Asking Questions

[MJS]

The flip side is too many or constant questioning just side tracks the class and it often dissolves into... well what about this? about that? what happens when aliens attack.?. It can get carried away. So questions can be productive, but they can certainly waste everyones' time.

Great point Dave! Speaking for myself, but when I'd teach, there was times when there were limited questions. Usually Id find that the questions would pop up after they started working with their partner. I'd always walk around, answering as needed.

Mike

 

[Andrew Green]

The flip side is too many or constant questioning just side tracks the class and it often dissolves into... well what about this? about that? what happens when aliens attack.?. It can get carried away. So questions can be productive, but they can certainly waste everyones' time.

So you are suggesting that we ignore the possibility of Alien invasion? That doesn't sound very responsible, just ignore the threat and pretend it isn't there? Why don't you suggest people just leave there doors open and keys in the ignition as well? Or maybe walk around with $100 bills taped to there back?

or is this the carried away thing...?

Anyways, Yes, I suppose it could if it fell into a theory class. But that's what sparring is for, answering all those questions

 

[kidswarrior]

The flip side is too many or constant questioning just side tracks the class and it often dissolves into... well what about this? about that? what happens when aliens attack.?. It can get carried away. So questions can be productive, but they can certainly waste everyones' time.

Yes, agreed. I call this the 'What if...?' cycle. One person can start it and the whole (beginners' :ultracool) class can quickly devolve if it's not stopped. That's where your protocol comes in (e.g., only questions at end of demonstration; or, one question/answer at a time; or, I reserve right to stop questions when they're just repeating/getting silly, etc.). Good point, though.

 

[jks9199]

I've found that there's a happy medium, and a time and a place for questions. Generally, when I'm teaching a class, the only questions I really want are the equivalent of "I didn't understand the directions" or "what am I doing wrong." Encouraging too many questions, I've found, encourages over-analyzing way too early in the process - or it just encourages a digression/distraction. But I also occasionally have a class where I let the students pick the topic or ask questions instead of planning a lesson.

Outside of class or during a break is (to me) the time to ask other questions, or if we're training one-on-one. But even then -- the answer is sometimes "shut up, follow directions, and train!"

Nor do I subscribe to the "there are no stupid questions" idea. There are stupid questions; some are inappropriate to the location/instructor/topic, and some are just so poorly asked that they have no relevance. And there are questions that reveal that you shouldn't be participating in a certain class. If I attend a class taught by Ed Parker, Dan Inosanto, or any other person you care to name, but lack the fundamental basics of that style, so I ask him "how do I make that stance?" -- wrong place, again.

 

[kidswarrior]

I've had those questions. I'd usually have the person with the question come up and I'd do the defense on them. Not to beat them, not to belittle them, not to use them as an example of never asking me a question, but to help them understand what the move is. Sometimes its the feeling that helps the believing.

Mike

Well said, Mike! Just a very small amount of pain--enough to demonstrate what could happen, what would happen if the technique were full speed and power, can be a great 'teacher'. :ultracool

 

[JBrainard]

I never question the validity of techniques, but if I don't understand something completely, I always ask questions. I am in class to learn, and if I don't understand something, I'd rather ask a senior student (who are always happy to help) or the instructor (if he isn't busy with other students) about the technique than say nothing and do the techniques incorrectly. It seems like a no-brainer to me: If you don't ask questions when you need to, you will make more mistakes and progress slower than you need to.
Just my two cents.

Well said, Mike! Just a very small amount of pain--enough to demonstrate what could happen, what would happen if the technique were full speed and power, can be a great 'teacher'.

Totally. When a training partner is practicing a technique on me, if I were to tap out before I felt some pain, I'd be doing her/him a disservice.

 

[JasonASmith]

I've often said to my instructor/s that I WILL drive them crazy with questions(always after class) until I feel that I've performed the given technique in the proper manner(i.e., how they want it done)
I always thought that that was what being a student of the art was all about...Maybe I was wrong...

 

[Andrew Green]

It is, Skeptics make the best students, they keep instructors honest.

Students that never ask questions either have them, and aren't asking = bad. Or don't have them = Probably aren't really thinking about what they are doing and why.

 

[shesulsa]

There are students who absorb learning and use self-discovery as part of the process and know which questions they need to ask, and then there are those who want you to prove every single little thing.

To me, that's like my 14 year old daughter asking me every day, "should I brush my teeth now or in 15 minutes? why? What statistics can you offer me that prove brushing my teeth now would be more effective than it would be in 15 minutes? How soon will I get cavities if I don't brush at all? But can't I just floss and swish? How about if I gargle with alcohol, will that do the same thing? why not? Will my tooth enamel be harder in the morning or in the evening? how long will it take to wear away? What statistics can you offer me to prove your assumption? What is the source of your statistics? Who are they? Who certified them? How long have they been practicing dentistry? Show me their degrees, report cards, letters of recommendation and employment histories back to 11th grade. why am I using a soft bristle brush again? You don't mind if I ask you these questions for every instruction you give me, right?"

