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Old 08-20-2002, 10:33 AM   #26
opherdonchin
Dojo: Baltimore Aikido
Location: Baltimore
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 586
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Quote:
Mayland Long wrote:
am having some doubts as to whether I should continue to teach at the dojo that I am currently at.
I think everyone else has said it, but I had an amusing story that just happened, so I thought I'd post it in. I'm a shodan and I got my shodan in a different style than the dojo where I train. I teach at the dojo once a week on Friday nights (a pretty dead night), but I often question whether that is appropriate. I actually love teaching, so I don't question it too loudly. Anyway, our sensai (6th dan) showed up for one of my classes the other day. It's not unusual for him to show up and be a student in other's classes, but it hasn't happened much with me. Afterwards, when he thanked me for the class, I thanked him and told him that it was fun, "it made me a little nervous, but it was fun." He said (and this is the point of this story): "Oh yeah, those little butterflies in your stomach. It's important to keep having those."

Dave, could you sene me that file, or else, perhaps, put a link to it for anyone who is interested?

opher@bme.jhu.edu

Yours in Aiki
Opher
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Old 08-20-2002, 11:24 AM   #27
Bruce Baker
Dojo: LBI Aikikai/LBI ,NJ
Location: Barnegaat, NJ
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 893
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I am very glad to see that Mayland found the article from Sensei Y. Yamada of NYC. These ideals he talks about are found in some of his students who teach in the NJ area, and it is great to see it being practiced in seminars as I travel out of state to see different teachers.

It makes me proud to say I am one of his friends who train in the USAF.

If this is not the case where you are Mayland, take heart, this type of thinking is spreading slowly around the world as Sensei Yamada visits around the world to do seminars. It took him a long time to come to this conclusion, but now that he has, I see a chance for it to spread more quickly.

I think you will enjoy being a human being who imparts knowledge as you learn yourself from teaching. Step back ... take a breath ... just let it happen. Don't force it, and you will take all that pressure off of yourself.

Enjoy!
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Old 08-20-2002, 04:42 PM   #28
DaveO
Dojo: Great Wave Aikido
Location: Alberta, Canada
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 543
Canada
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Quote:
Opher Donchin (opherdonchin) wrote:
could you...put a link to it for anyone who is interested?

opher@bme.jhu.edu
Lol - wish I could. I'm sure it's an easy thing to do, putting the file up on a page for download, I just haven't got the 1st kyu...er..clue...how to do it. (lol - lame aikido joke there.)

Yes, I'm totally web-page incompetent.

Dave

Answers are only easy when they're incomplete.
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Old 08-20-2002, 06:42 PM   #29
MaylandL
Location: Western Australia
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 241
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Hello Dave

Thanks for the update. That's no prob, there's no hurry with it, please take your time As some aussies are want to say (well maybe just me ) "no wucking furries". Btw, best of luck with your grading, not that you'll need it. I'm sure you'll ace it. Let us know how you go with it and what you learnt from it.

Hello Bruce, thank you for the words of encouragement. I thought the article by Yamada Sensei was particularly relevant and well written. I am suitably envious of you being able to train with some of the Shihans and his students One of these days I'll see if I can head stateside to train for a little while.

I liked your story Opher. It must have been very encouraging for you and I am glad that he made some positive comments. May I say that my Sensei is happy with my teaching but I still feel there is much more that I need to learn. Interesting thing, two weeks ago at the other dojo that I train at, the Shidoin echo my sentiments about teaching and he's been doing aikido for over 15 years! So I guess this is pretty normal thinking.

Anyway better end this post before its gets bigger than Ben Hur. All the best for your training

Last edited by MaylandL : 08-20-2002 at 07:24 PM.

Mayland
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Old 08-21-2002, 09:31 AM   #30
DaveO
Dojo: Great Wave Aikido
Location: Alberta, Canada
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 543
Canada
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Hi again! OK, I think I got it working...

I tried using Yahoo's pagewizard to build a page that anyone who wants to to download the document. Here it is; I think it'll work.

http://www.geocities.com/drachenca/Download.html

Answers are only easy when they're incomplete.
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Old 08-21-2002, 09:54 AM   #31
akiy
 
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Hi Dave,

I just skimmed through your document -- interesting stuff!

One thing I noticed what your insistence on having a lesson plan for the class.

