Wednesday: Praise Correct Praise

Positive reinforcement is not only an important part of learning, it’s vital to how we develop as individuals.  In society it seems that we tend to emphasize the negative, it’s just that we take notice of it more.  In order to counter this strange tendency we have to remember to reemphasize the positive time and time again.

This is especially true in martial arts. We as instructors have to remember that everything we do is an example to our students, whether we plan it that way or not.  A flippant comment to another instructor can have lasting effects and you may never be aware of it.  You have to train yourself to be your best all the time.

After all isn’t what this is all about?

When teaching a student the basic plan is pretty straight forward.  The student is given the information in some manner or form and then is validated by the teacher.  But what if the student doesn’t get it right the first time?  It has to be corrected and this can be done in any number of ways, many of them dangerous and harmful.  Avoiding destroying the students desire to learn is the most important aspect in teaching.  If you simply tell a student they’re wrong you aren’t doing anyone any favors, even if you seem fit to give them the correct information.  This process has to reinforce what the student has already learned and leave them with the desire to learn more.  Once the desire to learn has been beaten down, it can be an overwhelming task to restore.

Praise. Correct. Praise.

It’s been my experience that everyone in their life has that one teacher that changes them, gives the student the ability to change themselves.  I’ve had many wonderful teachers in my life, but the one person who stands out in my life is the late Sa Bum Nim Thomas Zoppi.  Not my first martial arts instructor but the one who left the lasting impression in me.  It’s interesting that I was in my thirties when this person changed my life.

One of the core values he taught me was that as an instructor we need to praise, then correct and praise again.  It’s not correct, then praise.  It starts with praise, laying the foundation of a positive learning experience.  Then the student is more receptive to improvement which can also include correction.  Then to reinforce the experience, praise again is used.

Honest, sincere valuable praise.  Not a hollow compliment that the student knows isn’t true either because they know they weren’t doing it right or they have heard that particular compliment so many times before it has lost any of it’s meaning. 

Using Praise. Correct. Praise. also reinforces the students desire to learn more.  This is the win.

Sometimes at the end of class I’ll ask each student what they learned in class that day.  I’ve never had a student give me an answer that wasn’t honest and sincere, especially when I ask it this way:

“What did you learn today, or what did you get better at?”

Sometimes we can forget that getting better at something is a learning process in its own right. Not only does this time let the student reflect upon their progress that day, but it allows another opportunity to reaffirm a positive class for the student from the instructor and themselves.

At the end of the day it’s the smile of a student as they leave that is the best praise I can receive.

Monday: Teaching Teachers

One thing I hadn’t thought of when I started teaching was that one day I would be teaching instructors myself.  I didn’t realize this at any single moment, it didn’t come as some sudden epiphany accompanied by a chorus of “Hallelujah!”  It was a realization that as I was teaching the class, the assistant instructor was also learning from not only the tasks I had given to them, but from my teaching the class as well.

Sounds like a no-brainer but when you are actually on the floor doing it, you don’t often consciously think about every single thing you do.  You can’t otherwise you would end up self-obsessed and taking up all the mirror time.

This also made me think back and reflect on the teachers I taught with and who through direct and indirect action taught me. The first two instructors who taught me were, and are some of the most experienced instructors in our school.  They also had very different teaching styles, both with students and with the assistant instructors they taught with.

One was very precise about what he wanted done, how it was to be done and what his expectations afterward were.  The other was just the opposite in that he would simply give me a drill to run, or something broader to work on, such as kicks (it is Tae Kwon Do after all.)  On top of that one class immediately followed the other.  It was a memorable experience, and one that proved to be very valuable to me just because it was not only very  different, but challenging as well.

When a student is just starting out the new assistant instructor can tackle it in a variety of ways.  It has been my experience that the older one is, the more nervous they become.  I guess youth doth have its advantages.

This also can be two very different sides of the same coin – watching an instructor throw themselves into the task at hand and wondering if they are going to sink or swim.  It is my responsibility as well as the other senior instructors at the school to make sure that doesn’t happen, and that the class is not adversely affected by it.

The new instructor who is overly cautious presents a different challenge.  They tend to doubt themselves and unfortunately students can smell this in an instructor.  The adults are usually more forgiving, but the younger ones will understand too, unless you try to full them.  That’s never worked in my ten years of doing this.  The ones you have to watch out for are the parents.  This is there kid you are teaching and you had better do it right!  I find myself frequently looking to the parents, desperately trying to read their thoughts.  That also hasn’t worked in the ten years I’ve done this.

The golden rule here is simple:

Teach what you know.  If you don’t know then find out.

We use a requirement book that can be referred to by any instructor, and is, including the chief instructor.

Imagine that!

Another aspect that is central to how we teach is positive reinforcement.

Praise. Correct. Praise.

You will notice it does not say anywhere to ridicule the snot out of the student, or tear them down, or berate them.  Aside from the fact that these people are paying you, not the other way around, it reinforces the core values you are teaching.

At least it should.  And this applies to the instructors and assistant instructors.  We learn from our teachers not only by what they tell us, but how they do it, and why.

We pick this up and learn from it, all of us and it is an aspect of what we do that should never be undervalued.  We teach positive values so that our students and teachers take this with them to make life better.

Simple really.