Teaching methodology can be trainwrecked by too many interruptions. I would tell someone who was that much a pain in my *** to go somewhere else or pay me for private study - where I would charge them an arm and a leg to ask me all the questions they want.

Pay attention, listen, notice, feel, experience, try, try, try again, tweak, clean up, demonstrate, try on a multitude of partners and allow your instructor to observe what you're doing. THEN ask some questions. If you haven't TRIED to learn, why should I give you the answers?

 

[Bigshadow]

Usually Id find that the questions would pop up after they started working with their partner. I'd always walk around, answering as needed.

Mike

That is usually how it goes with us as well.

 

[Bigshadow]

or is this the carried away thing...?

Yep. Your getting carried away. :btg:

 

[Kacey]

I've found that there's a happy medium, and a time and a place for questions. Generally, when I'm teaching a class, the only questions I really want are the equivalent of "I didn't understand the directions" or "what am I doing wrong." Encouraging too many questions, I've found, encourages over-analyzing way too early in the process - or it just encourages a digression/distraction. But I also occasionally have a class where I let the students pick the topic or ask questions instead of planning a lesson.

Outside of class or during a break is (to me) the time to ask other questions, or if we're training one-on-one. But even then -- the answer is sometimes "shut up, follow directions, and train!"

Nor do I subscribe to the "there are no stupid questions" idea. There are stupid questions; some are inappropriate to the location/instructor/topic, and some are just so poorly asked that they have no relevance. And there are questions that reveal that you shouldn't be participating in a certain class. If I attend a class taught by Ed Parker, Dan Inosanto, or any other person you care to name, but lack the fundamental basics of that style, so I ask him "how do I make that stance?" -- wrong place, again.

There are students who absorb learning and use self-discovery as part of the process and know which questions they need to ask, and then there are those who want you to prove every single little thing.

To me, that's like my 14 year old daughter asking me every day, "should I brush my teeth now or in 15 minutes? why? What statistics can you offer me that prove brushing my teeth now would be more effective than it would be in 15 minutes? How soon will I get cavities if I don't brush at all? But can't I just floss and swish? How about if I gargle with alcohol, will that do the same thing? why not? Will my tooth enamel be harder in the morning or in the evening? how long will it take to wear away? What statistics can you offer me to prove your assumption? What is the source of your statistics? Who are they? Who certified them? How long have they been practicing dentistry? Show me their degrees, report cards, letters of recommendation and employment histories back to 11th grade. why am I using a soft bristle brush again? You don't mind if I ask you these questions for every instruction you give me, right?"

Teaching methodology can be trainwrecked by too many interruptions. I would tell someone who was that much a pain in my *** to go somewhere else or pay me for private study - where I would charge them an arm and a leg to ask me all the questions they want.

Pay attention, listen, notice, feel, experience, try, try, try again, tweak, clean up, demonstrate, try on a multitude of partners and allow your instructor to observe what you're doing. THEN ask some questions. If you haven't TRIED to learn, why should I give you the answers?

I think that these 2 posts most clearly state my attitude toward questions. I encourage my students to ask questions about what they are doing - it's the best way to know what they are thinking and understanding, or not understanding, about what I am teaching. At the same time, there are some questions I won't answer, at least not immediately, because I don't want the student bogged down with technical details until they have the general idea of what I want them to do - it slows down class, and can often cause more confusion than it clears up.

I will check for understanding when I give commands in class; I will check for questions when a set of techniques are finished. Unless someone is totally clueless, I will generally wait until that time for questions - during line drills, for example, I will demonstrate techniques, and sometimes guide a student's arm or leg through a motion - but I won't generally answer technical questions during that time. Students are also welcome and encouraged to come early or stay late and ask additional questions or get extra help or feedback.

If I know the answer, I will answer it as completely as I can appropriate to the student's rank and abilities - the answer I give a white belt about a technique will likely not be the same one I give a green belt or red belt about the same technique, and the answer I give a 12 year-old may not be the same one I give an adult; it depends on where the student is technically and mentally, what the question was, and what I want them to know - there are some things I don't want to tell white belts that I will tell red belts, because I expect that red belts will have a more in-depth understanding of technical details that would only confuse and frustrate white belts.

If I don't know the answer, I will tell the student(s) that, and find out as quickly as possible, and then let them know.

