Dummy It Down!!

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Please understand this right off the beginning. The terminology of "Dummy It Down" here isn't meant to be offensive whatsoever, nor is it to infer that anyone KF member is lacking intelligence or good judgment or stupid or dull-witted, nor is this meant to be offensive to any MA student, and/or MA group. That's the furthest thing from my mind!!

Having said that, let us explore what my well meaningful intents are within this topic.

It's save to say that this topic is directed at CI's and the like, as well as anyone who's been tasked with the duties of instructing anyone student and/or any number of students as their [your] reports. Those KF members who are not currently tasked with the duties of instructing the MA, still have a valued voice because this topic affects them directly on the floor daily.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say!! Be understood!! Not in a way that only you can understand, but more importantly, in a way that the student body does completely understand what's being said.

Those of you that are tasked with teaching the MA as a CI have a direct influence over, i.e., your students who are instructors: CI's, Sempai's, Instructors, Assistant Instructors, so on and so forth.

Those whom you've no direct influence over, i.e., those whom are not part of your student body. This could, and it does, include anyone that's outside of your school of the MA.

There are two types of CI's and the like: Instructor 'A' and Instructor 'B'!!

Instructor 'A': Highly intelligent!! Explain the technique jargon in such a way, that you find yourself that deer that's just been caught in the headlights; you just don't understand a word that's just been said. Not that instructors fault; it's just how that instructor type is by default.

Everything that's spewed out of that instructor types mouth is absolutely correct to the Nth degree, however, their words are way over the heads of the student body.

Instructor 'B': Pretender; poser!! Goes way out of their way to portray an intellect that they obviously do not possess; not even the minimum of an idea as to what they're saying themselves, but to that instructor type, it all sounds pretty good. This

This instructor type uses big and fancy words, words that they themselves do not understand. They continue to impress their students with the spoken words, and all. However, this type of instructors explanations of the curriculum is incorrect...dead wrong...not even close.

An old idiom that says...

If you can't baffle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bull dung. This instructor type believes that they're teaching, no, helping their students. But that instructor type is greatly misunderstanding.

Both Instructor 'A' AND 'B' hurt the student body one way or another!! Of the two, if I had to pick one, Instructor 'B' is much more harmful to the student body, even though instructor 'A' doesn't help much. But at least Instructor 'A' is teaching the curriculum correctly, just short the simple fact that his/her words are way over the heads of the student body.

Soke and Dai-Soke, whenever Dai-Soke was the Kaicho of the SKKA, made visits to SKKA affiliated dojo's quite often, teaching and observing. To Instructor 'A', while observing the instructor, both Soke and Dai-Soke would be like..."What?", but would only comment with..."Make talk simple!"

To Instructor type 'B', after observing, Soke or Dai-Soke would tell that instructor..."STOP!! You wrong!!" If instructor 'B' didn't, or worse, wouldn't heed to their advice, even after Soke or Dai-Soke would work with them to get rid of the kinks, Soke himself would pull the SKKA stickers down, and shun that instructor forever.

How would you counsel those instructor types. 'A' AND 'B'??

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**Proof is on the floor!!!

The Pred · Green Belt

Let's assume that both a and b aren't the CI but an instructor under them. If that's the case than perhaps the CI should have nipped it in the bud before they became full instructor.

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

It is the purpose of an instructor to get students to develop skills and help them practise effectively so that they can improve said skills. Communication is essential to teaching and anything in about an instructor’s attitude or methods that makes it difficult to communicate will have an effect on how is learned if anything at all.

Ideally this means that an instructor must find the best way to get each student to understand. With a larger number of students it may not be possible, so the only solution is for a teacher to teach in a way that a majority of students will understand....eventually.

Even the best students will not catch on to everything the very first time it is shown or explained. This is certainly not limited to karate or even physical skills.

The ability to do this is what makes the difference between a mediocre instructor and a great one. Not all karate experts are masters, the same as not everyone with a Doctorate degree is a professor or able to be one. Plenty of
highly skilled people out there couldn’t teach a monkey to climb a tree.

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

You know, martial arts is recreational for me. Yes... I'm serious about learning it. But if I'm at a school where I feel I can't learn, I will go someplace else. My iaido class was like that... We met for an hour per week, and the method of (attempted) teaching didn't work for me. I quit. I'd rather attempt to learn the art from a DVD.
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

MatsuShinshii · Black Belt

A - pull them aside and explain that they are loosing half of their students and instruct them in how to pass on the knowledge in a clear and concise manner.

B - How did they become an instructor in the first place? This falls on their instructor or the organization itself for advancing them to instructor.

Just because you wear a certain grade (Shodan to Judan) doesn't mean you can teach. It's like anything else. Some can and some can't. It can be taught but I really think the best teachers come by it naturally. They can sense the level of their students and can teach on that level. Others can't. I think A fit's into this category. You can't take anything away from them because they have the knowledge but they don't understand how to pass it on.

B - Again how did they ever get to this position/grade in the first place?
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The person who succeeds is not the one who holds back, fearing failure, nor the one who never fails-but the one who moves on in spite of failure.
Charles R. Swindoll

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Great replies, everyone!! Thank you for them!!

The Pred wrote:

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

Even the most honest and dedicated instructor can make the mistake of assuming a certain technique or concept is easy to understand. Especially the most fundamental and basic things that said instructor has been doing with ease because of years of experience. It has become second nature and no longer requires a conscious effort as it does for intermediate or beggining students.

What requires constant effort,on the other hand, is breaking things down, simplifying if necessary and explaining them in a way that students can eventually reproduce. Part of doing this is natural talent, but the most of it is gained by experience and patience. “Dumbing it down” is a skill that can and must be learned by anyone interested in becoming an instructor. The greatest teachers are experts in at least two things: whatever they teach and “dumbing it down”

Lupin1 · Black Belt

I like the phrase "if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough".

Making things really complicated is not a sign of an intelligent person. An intelligent person should be able to break something down and explain its parts in simple terms.

Too many smart people think they need to "sound smart" by using jargon and making everything technical. I've found the best way to deal with that is present it as a challenge to the intelligent instructor-- explain to them the concept of breaking something down into its simplest form and tell them it's an intellectual challenge. If they can see that they can still be seen as the "smart one" without using a bunch of smartypants language (to use the technical term), they might lighten it up.

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Spartacus Maximus wrote...

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