Teaching junior students can be a very rewarding yet difficult task. Unlike the adult students, many of the junior students may not know their right from left, how to stand still, or how to listen to commands. In fact, many parents bring their children to Choi Kwang-Do so that they can learn discipline. Therefore, it is the goal to teach children discipline while being firm, fair, and fun. We want to demonstrate to the parents that their child is learning discipline, while at the same time, keeping the child motivated; otherwise, they will not be back. This task is accomplished through proper class protocol, such as bowing and self-explanation, and through fun activities, such as games.
When teaching junior students, you have to be very energetic, animated, and enthusiastic in order to get the most out of the students. It will help the children feel comfortable and have fun if you smile and keep the class fun and upbeat. You should try not to talk too much, expand verbally on one thing too long, or have the children sit for a prolonged period of time. Not only will they become bored, but also they will probably not remember a single thing you talked about. For this reason, it is crucial to keep the students moving and try to use terms that junior students can relate to and understand. Creativity is the key to getting your point across and keeps the students motivated. For example, instead of spending ten minutes teaching how to do a front punch in great detail, try to have the students “sing along” - you say it, then have the students repeat it back while they perform.
Instructor: “Turn my body back”
Students: “Turn my body back”
Instructor: “Shift my hip forward”
Students” “Shift my hip forward” and so on.
Not only will the students learn the steps involved in a front punch, but they will also have fun.
While you want to keep the environment fun for Junior students, discipline must be maintained. This is necessary to maintain a safe and productive learning environment for the children and for us to project professionalism. In a nice but firm way, establish your authority quickly with junior students and let them know what you expect of them - listen, pay attention, and do their best. It is important that students do not talk excessively, yell, or run around the dojang wildly. When they line-up, encourage them to come to attention quickly with their eyes straight ahead. If they don’t do it right the first time, you may have them go to the back of the dojang and try again. If they do it correctly the second time, acknowledge this by giving them a round of applause. Positive reinforcement is the best way to motivate students - praise them for doing things correctly, gently correct them on mistakes. As mentioned above, parents will not bring their children back to class if we cannot maintain discipline or are too harsh on them.
It is necessary at times to discipline junior students for lack of attention or bad behavior. When doing so, do not yell or come across as being "bossy". Instead, tell the student what is expected of them and tell them what will happen if they do not follow. If telling them does not work, you may have them sit down or deprive them of game activities until they can correct their behavior. Push-ups may be given in extreme cases, but try to refrain from this in general. If you do give push-ups, always let them know the difference between punishment and exercise. Anytime you are having continuous problems with a student or have a situation you feel you cannot handle yourself, consult with your Chief Instructor.
As an instructor, you are responsible for safety of the junior students. Maintaining proper discipline in the dojang can attain a safe environment. However, during defense drills, air shield work, and games there is more likely chance that injuries could happen simply because you may have students moving around quickly and/or facing partners. As a general rule, keep your eyes moving. If you focus your attention on anyone for more than a few seconds, you may have others tripping, hitting, or knocking each other down. It is imperative that this does not happen. A student that becomes injured is less likely to want to come back to class and if worse enough, may be grounds for legal action to be taken against you and/or the school. Below are some tips for keeping a safe environment in the dojang.
Watch the larger and/or more aggressive children to make sure that they are not bumping into the smaller children
Build the smaller and/or less aggressive students confidence by teaching them how to handle aggressive kids
Always give the less talented and weaker children some extra help on the side before and after class
Try to pair students up of equal size and strength together whenever possible
Teach students how to hold the shield and how to move properly during drills
If a junior student is not strong enough to hold a shield for another, either give them some “support" or hold the shield yourself
If a student does accidentally make contact with another student or accidentally knocks them down, make them stop, say “Pil Sung”, and bow as an apology. Be sure that the student is okay and does not have an injury. If you have students that are being rough, warn them if they continue to be rough that they will be asked to sit down. If tempers are involved, they must be reprimanded and made to apologize to each other. Consult your Chief Instructor if there is a continuing problem. We want the children to learn to defend themselves and have strong techniques. However, it won’t do them any good if they don’t come back to class for fear of being hit or knocked over.
You may be thinking that it is a lot of work to teach children. We want to encourage everyone to try to teach junior students because it can be very rewarding. Watching a young student develop the discipline needed to demonstrate their pattern correctly or listen intently to the instructors commands is definitely worth the effort. However, you may find that it is just not for you. If you find yourself feeling this way, then talk to your Chief Instructor. They should be able to offer you some guidance and solutions as to what you can do.