Have you ever found that a lesson plan needed to be "scrapped" while doing a class?

How many of you aikido teachers out there use a lesson plan for your aikido classes? Why or why not?

-- Jun

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Old 08-21-2002, 11:01 AM   #32
DaveO
Dojo: Great Wave Aikido
Location: Alberta, Canada
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 543
Canada
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Hi Jun!

1st, a lesson plan doesn't necessarily have to be a physical thing; i.e. a piece of paper - although in a classroom, it always is. In freestanding situations such as the dojo, a lesson plan can be carried in the head. In other words, it is a mental map of your class for the day that keeps you on track, just as I described in the text. To elaborate, the primary importance of a lesson plan is to organize an instructor's thoughts and materiel into an efficient sequence for your students to learn from. So long as the instructor knows how to set up a good LP, the actual physical piece of paper is not required. Although it must be said; it can help enormously if you sit down and write one up before class, no matter how good a teacher you are. I do whenever possible, even if its a class I've taught dozens of times before.

As for 'scrapping' a lesson plan; sure, I have from time to time, when circumstances warrant. The thing to remember is; if you decide to skip a LP and go with a different topic, make sure you - the instructor - are doing it for your reasons; not those of the students. What I mean by that is this: Let's say you're planning to teach Taigi #1. During the warmup, you realize that one or two students (or more) are so hurtin' at Tenkan, it would be better to concentrate on the basics of tenkan itself, rather than the taigi. That's good; you're abandoning your prepared work in favour of something more important. If, on the other hand, you announce 'We're going to work on Taigi #1 today..." and you get a chorus of groans and expressions of boredom ("Awww, Sensei; we took that Friday!"); then it may be best for you to persevere; you ARE the instructor after all. ("We did? Good, then you should know all about it. OK, first two...")

The whole point of an LP is not to bind you into one subject for the day of course; it's there as a teaching aid; a mental organizer. As such, while I said - and still say - 'You can't teach without a lesson plan', I should elaborate it by saying 'You can't teach to your maximum effectiveness without a lesson plan.'

Thanx for the question, Jun; hope this helps!

Dave

(BTW - Remember, everything I put into that document are my own opinions based on my teaching experience. Teaching is an art, so there may be many, many different interpretations on what's "right". This one's mine. )

Answers are only easy when they're incomplete.
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Old 08-21-2002, 06:29 PM   #33
MaylandL
Location: Western Australia
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 241
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Quote:
Dave Organ (DaveO) wrote:
Hi again! OK, I think I got it working...

I tried using Yahoo's pagewizard to build a page that anyone who wants to to download the document. Here it is; I think it'll work.

...
Thanks Dave. I've got it and will be having a look at it.

Happy training

Mayland
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Old 09-18-2002, 03:32 PM   #34
Jermaine Alley
Dojo: Aikido Of Richmond
Location: Richmond, VA
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 63
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Instrcutor Classes

In our dojo, we have had teaching courses in the past. Once a week, we have a Senior Class in which brown belts and above take our techniques to the next level...we practice a bit harder with not as much talk time..if you know what i mean.

Every so often Shihan will allow each of the participants present inthe senior class to teach a technique. He will critique us, or all of us will critique that specific instructor on the basic, voice infliction, eye contact etc.

We each have a go at it and wallah. We are instructors. I still remember the first class that I tried to teach as a new sensei. You talk about forgetting taiso, being tongue tied..i had it all. I have taught in other settings before, but have never had the degree of beginning difficulty that i had when attempting to teach aikido.

jermaine
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Old 09-23-2002, 02:32 PM   #35
Tadhg Bird
 
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Dojo: New School Aikido, Stockton, CA
Location: Casper, WY
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 55
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Ki Symbol

The dojo where I train has recently started a program for people wanting to teach in the junior's program called "Teacher Cadets". We concentrate on teaching kids, and the issues that brings up, but many of the skills we acquire are applicable to teaching in any enviroment in my opinion.

Those in the program have the option of getting a t-shirt that reads: SENSEI: Well, it could happen...

We use the book Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, Ed.D. as our discipline model.

"Words and letters can never adequately describe Aikido -- its meaning is revealed only to those who are enlightened through hard training." -- Ueshiba Morihei O Sensei
--

http://www.AikidoStuff.com
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