essay for a grading??

[packard]

I have been teaching for many years now and wanted to look at changing the syllabus for some of the gradings.

I wondered about having a written aspect for the senior black belt grade such as an essay on how they believe their martial arts training has helped them go forward or something similar.

Does any one have any experience of this in their style?

It is still very open for me at the moment and take on board that not everyone can express themselves well in written format or can write at all.

I do not wish to take away any of the martial element but may be add to the philosophy of kung fu.

Any views appreciated.

Regards,

P

[PangQuan]

This is a good idea.

At the school I attend, on my first test I was given a 500 word essay to do as well as several questions to answer.

The essay was on kung fu in general, I think it helps the teacher to further understand what your goals and ideas are regarding your martial arts. It also seperates those who actually study on thier spare time from those who are there for exersize.

If you really enjoy kung fu, chances are you know a good amount of history, this will show on a written exam. However if you just show up to show up and only practice in class ande never research on your own then it will be apparently obvious with your answers to questions like "Who was Ta Mo?"

I say go for it, its just a little written exam, what are a few minutes of writing compared to years of sweat, blood, pain, and dedication? It can be a valuable tool to ones person in evaluating within themselves what they truly have recieved from their studies.

Its amazing how many people never actually stop, listen, smell the roses, and contemplate all that they have done.

[Oso]

my old teacher had a written requirement at each sash level.

I think yellow was something like "Why I want to learn kung fu" and so on, all the way up the ladder through his test for sifu. at early levels it was more philosophical/ethical issues but later (black sash and up) it was written essays on theory.

Certainly a good idea for kids and not so bad a one for adults but not sure it should be a requirement...just depends on how you want your school flavor to be.

got me thinking though, i'm building a 5-12 year old curriculum now...need to go look up my old notes....

[GreenCloudCLF]

I like the idea of having people learn history/theory/philosophy. But instead of a written essay I would have them do a speech in front of other students. Speaking in public is the number one phobia in the US (just ahead of fear of death). By having them give a speech in front of a crowd it shows they are learning/have learned to overcome their fears and it show they have high levels of self-confidence.

[PangQuan]

thats not a bad idea.

[Oso]

I heartily disagree.

Speaking in front of a crowd CAN be a phobia. This means it has clinically defined aspects that we as simple martial arts teachers have no business effing with.

It could be an 'option' to speak in front of the class but shouldn't be a requirement.

[GreenCloudCLF]

Speaking in front of a crowd CAN be a phobia.

phobia: NOUN: 1. A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.

Many different people work on helping people overcome fears, other than psychologists/psychiartrists. As a Psych student, it is not something that trying to help a person overcome would leave some sort of negative effect.

Martial Arts helps people overcome fears everyday...the fear of being raped by teaching someone to protect themselves, the fear of not being worth anything, by improving their self-worth.

A public speech would just help them overcome one more fear. The action of a public speech has no risk of physical injury, as does say, the fear of walking through a darkened parking lot (which has a statistically higher chance of having an attack occur)

[Oso]

as I said, I disagree.

too many teachers think they are the answer to everyone's problems while not enough of them can even teach martial arts effectively.

not saying that of you, just a peeve of mine.

requiring a student to know history/philosophy is great. There should not be a mandatory way in which they express it. Let those who want to give a speech do so but if they can only write it then that's fine too. The reverse should be true as well. If you had someone illiterate but was a kick ass student and could only verbally tell you what they had learned then you wouldn't not pass them because they couldn't write would you.

[packard]

Thanks for those replies everyone.

I do have a small written test for the kids on muscules and bones and also do a verbal test for the history. It works really well in my opinion. The written bit is actually multiple choice, so it is not overly hard.

I think for the adults, it is a good idea to see thier growth in a subject from a theory point of view. I can see thier front kick and its improvment over the years. I cannot alway see thier understanding improve because not everyone has the chance to express it to me.

Still in the though stage at the moment as to whether I add it in or not.

P

[Mr Punch]

...muscules ...thier ... improvment ... though stage Holy ****, hope you're not gonna test them on their spelling...! :p ;) :D

Only kidding...

As to the test, I think it's a good idea. My kendo shodan (as do all kendo dan grades, and I think aiki and some karate ones) had a written test with a couple of technical questions and an essay. It helped me to focus (apart from the fact that I had to write it in Japanese when I wasn't anywhere near the still relatively poor level I'm at now!).

If you think it would help you could always offer them the choice of a written test / speech / interview style test... then they still have a challenge but you're still testing them on their knowledge, not so much their presentation.

Oso is completely correct about not messing with the shrinkology. I've been misguided about that in the past, but fortunately haven't done anybody any serious harm. I wouldn't have thought fear of public speaking is that common a clinical problem though... rather than people just being wet. Maybe it's different in the States.

[Oso]

I had a student (that is to say, I was the senior instructor for my old sifu's school and she was a student there) a while back that had some extreme anxiety issues. Speaking in front of other poeple was one of them. It took her forever to be able to participate in her test for yellow sash. But, it had to be her choice. She did ok in class though the first couple of months she did have to walk out of the room and once had to leave the school in the middle of class. She persisted and over time, and I believe with some prescribed medication, has overcome this fear and is a black sash and instructor at the school.

My point on the meds is that she had a clinically diagnosed issue and got treatment from a pro. A martial arts teacher, even the best in the world, isn't qualified to say if someones problem with public speaking is simple or complex.

I currently have two people that have anxiety issues and class is helping them. But I never push them to do something they are uncomfortable with.

[David Jamieson]

it's a shotokan karate tradition to write essays on this and that at grading time.
It helps sensei see if the kids are "getting" it.

In kungfu, i think if someone "gets" it or not is more apparent in how they do.

Not big on demanding to know what people think. I don't find it of importance. If I was teaching I would prefer the people I was teaching were practicing and internalising the lessons as opposed to spending time writing about their interpretation of philosophy or principles or what not.

so. 'Nay' from this side of the board.

[Oso]

As far as writing goes I think I heard somewhere (can't site a source though) that the act of writing helps imprint things in your memory more.

I know this to be true of myself at any rate.

so, on that particular detail of this thread I say yes to notebooks and writing as an aid to memorization.

[David Jamieson]

oso- it really depends on peoples learning styles.

there are so many types and blends of these with weightedness towards others.
not to mention literacy.

Plus, let's not forget that it wasn't so many generations ago that your average really good martial artists were for the most part illiterate. In fact, a great portion of the world is still illiterate.

People can learn in a variety of ways. With martial arts, most of the teaching and learning is achieved with a tactila approach first and foremost. Visual and auditory follows this and so on. But mostly it is tactile followed by mimicry and inculcation through practice. It becomes evident that the practitioner understands by how they apply the lessons derived from mimicry and inculcation. After we are taught a lesson, we learn it by doing.

Writing may help some people, but for sure it doesn't have a play on all people. Literacy certainly doesn't have a lot to do with ability in martial arts.

[Oso]

I basically agree with all that.

I still make a strong recommendation to my students that they keep a notebook/journal of some sort but don't make it a requirement for many of the reasons you state.

these days I keep all my notes on video...and **** I wish I'd a had a video camera back on the 80s...all my hung gar is basically 'gone' at this point because I had a teacher who didn't allow us to take notes of any sort.

[Shaolinlueb]

for senior black sash test we had a written part. had to know what stuff meant. what some stuff meant to us. etc. a little history of our art. etc. written part is good. asking a black belt to write out a form he knows well is a good idea tos ee how well he really knows it.