Attendance and belt testing?

[JR 137]

Welcome to the forums northstar what style do you teach?

I think one of the best things a teacher can do is give a syllabus which tells what the student is responsible for for each rank, including minimum number of classes attended (and what type of classes, if applicable). If it's in writing, it's far easier to point to than to say "remember when I told you..."

This is an important point. Whether you have a minimum number of lessons or not, it is only fair for the students to have this criteria properly laid out in an accessible place so that both students (parents) and instructors are on the same page.

I would also say that if you are going to stipulate a minimum attendance, that you also make a point of recording this properly in the form of sign-in sheets or a register of some sort and not rely solely on memory.

Good point. We have a sign in sheet; on it we write our name and the number of classes attended since last promotion. I can never remember, so I always flip to my last class and add 1 to it. I think a computer spreadsheet would probably be a neater and easier way.

Our honbu dojo has several hundred students. They reportedly have key tags they scan on their way in.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Welcome to the forums northstar what style do you teach?

I think one of the best things a teacher can do is give a syllabus which tells what the student is responsible for for each rank, including minimum number of classes attended (and what type of classes, if applicable). If it's in writing, it's far easier to point to than to say "remember when I told you..."

This is an important point. Whether you have a minimum number of lessons or not, it is only fair for the students to have this criteria properly laid out in an accessible place so that both students (parents) and instructors are on the same page.

I would also say that if you are going to stipulate a minimum attendance, that you also make a point of recording this properly in the form of sign-in sheets or a register of some sort and not rely solely on memory.

Good point. We have a sign in sheet; on it we write our name and the number of classes attended since last promotion. I can never remember, so I always flip to my last class and add 1 to it. I think a computer spreadsheet would probably be a neater and easier way.

Our honbu dojo has several hundred students. They reportedly have key tags they scan on their way in.

We use physical attendance cards that each individual student has indicating the appropriate rank (the color of the card matches rank). That way they can see also how many lessons that they're on.

I like how your Hombu Dojo uses Key Tags for students to use, but IMHO feel like it can be annoying because you would have to check yourself as an instructor if any tests are required for that class. But also can see the advantage of it because you wouldn't have to sign off on any cards.

But the big fault I see to it is that if there is a technical issue with power or the machines that they use then students can't "sign in" through the key tags.

Although it is a better method than my old club because when I left they were bringing in a similar method to your hombu BUT the student physically had to find their name on a list on the computer itself.

[northstar]

Thanks guys for all the feedback. We have now gone to an excel program for tracking attendance. Very cool program I found on a teaching website. We are a Taekwondo school.