00:22 to 00:25
3-minute water and bathroom break

Instructor either touches base with parents on the sidelines or pulls in a few students for extra help.

00:25 to 00:30
5-minutes Resistance Kicking

Line up in rows of five with five bags as targets and practice line drills doing front kick. For the first minute and a half the students aim at the top of the bags but don't touch them. For the second half they make contact. The instructor gets the groups to compete against each other for intensity and group effort and coordination. The team that has the most intensity gets to pick the next target to be practiced. The instructor walks the lines looking for anyone who needs extra help. Philosophy queue: Point out that competing can bring out the best in us. We are in a competitive world so we must strive to be the best.

00:30 to 00:38
8-minutes of context setting

Instructor addresses the need to look at kicks as part of an overall strategy rather than a single, isolated technique. Add kick in with previous materials (punches, blocks, combination kicks) and do line and partner drills. Philosophy queue: Success is always in the preparation.

Wrap up/cool-down (5 minutes)
00:38 to 00:43
Slow Stretch

00:43 to 00:45
2-minute Wrap

Finish with review of what was learned, preview next class, suggest a short practice assignment for them at home.

[Jason T Gatts]

I think that there are many respectable instructors who probably don't do it that way. I doubt that Matsumura, Toyama, or In Yoon Byung did it your way - heard any of their students complain that they were ripped off? What about the Gracies or Pat Miletich, is this how they do it? Do you really need to write it all down in order to do it?

I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying that if instructor's aren't doing that it doesn't necessarily mean that they're defrauding their students.

[Jessica]

Do you really need to write it all down in order to do it?

I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying that if instructor's aren't doing that it doesn't necessarily mean that they're defrauding their students.

I would say you don't need to write it all down. It really depends on how mentally organized the instructor is as to whether they should or need to write down the lesson plan. Some people can organize and remember stuff like that without having it physically in front of them.

However, having a written lesson plan can be benificial in a number of ways
1) If the instructor can't be there for some reason, someone else can take over the class and will know what was planned
2) If at some point a parent comes in and complains that youre not teaching their student anything, you can take out your lesson plans and show the parent exactly what was taught and when.
3) If you teach on a cylical (sp?) basis then once you have lesson plans written for the entire cycle, you can just re-use them.