A Key To Successful Teaching

Teaching T’ai Chi Chih can be rewarding and challenging. Many adults come to TCC class with hidden problems, attitudes of failure, or a great deal of tension. If you survey your class, you might be surprised at the variety of “problems” your students are experiencing. TCC offers a golden opportunity to begin changing these conditions. Students generally fall into two categories: passive learners and active, engaged learners. Good teachers want all students to be active learners, but wishing and hoping aren’t enough. Good teachers know how students learn best and provide many opportunities to experience that in class. After working with children and adult learners for many years, Dr William Glasser (author, educator, psychiatrist and researcher) arrived at this noteworthy conclusion:

We learn and remember10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss with others , 80% of what we experience personally, and 95% of what we teach someone else.So why not try to incorporate students teaching students into a weekly lesson plan.

Partner practice is one effective way to get students involved. TCC teachers ask students to pair up and explore a movement. The key is movement, not standing and talking. Noticing posture, alignment and foot position take on new meaning for students when working with a partner. Allowing knees to bend and weight to shift becomes a reality rather than a concept. Questions arise naturally from this process. Awareness emerges without embarrassment. Partners can encourage, compliment, and critique each other without feeling self-conscious. The result is that everyone becomes empowered to improve their own movement and not just “go through the motions.” This helps them go deeper into their own practice.

After Partner Practice, during group sharing, students will say, “We were wondering about ____. ““Is this right?” They feel confident enough to demonstrate in front of the class. This offers a great teachable moment when you can say, “Yes, the question of ____ has come up for many students today and they have discovered that ___.” “Several people were able to let go of tension and they noticed that ____.”

These comments help students take charge of their own learning and feel supported by their teacher and classmates. By allowing beginning students to work with other students from the start, we promote optimal opportunities for learning, at the 95% level of effectiveness. We create active, engaged learners motivated by their own discoveries and improvement. We insure that everyone can learn. Some active learners go on to become TCC teachers. They already have experience in working with others, exploring what they know and don’t know. They are aware of the current limitations of their own form and how to improve it. They are confident and self- assured. They are ready to teach and share their passion.