General Pointers for Teaching Junior Students
Strong loud commands, eye contact, and keeping the pace moving are your main tools for keeping their attention.
Give lots of hands on correction, particularly during basics and combinations.
When correcting, always do so in a gentle manner, never rough or abusive.
Hold focus mitts for children during basics to help them demonstrate properly.
Move students that have difficulty focusing away from mirrors or distractions.
When assisting during group training or testing, try to correct students from the side or rear so as to keep their attention on the test conductor or instructor leading class.
Break into small groups when teaching combinations or patterns.
When teaching children in a group, you must keep your eyes on all of them at the same time. As you correct one student, make sure you keep the other students attention.
When teaching combinations or patterns, help start them out by facing the same way as they are. Indicate which side goes first.
When holding air shields or focus mitt, "give a little" with your targets depending on the size, age, and strength of the student.
During defense drills, actually teach the students proper footwork, how to block properly, and how to apply their combinations. Don't just stand there and watch!
Use games to keep them motivated and to help them learn Most of all - Be Creative!
To help keep children's interest and to provide them with the activities that they need as children, you may implement different games in the junior classes according to the Chief Instructors discretion. Games are also a very effective reward for good behavior during class. Here is a list of some different games and activities you may try in class. As mentioned earlier, be creative. With the approval of your Chief Instructor, you may invent your own games or implement a fun twist into some of the standard games. These games are for fun and excitement, but they do have a more important overall purpose. While participating in these games, the students should have a good time while developing coordination, agility, speed, and balance, along with good sportsmanship, honesty, self-control and self-discipline. The main idea behind these games are that they must be safe, energetic, will let all children participate, and are not overly competitive.
Have the students line-up quietly and orderly. Have them Ki Hap, run, and perform jumping (flying) kicks. Jumping front kicks should be used for white belts and side kicks should be used for yellow belt and above. You may add excitement by doing a 2 or 3 bag kick relay (this keeps more students moving), adding obstacles, or having them do calisthenics in between. Always use a softer heavy bag or shield for this, particularly for younger children. Always have someone stationed at the bag to keep it from swinging (if applicable) and to catch junior students properly.
Have junior students make one line and follow an instructor in jogging in a circle around the room while performing Ki Haps, kicks, and punches. Make sure to have some distance between students so they do not hit or run over each other.
With the students lined up as in class, have them follow an instructor as they move forward, backward, and side-to-side. Start slow, and then get more rapid. Make sure students all maintain a hands-up position, good eye contact, and are using the proper footwork.
You may add to the above drill by suddenly swinging your arm at their head level to make them duck or by swinging their feet to make them jump. Have them immediately counter with Ki Hap, follow-up punches, or with their combination. While doing the footwork drills, you may also Ki Hap to have them do their combination. Duck, Jump, and/or combination drills may also be done stationary or with students lined up or in a circle. When they miss a command, you may have them sit down. Just be sure no one is sitting for a long time.
This game is set up just like the child's game “Simon Says”. The Instructor calls out commands to the student and they must respond only if he/she says "Sabumnim Says" first. What makes this game exciting is that students automatically react to commands such as "Charriot", yet they can't unless they hear "Sabumnim Says" first. This game helps the student’s listening skills as well as their concentration.
Students are lined up in this game by size, so you may need to have two groups up at different times. Two or three Instructors in front of the group of children slide focus mitts towards their feet. The students must jump out of the way of the mitt and not get hit. If the mitt hits the student then they must sit down to the side. You may also involve some of the parents in this game. The parents may throw the mitt back over the heads of the students to the Instructors sliding the mitts. This game of dodging the focus mitts helps the student’s concentration, agility, and coordination.
It would be to your benefit if your school has a floor with lines marked off in rows. If it does not, you may use focus mitts as boundaries. The students would be lined up in approximately four rows of about 4 to 6 students in each row. This may vary depending upon how many students you have in class. The first person in each row would run up to the first line or focus mitt boundary and touch it with his foot. He would then run back and touch the starting line, then back to the second line, then back to the start, then to the third line, etc. When he finishes, he would tag up with the next person and then sit down to signal that he is finished. When the next person is tagged, he does the same thing. The team with all the students sitting down first is the winner. This game helps the student with his agility, speed and coordination. You can have the students perform relays in many different ways, so be creative.
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