Continuing: An Outlook on TCC

Noël Altman, Redmond, WA

The idea of continuing class fits in with our own outlook on T’ai Chi Chih–that there are steps that the teacher tells his or her students to take (as they learn to do the movements), but eventually, the students are left to take their own steps. To continue means that you have been doing something, and are going to keep doing it–it’s a part of your Life.

In our continuing class, we tell our students that they will have to pull the teaching from us. They won’t be taught new steps, so the learning will be in refining the steps they have been taught. Students are told to watch us intently and see if each week they can see one more thing to refine or correct in their own form.

Our continuing class, which we call “Ongoing Practice”, is just that, a practice session. Sometimes we do make comments, but many times, we lead the practice without talking. As Ed and I teach together, we alternate the leading of the session. The one who is not leading focuses intently on performing the movements as if he or she were at home. When that person does not have to “watch the class”, and gets the benefit of the group chi, it is very freeing. I know I have had some of my deepest practices that way.

We alter leading from the front, where our students face our backs and we all move in the same direction, or leading in a circle, where we and our students all face into the center of the circle. When we do this, we tell them that this is their chance to check beginnings and endings, and to just see the front view of the movements.

At the end, we usually have about 10 minutes to either answer questions, point out any corrections, raise a question or an issue, or just sit down and hear how the students’ practices are going.

We allow students into our “Ongoing Practice” class who have only learned through Basic Pulling Taffy (which is how far we teach them in our Beginning course). When we finish the Taffy, they hold Cosmic Consciousness, and then sit down and watch the remainder of the practice. This way, they get to see what is coming in the second half of the form, and will then have an advantage when they are actually taught the movements.

One benefit that we did not foresee was the effect that the mature students would have on the experience of the beginning students. They add their stronger chi to the group’s collective chi, and the beginning students feel a stronger group chi than they have before. The same thing happens when a mature student repeats a class in which movements are taught–the beginning students learn the movements more easily, and benefit, as well, by seeing and hearing from the mature students what subtleties they are working on.

These are some tips for creating a successful continuing class:

1. Have it in the same place, on the same day of the week and at the same time, course after course, so students will know when that course is, and can plan to attend.

2. Mention it as the next class they are eligible for when they are taking the prerequisite course. Begin to talk about it long before they are eligible to take it, so they can have plenty of time to decide to commit to it, and ask any questions they may have before they get to the point of registering for the course.

3. Expect that your students will continue. Your own expectations for your students will affect what they expect for themselves.