 

[exile]

Challenging someone in their own school/class is, to me, rude and disrespectful. Respectfully asking questions at the appropriate time (different schools have different protocols)--even if the question may challenge the validity of a technique or concept--should always be allowed, and even encouraged, IMHO. The same principles would seem to me to apply on these boards, also. :asian:

There are students who absorb learning and use self-discovery as part of the process and know which questions they need to ask, and then there are those who want you to prove every single little thing.

Pay attention, listen, notice, feel, experience, try, try, try again, tweak, clean up, demonstrate, try on a multitude of partners and allow your instructor to observe what you're doing. THEN ask some questions. If you haven't TRIED to learn, why should I give you the answers?

These two posts highlight one of the important points in the student/instructor relationship: everyone has to be engaged in the process of learnining in a `good faith' kind of way. In my classroom teaching, I make sure my students know they can stop me at any time with a question. But I also make it clear that if the answer is going to be too technical, or take us too far afield, that they're just going to have to accept my reply to that effect. In other cases, all I can do is tell them that the method I'm outlining has to be actually applied to real data before its usefulness is visible; for the time being, I'll ask them to accept it as a promising approach, and when they actually have to do their own extended research they's see just why it makes sense to do things that way. I'll take their questions very seriously, but they have to take my answers equally seriously. This is just a slight twist on `If you haven't TRIED to learn, why should I give you the answers?'; the point is that in some cases, if they haven't tried to learn, there's no way the actual answer you give them will make any sense to them, and they need to hear that.

It's a two-way street. And the kind of pestering nit-picking responses that Shesulsa's referring to are very much not a good-faith questions.

 

[Xue Sheng]

So you are suggesting that we ignore the possibility of Alien invasion? That doesn't sound very responsible, just ignore the threat and pretend it isn't there? Why don't you suggest people just leave there doors open and keys in the ignition as well? Or maybe walk around with $100 bills taped to there back?

Actually in the event of an Alien invasion you should just leave your doors open with keys in the ignition and tape a $100 bills to your dash board.

or is this the carried away thing...?

Nope sound perfectly fine to me... but then I did suggest the above action.

 

[Andrew Green]

Actually in the event of an Alien invasion you should just leave your doors open with keys in the ignition and tape a $100 bills to your dash board.

So you train in tenu-foilu-hatu-do too?

 

[MJS]

Yes, agreed. I call this the 'What if...?' cycle. One person can start it and the whole (beginners' :ultracool) class can quickly devolve if it's not stopped. That's where your protocol comes in (e.g., only questions at end of demonstration; or, one question/answer at a time; or, I reserve right to stop questions when they're just repeating/getting silly, etc.). Good point, though.

What if or even if, are things that come up and are discussed all the time in Kenpo. I've had students ask those types of questions all the time. I'd usually stress to them to focus on the base moves first and then worry about what if, although I'd show some basic examples.

Mike

 

[Xue Sheng]

So you train in tenu-foilu-hatu-do too?

I don't leave home without it :uhyeah:

 

[Andrew Green]

Answer #2:

It really depends, at the end of the day people rarely are doing martial arts for the fighting aspect. It might be what some say, or why they started, but it's not why we keep coming back every week to sweat and bruise.

Part of what I like is the physical strategy game part. How do you make someone do something they don't want to and keep them from doing it to you?

We train because we enjoy the act of training, at least I think most of us do.

But that means different things to different people. To me that means questioning everything, trying it out in sparring, and a good class is when I realise there was a better way to do something I've been doing for a long time.

For other people what makes training enjoyable is not that, but rather the tradition behind it. "Humbling" oneself through obedience and not questioning those senior. Perfecting something the way it is, not trying to improve it, or change it to suit you, but working towards perfection of a already existing ideal.

Both have benefits, I just like the first, and people that like the second would probably not like training with me

 

[kuntawguro]

I allow questions to be asked- but not disrupt the flow of class.

These say it better than i can. Please don't accuse me of being a Mr. Miyagi, I had these posted at my school and i do believe in them.



The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward

True teaching is one that not teaches knowledge but stimulates children to gain it.
Jill Eggleton

The mind is like the stomach. It's not how much you put into it,
but how much it digests. Albert Jay Nock

The best teachers are those that show you where to look
but don't tell you what to see.
Alexandra K. Trenfor

Ask a question and you're a fool for three minutes;
do not ask a question and you're a fool for the rest of your life. Chinese Proverb

The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him
which he finds it hard to answer Wellington Rollins

 

[bluemtn]

I've asked one of my instructors to help clarify certain self defense moves. Sure, it might've meant I was to be their "guinea pig", but I didn't mind. I've asked what- if questions, etc. Of course, I didn't say it in a way that sounded like, "I don't believe you, so prove it!", either... I think a student should be able to ask such things from their instructor, as long as it's done with respect. Also, it helps one to learn.