Another way to ask that question is, is Virtual Martial Arts as good as in-person martial arts? The answer is, it depends. In some cases, Virtual Martial Arts can be better for a developing child’s learning needs because it forces independent thinking and problem-solving.
If you’re reading this blog you are more than likely aware of who I am and my credentials as an instructor. So you know that I am very much aware of the weight of my words as it relates to children learning and their mental development. I am always careful in my recommendations of learning protocols because of risks that could stymie a child’s mental development.
That said, I started teaching martial arts when I was 18 years old, I am now 67. That’s a total of 49 years. There isn’t much that I do not know about how children learn.
Recently, because of the “Coronavirus, I started teaching martial arts and kickboxing virtually. Initially, I engaged in the process with a certain amount of skepticism based on my 49-year background as an in-person, hands-on martial arts instructor. After teaching for a while now I am here to report that my initial skepticism has turned into optimism, and I currently believe that given the right circumstance virtual teaching can outperform an in-person instructor. Impossible you say? Let me share with you some things that are happening in my class so that you can judge for yourself.
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with two very young children who graduated from my toddler program. Both of their parents and I had reservations about them taking a class designed for older kids by iPhone but decided to give it a try. By the time the younger children had their first class, I had been working with older children for a while so I was comfortable with, what I thought was, the best learning format to teach martial arts virtually. What I did not know was how younger children would receive information through their parent’s iPhone or iPad.
While working with older children( 6 and up) I noticed a couple of things: first, they seemed more engaged in the process. They listen more intently (almost as if they were afraid that they were going to miss something) and follow along with more of a desire to get what they were being shown right. The other thing that I noticed, and this is a big thing, is that they seemed to accept their responsibility for learning more.
In my classes, I talk about personal responsibility and it’s importance a lot. The idea is to help children to understand that if they are going to get the things that they want out of life the responsibility to do so will ultimately be on them. In a normal classroom setting children, especially small ones, tend to exhibit what I call the herding instinct. That is to say that they tend to follow the lead or example of the child that has the strongest personality in class. Having the strongest personality doesn’t, necessarily, mean that the leader is the smartest or even the physically strongest it means that the person is more likely than not an extrovert who is unafraid of making a mistake in public and is hard to embarrass. That, coupled with general knowledge or more of the topic being discussed gives the person a desire to be seen and heard so they are always raising their hand with the answer or battling to be first to come up to the board, etc. Children with those qualities tend to be one out of every ten or twenty kids and assume leadership roles in the pacts that they find themselves in. (By the way, giving a sufficient education those types of children grow up to be Presidents of large companies, Community Leaders, Generals, and Admirals, etc.)
The average child shuffles along in his or her world doing well with the sense of direction that they are giving by the leader of their group.
When you hear a social structure (classroom full of people) described of like that it tends to have a rather weighty, ominous, tone to it. It is one of the things that makes us humans and the reason that we have Ship’s Captains, Mayors, Presidents, etc. Leaders.
In my over forty years as a professional instructor, I have concluded one undeniable fact: 90% of us are born with the ability to be a leader. Notice that I went out of my way to say “ability” instead of potential. Potential is the label given to those who instinctively lead I.e. take over a group. Ability is something that lays dormant and may never have cause to rise to the surface.
Since I have switched over to teaching virtually, I have noticed, especially in the young, a willingness and determination to try to get things right for themselves being that there is no leader of the group to depend on to show the way. In my option, this could be a huge breakthrough in development that could lead to some profound learning habits. From a professional standpoint, I look forward to being able to work with shy children and document the effects that virtual learning will have on them. Until that time I will continue doing my best with what I have.
May you have everything that you want, and want everything that you have.
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