Staying fresh in teaching

When you teach for some years, some things start to be repetitive.

If you found good processes, drills, lessons, etc., you repeat them. At some point, you have repeated them many times.

That’s a somewhat dangerous moment where you can become robotic. Worst case: the teaching starts to become undead. Not really alive and not really dead. Anders Ericsson had an essential pointer in his book “Peak” (must read): he wrote that a physician practicing for 30 years might not be better than someone practicing for ten years. He might even be worse!

You understand that intuitively. Many people have been to one of these doctors who practice for many years, but leave you with an uneasy feeling and a wish to get a second opinion.

These doctors almost ask no questions, and they are a tad too quick in their decisions.

Stay sharp. Keep the teaching alive.

That might be a good mantra for the experienced trainer.

Here are some things that I do to keep my teaching alive:

- change things. Although I know a build-up that works, I don’t necessarily stick with it. I play with it and use variations.

- I remind myself that what I teach is new to the receiver. That sounds trivial, but it does something.

- I try to get better in how I teach. Even if I have taught something a thousand times, I look at how I can be more clear, more precise in my corrections, and more skillful in how I speak.

- I remind myself to take things seriously. What is taught is important to me and the receiver of the information. It should be treated as such.

If you want to learn more about teaching movement, sign-up for our one-year trainer course. Information and sign-up can be found on our website.

The video was filmed in one of our group classes taught in Berlin-Schöneweide. All information about our group training can be found on our website as well.

In the video: @purzelbaumphilosophie. I am happy you have been practicing with us for the last 1,5 years, Marie-Sophie!

02.11.2021

Joseph Bartz