Personal Notes from a Saturday Session

Editor’s Note: Accredited Teachers are invited to join a monthly group practice on Zoom, led by TCC Guide and Teacher Trainer, Sandy McAlister. Lisa Stroyan gets a lot out of these practices and shares with us some of her notes.

December: If you teach movements out of order, what is the reasoning behind teaching in the order you do?

I heard a consensus that a practice, including the “review practice” at the end of class, generally follows the order in the Photo Textbook (page 13). Many teachers teach in this order and feel there is an energy flow that builds through the series. April suggests new teachers start with following the manual. It removes stress.

Some teachers make exceptions. Pam teaches them in order but introduces Cosmic Consciousness early. Sandy teaches Six Healing Sounds in class four, after forward backward and side-to-side weight shifts. There’s a lot going on; she wants to give them time to practice. She saves the last class of the series for review and full practice.

Some divide classes into two parts: One covers the forward and back; two cover side-to-side (with Rocking Motion, Bird Flaps its Wings, and Cosmic Consciousness Pose in both). Not as many come to the second, and they can repeat class one; they don’t need to know all the movements to get the benefits.

Others save a few easier movements for the end. One teacher, if she has directionally challenged students, leaves the Around the Platter and Around the Platter Variation until later. It helps them relax into movement and not get in their heads. She plays with the weight shifts upfront and asks which is easier, so they feel that they can do it. One starts the ‘Taffies” with Perpetual Motion; it gets the muscle memory going and helps with the other three “Taffies.”

January: How do you teach drop-in classes where students of all levels attend?

Acknowledging beginners for trying something new helps them leave with a sense of accomplishment and connection. There is no need to get it right or understand it right away. One teacher puts them at ease by saying, “Just do something that looks kind of like what I’m doing.” Another jokes in all seriousness that, “The hardest part about this class will be learning how to relax.”

Having handouts or packets of information available when new people drop-in can be very helpful. When students sign up for a virtual class, send basic information online and invite them to sign-in early in case of Zoom issues.

When there are beginners, one teacher reviews a few basics, one forward-back and one side-side movement, and then does a practice. A silent practice can be nice sometimes because students don’t have to translate words. Students coming into an ongoing class seem to learn TCC quickly.

Other Tips

• Return to the principles. Start newbies seated or suggest focusing on the lower body and relaxing hands at sides.

• Teaching in rows, putting the most experienced students in the front row; new students can follow along. Teaching in a circle, having new students closest to the teacher and experienced students across the circle.

• Give new students a streaming video link to justinstonetcc.com to practice just the movements taught in that session. Keep it simple; people remember one or two things, but generally not four or five.

• Encourage everyone (including yourself) to come with a beginner’s mind; each movement is constantly teaching us.

• Show up relaxed, gentle, and open and we will be more powerful.

• Having both beginner and ongoing classes can be easier for everyone.

Zoom Tips

• Use the Spotlight feature so students see you large. Teachers and experienced practitioners can then switch themselves to Gallery view to move as a group.

• Encourage newbies to hide their self-view or to turn off the camera during the practice if that’s more comfortable.

• Encourage beginners not to worry about which side they are on. Left/right is confusing and inconsistent on Zoom; it shows you yourself as if in a mirror but normal to others.

“Teach to the class.” April gives newbies a little information and shows grounding, then teaches to the ongoing group. She might give those who are new one thing to focus on (i.e. feeling the soles of the feet), and “those who have been here a while” another focus for a practice.

On Tcccommunity.net under Resources, midway down the page, is a PDF: “TCC How to Start, Promote, and Instruct Classes with Continuous Drop-in Students.”