Extra Post: December

Even when something goes right, something has to be wrong.

One class I got to spend teaching. Mrs. Sensei wasn't able to take pictures for me. This one time it was the front-snap kick. Anthony did punches, then I did the kicks, Anthony did punches, so an and so forth.

Anthony then told me it was good I got technical, but they have to focus on other things. I was trying to go slow; tell them one thing, wait a while, and add something else. Seems like I should have done just one part. Shows how much there is to learn. Two moves - kick and punch - have several parts to think about. Kicking at the right angle, correct foot placement, correct foot angle, correct stance, make sure the elbow isn't moving, keep the head straight, step correctly... It's a lot to think about, and I forgot what the kids can remember.

Rest of the month was games. Nothing else to report.

Extra Post: Novermber

Things were again, kinda uneventful this month. There were lots of games this month. The schedule of the month made two classes twice as long as normal, and these classes always end in a particular game that, without fail, incites the kids to start screaming. But I digress.

There was one great thing that happened. I was placed in charge of teaching roundhouse kicks. So I did some actual teaching! Mrs. Sensei (my mentor's wife, secretary, and a black belt) was sadly sick, so I couldn't get any pictures. However, I do remember what happened.

The way the kids learn roundhouse is to place them on a wall for balance. This caused me lots of problems. Sensei was doing sumo wrestling, which is one of the most fun and distracting games in his arsenal. The little kids and the medium kids were distracted by it when we worked the right leg. Anthony was doing self-defense techniques nearby, and it distracted the littles and mediums when we worked left side. It was a pain and I got mad that I couldn't keep them focused. I started to snap at them, to pay attention. It worked...for about 20 seconds. I think this is what I mean when I say respect is important. The younger kids don't respect me, so they don't care about what I say, so they don't learn.

Thankfully the big kids do respect me. The issues with them were mostly feet placement. They did start complaining their legs hurt, which meant they were working, so that was good.

Other than that, I just ran games this month. Nothing else to report. I could talk about all the good things that happened in the older class, but that's not my project.

Like I said I'd get last time, here's a picture of my mentor.

Blog 10: EQ

1. I have reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ

2.a. It meets  the first two criteria but the wording is not very specific
2.b. It fits all three because it is specific, provides research opportunities, and is open for argumentation
2.c. It is not specific and does not allow research opportunities
2.d. Has room for research, but there is a specific answer to it.

3. What is the most significant factor for best teaching karate to children?

Blog 9: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 1 Presentation and why?
I am most proud of the content I shared. The main points I wanted to get across about what I experienced I managed to get across.

2a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 1 Presentation?
P

2b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 1 Component contract.
I believe I spoke clearly. I know I looked at the audience because I didn't have a powerpoint to read off, although I did read my notes a few times. I got the audience to laugh a couple times so they were engaged. I used examples of directing kids in real life for my specific example. I talked about the social and psychological benefits of martial arts I found through research, specifically referencing "A Choice Theory Perspective of Children's Taekwondo." I also talked about experiences in my mentorship and my interviews.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 1?
My different thoughts were all coherent and I explained myself well.

4. What didn't work?
I wish I had more of a visual aid. I only had a few pictures of me with the kids, which also doubled as my prop. Some extra direction would have also been helpful. I also did not end up mentioning one of the sources I wanted to.

Extra Post: October

Much of the same happened this month. Running games, occasionally doing a weapon or kata.

However this month was a tournament. Tournaments are times for the kids to compete in kata and weapons against the other cities. At the tournament I did assist in some more teaching. My mom took several pictures for me. These pictures are the ones I chose to use for my 1st Lesson.

What's going on here is Anthony (the guy sitting down who I mentioned in September) is speaking out the nunchuck form while I am preforming it for the kids to follow, for extra practice before the tournament. I was going intentionally slow to make following easier. In each of these I have my head turned so I can look at the kids and see who is doing it correctly and who isn't. Most of them were doing well. The younger ones who I can only assume are too young to get it were the ones messing up.

My mom left before the tournament started. During the tournament I was a judge for the competitions . I basically shadowed Anthony while he judged. The kids were so young I did the forms while they followed me. The same thing I was doing in these pictures, just one kid at a time, and weapons and kata.

Much of the month of a tournament is dedicated to weapons and kata. While I didn't do much along those lines with the young kids, I did help out a lot with the older kids. (And when I say kids I mean people slightly younger, equal to, and older than me.)

Another part of tournaments is how they are times for people to receive their black belts. I have a little friend with the older students who was testing for it. I spent a lot of time training him in his weapons for the test. He passed the test too! I didn't get a picture, but I will say he is the younger brother of one of us seniors.

