student teachers

[advfhorn]

Do you have some students teach classes (without you present)? STORM team students? Do they teach both adult and youth classes? Are they all black belts?

[sensei8]

Do you have some students teach classes (without you present)? STORM team students? Do they teach both adult and youth classes? Are they all black belts?

No!! Students don't teach; they learn!!

Students will, as part of their Sankyu to Ikkyu, will assist, not teach, in classes with an instructor that possess no less than a Sandan. Shodan's and Nidan's also assist.

Assisting isn't teaching, and teaching isn't assisting.

[ashworth]

Sounds like a good way to get your class shut down... if they had an incident running the class there would be major consequences...

[Nidan Melbourne]

We have student instructors, but they are only permitted to assist in the class and not be running classes on my CI or senior instructors behalf.

The reason why we don't allow them to operate classes without us present, is due to insurance and also the safety that is required whilst teaching. But also parents have the expectation that Black Belts are operating classes and looking after the welfare of their child.

We require our Student Instructors to be a minimum of a Nikyu (our Club it is a Brown Belt), and will be paired up with a Black Belt Instructor. The only time we don't have them paired up with a Black Belt Instructor is where they have specific Higher Education Training (Bachelors Degree Minimum) to deal with particular cases (i.e. Autism, Aspergers etc).

The classes they are permitted to teach are dependent on the following:

1) Grade

2) Age

3) Day of Classes

4) Education

5) Training History

As such our Junior Instructors are permitted to teach our Beginner and Intermediate Juniors Classes which is up to Purple Belt (4th Kyu). Our Adults who assist are permitted to undertake the same classes, and in certain circumstances our advanced juniors class.

No Kyu Graded Instructors are permitted to teach our adults class, due to the requirements that we have for those students. Our Black Belts are the only ones permitted due to the knowledge of the curriculum taught and also experience. Yet no BB under the age of 18 may teach these classes, they have less experience and in-depth knowledge of the techniques taught.

Currently other than my CI; there are only 3 others who are permitted to operate classes on his behalf. And the three permitted are all 2nd Dans, and be over 19 years of age. I was the 2nd Instructor authorized to operate classes on my own, due to earning my Nidan formally at the end of last year, but also having the required in depth knowledge of Karate that i can help guide students along. Our third authorized instructor was recognized at the beginning of this year, and is able to teach our mid-week classes due to his availability.

BTW I may sound ignorant but what is a SWAT Team in regards to Martial Arts? my club doesn't have any special 'Teams'.

[TJ-Jitsu]

I suppose this really depends on what style you're teaching, eh?

Its not uncommon to see ranks lower than black belt teaching classes in BJJ- black belts tend to be hard to come by, good black belts even moreso. Usually purple is the rank where most black belts are comfortable allowing to teach, and it takes about as long to get a purple in BJJ as it does to be say, a 3rd degree black belt in other styles. If the academy has other instructors (say brown or black belts) sometimes these purple belts will teach beginner classes or self defense. Who you have teaching depends on who's available in various parts of the world.

The same can be said for muay thai- sometimes the coach or the fight team may be away for the weekend for a fight several states away. Sometimes a student fills in to teach the class while they're gone. I've seen it happen on more than one occasion.

I dont get too caught up on whos teaching, provided that they're not attempting to teach something they dont know, they're doing a good job teaching what they do know, and they're making an earnest attempt to do so. I've seen a few black belts that I thought were nothing short of trash when it came to instructing, and have seen a few purples that have done great despite.

[Focused Mind]

I agree with other members here; students are indeed students and should not teach.

I understand a student helping if the Sensei is working specifically on a technique but to teach? I don't think this should happen; the Sensei should know this.

[vantheman]

My two cents on how my dojo runs things

Currently, anyone that would instruct any class (Adult or otherwise) is an adult, and is at least at Nidan. Generally speaking, however, most classes are taught by Sandan or higher.

For younger kids classes, teenagers that have black belts (very select few) or extremely mature teenagers under black belt (even fewer: only one over the past ten years) can assist.

For adult classes, adults shodan or higher can assist.

As mentioned above, in grappling classes, its very common to see purple belts (and an occasional blue belt) teach.

[Lupin1]

I taught my first class where I was the only adult in the room a month or two before I got my Shodan. It wasn't planned-- something came up where our other instructor couldn't make it and no one got the word around fast enough to cancel class. Before that time I had been assisting since green belt and have been almost solely responsible for the brand new youth beginners since brown belt. I've since taught the youth class on my own a few times since getting my Shodan.

That said I'm a bit of a special case as I have a teaching degree and several years experience as a school teacher, so I'm more experienced than your average Shodan (or even many Sandans) in handling a classroom full of kid. The few times I've found myself alone in front of the class I've stuck mostly to basics and conditioning and have used the opportunity to do some of the more academic stuff that usually falls by the wayside (karate and style history, terminology, personal safety, some anatomy and health, etc).

Not being an official instructor, I wouldn't teach the kids anything new while being the sole adult in the room and I keep partner work to minimum without a black belt instructor around to help supervise and be a second body to go for help if someone gets hurt.

So I think in special circumstances pre-instructors can handle a class now and then, but I wouldn't make someone who's not a qualified instructor in your system the sole teacher of a class on a permanent basis and I would limit what they can teach.

[tallgeese]

I suppose this really depends on what style you're teaching, eh?

Its not uncommon to see ranks lower than black belt teaching classes in BJJ- black belts tend to be hard to come by, good black belts even moreso. Usually purple is the rank where most black belts are comfortable allowing to teach, and it takes about as long to get a purple in BJJ as it does to be say, a 3rd degree black belt in other styles. If the academy has other instructors (say brown or black belts) sometimes these purple belts will teach beginner classes or self defense. Who you have teaching depends on who's available in various parts of the world.

The same can be said for muay thai- sometimes the coach or the fight team may be away for the weekend for a fight several states away. Sometimes a student fills in to teach the class while they're gone. I've seen it happen on more than one occasion.

I dont get too caught up on whos teaching, provided that they're not attempting to teach something they dont know, they're doing a good job teaching what they do know, and they're making an earnest attempt to do so. I've seen a few black belts that I thought were nothing short of trash when it came to instructing, and have seen a few purples that have done great despite.

I agree. I'm out of town from time to time and it's nothing for a purple or brown belt student to teach. Think about it, a purple belt for us is 4-5 years on the mat. That should be more than enough time to understand the fundamentals and teach them. Plus, it's good experience.

[LLLEARNER]

From my perspective.

I am new. I am testing for Yellow on Tuesday.

I am fortunate enough that we have 3 BB all 2nd Dan or higher teaching class.

From time to time (for instance last night) one of the green belts was asked to guide the class through Kata. He is testing for Brown next week. This type of instruction I do not mind. It has little chance of being a contributing factor in injury and it helps the person instructing learn their kata. There is little that teaches a person how little they know than having to teach another. I have found that to be true in many aspects of my life. Now if he was asked to teach full contact aspects like throws and such then there is a huge problem.