I have several stories to tell from the tournament, but only one has anything to do with the kids. Before each competition the judge does a run-through of the expectations and what will happen. However the group we received consisted of a 5 year old girl, 5 year old boy, and two 6 year old boys. The 5's were asking questions the whole time like "When do we get the trophies?" "How old are you?" "Can I get the big trophy?" Anthony did a good job saying composed during this, but we lost a lot of time for the competition.

After the first round, the pair of 5's came in second. This means they got the smaller medal. No matter how hard Anthony and I tried to change it, the girl could only understand. "I'm not good. I didn't get the big medal. I did bad. I came in last." Anthony said it was his first time judging and someone came close to tears. What a way to be broken into judging. I tried explaining next time it may be better, but I don't think I did a good job doing so.

I know the interview was this month, but I haven't gotten a picture of my mentor yet. I will get one in November.

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1. What is your working EQ?
2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ?

EQ: What is the most significant factor for teaching karate to children?

• Understanding the material being taught
• Patience in regards to slower children or those who do not want to pay attention

3. What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ? 

My first interview with Anthony-sama has been the most helpful. The extra questions I put in related more to my project. As he is doing almost exactly the same thing I am, his advice was most helpful to me.

4. Who is your mentor, or where are you doing your mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

I am an assistant instructor under Sensei Walczak at his karate dojo in La Verne. As I am teaching the younger (4-9) kids, I need to know the best way to teach.

Blog 7: Independent Component Approval

As of right now, the best idea I have for the independent component is spending time helping kids prepare for their tests. I say this because Sensei and Anthony do the majority of the teaching I will have to talk to them before I can put this into action. If I am to do this, it will benefit me by being able to spend more time the kids directly. To show proof of my work, I hope to go through with the pictures mentioned in my previous post.

EDIT: After talking to Piggot, I learned that Independent Component can simply be the stuff from the Mentorship. Therefore, my independent component will be the same thing I've been doing, but with a little focus on weapons and kata.

Extra Post: September

Nothing much is different when comparing this month and August. It is still the exact same work: leading groups of kids through the assigned activity. I currently regret that the actual activities very rarely involve teaching. Mostly I am judging games, with the occasional kata or weapon. I am planning to discuss this with my mentor. I hope to work with Anthony and gain a closer understanding of how he teaches.

Speaking of Anthony, he's the person I interviewed. He's a Nidan (Second-degree black belt) who's

 been learning and teaching longer than I. Besides my mentor and his wife, Anthony is one of my better examples for teaching.

The key word is better, because there are other examples for teaching. Specifically, there are 3 other black belts who teach the older kids and adults alongside Sensei, Anthony being among them. Anthony suggested I take as much information as I can from other upper belts and apply their knowledge to my project. I plan on doing exactly that. I hope to interview each of them at some point.

I was thinking a nice way to spice up these extra posts would be more pictures. Specifically of me and the kids. However, I don't think I can right away. The kids are anywhere from 4 to 7 years old. I expect the parents won't want their kids on the internet without permission, even if I don't give names. To rectify this, I'm considering making a permission slip or something. Just to know the parents approve of me putting pictures of their children on this blog. I will probably also have to check the city. I wouldn't be suppressed if there's some law that prevents the photography of underage persons who are being cared for by a business blah blah blah. My point is I want to do this, but I think there's a few obstacles to get around.

Throughout the month, it became harder and harder to find sources for research check that looked like they applied to my topic. I plan on checking out books next. I found a series of children's books for teaching karate that I plan to take notes on, and several books about the history and fundamentals of karate. I see it as understanding the children's point-of-views and knowing what exactly I'm teaching.

All in all, there are a few things I hope to achieve

• More interviews with the other upper belts
• Gain more experience teaching the children by doing more actual teaching
• Read books to gain a larger understanding
• Get permission from parents and possibility the city to take pictures of the kids 

Here's to a fruitful October for everyone!

Blog 6: Second Interview Preparation

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?
My mentor is Sensei Jerome Walczak, secondary his wife Beverly. They work for the cities of La Verne, San Dimas, and Glendora teaching karate. I am mentoring in La Verne.

2. What 5 questions will you ask them about their background?
I plan on asking Sensei Jerome the following questions: "What has been the extent of your karate training?", "Who did you receive your black belt under?", "What black belt level are you?", "How long have you been practicing karate?", "How long have you been teaching karate?".

Blog 5: Mentorship and Research Reflection

1. Mentorship question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship?
My mentor is my karate Sensei (instructor) who I've been with for 12 years. I have already spent the majority of my volunteering with Sensei, doing exactly what I'm doing now. Asking him to be my mentor was easy.

2. Research question: What has been your most important article your have read so far and why?
My most important article has been "An Open Mind" by Peter Lindsey. It outlined many qualities he believes a karate instructor should have, and how to attain those skills. I believe this article is invaluable for an instructor, and I hope to learn from it.

Extra Post: August

Before this became my senior project, I spent most of my volunteering doing exactly what I'm doing now. I'll detail why it's hard.

The kids range from age 4 to age 7. Despite being a difference of 3 years, the differences in development really show. The best part is that the kids aren't necessarily grouped by age. Grouping is either by belt or by size. While there is correlation between belt, age, and size, you get things like a tiny 6 year old who happens to be one of the higher belts in the class being grouped with 4 and 5 year olds half her level (<-- true story, her name is Claire). Not only that, when it's about even in age, there are lots of factors that make it hard to teach.

The 4 year olds barely pay attention. Even if I'm leading a game, it seems like the work is more interesting. If I'm teaching weapons or kata, the games or other work activities are more interesting. Even though they don't pay attention all the time, they at least do what they're told, even if I need to tell them multiple times for them to get it. I think this group - often the very new ones - do want to learn, to some extent.

The worst though is when the 5 and 6 year olds or middle belts are in groups together. The 5 and 6 year olds want to do things their way, particularly when doing games. They also love to show off how good they aren't are. When we're doing work, like kata or weapons, they will do it, but there are always comments like "I'm doing it!" or "I did it! Did you see?!". When it's game time, they all need their wrong opinions heard (even though all the talking means I can't hear them!). There are some of them who realize that bombarding me with talking takes away from their game time, but the rest don't care. I try to focus attention on the more rational kids, but my (the leader's) voice falls on deaf ears. Multiple times with the same general group of kids, nothing was accomplished.

The godsend are the 7 year olds, or the highest belts in class. They understand how it works. In games, I tell them what to do, and they do it. I even feel comfortable asking for their opinions, because I know they're more rational opinions (also because I'm just judging games, and don't know how it feels to them the players). When I do work, they often know what to do, which makes it easier to correct the little mistakes.

The last part that makes this hard is the actual teaching. I have to speak out information I never did before. More than once I find myself lost on what to do, or stumbling over my words trying to find the correct one. I may have the entire kata memorized verbatim, but I have trouble saying it, simply because I don't do it often. Secondly, when I teach kata or weapons, I have to stand in front of the group and look over my shoulder to make sure they're getting it. That's hard because I have to realize which hands and feet are which for them, which is mirrored for me. To add more, often times in that situation I can't make major minor fixes, because I have to finish the form for everyone else.

It's not all bad. A lot of the games are fun to judge, and I learn from them as they learn from me. I think I just need to do research on guiding kids.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
I plan on interviewing Anthony-sama, one of the black belts at my karate studio. I help teach the kids alongside him, and he has more experience teaching than I.

2. You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask?
I plan on asking questions such as: "What techniques do you use to engage the children?", "What motivated you to start teaching?", and "What, in your opinion, are the best and worst parts of teaching kids?".

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. List your topic here: Teaching Karate to Children

2. Write a question to help focus your research: What is the most effective way to teach karate to children?

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship

1. Metorship Log
For my current mentorship log, click here 
 

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered?

I volunteered through the City of La Verene's Community Services Dept with the Karate program. Their phone number is (909) 596-8700. The department head is Bill Aguirre. The Karate Instructors are Jerome and Beverly Walczak. Their phone number is (909) 5**-97**.

3. What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them. 

What is the most effective way to get the kids to pay attention to me? What is the most effective way to retain their attention? What is the most effective way to teach them? How does one start a business of a karate studio?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

The most important thing I gained from the experience is how exactly the kids are different. A 6 year old who has been in the class for 2 years pays more attention than a 6 year old who had just started. A 4 year old may pay little to no attention. Even the 6 year olds who have more experience could have trouble retaining information. On the other hand, a new 7 year old could have an easier time retaining information.

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

As of right now, I am torn between 2 topics. Either teaching children karate, or the business of running a karate studio/dojo. I spent the majority of my time with the kids, but my discussions with my mentors about the business interested me. Most likely I will continue to work with the kids, but it is not certain.

Blog 1: Presentations

1. What presentations did you see?
5/21: Karate, Soccer Training, Special Education
5/22: Information Technology, Defense Systems Engineering, Graphic Design
5/23: Woman's Nutrition, Computer Programming,
5/27: Clinical Pharmacy, Music Store Operation
5/28: Biochemistry (Biofuels), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Information Technology
5/29: Internal Medicine, Organic Architecture, Marine Biology

2. What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project?
How much research is needed? How many independent components are there? How important are the independent components to the final presentations?

3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?
The activity, because it shows if the audience was really paying attention, and if you have truly engaged them.

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?
Karate. I have been doing it for close to 12 years, volunteered with it previously, and it is local so I don't have to travel far.

5. What are you doing for your summer mentorship?
Volunteering with teaching the younger kids in the earlier class. Teaching the older kids in my class.