I attended a Pilates class today...
really needed to do something for my own body as training other
bodies does not really help my ageing physique! I coped fine with the
class, despite the lack of air - it was really hot and airless in the studio,
and the fact that there were major problems with the sound system. People
kept coming in and out, and we did most of the class to either no music, or to
very quiet music from a tiny portable cd player. None of this really
affected me or the class as everyone was there to work for themselves and could
see that there was little the teacher could do about it.
As I am constantly thinking about my teaching, I took the time to interpret the
class I was attending, and learned the following:
Clarity is key - I sometimes change my exercises whilst setting them. If
I do this I always go back and recap... and I always make sure I explain how to
do something if I am introducing new vocabulary.
This teacher did not describe the
exercises in any detail, and beginners in the class, and there were several,
would have been lost. She also did random amounts of repetitions, so it
was not that balanced. I am experienced in the subject so knew what I should be
feeling but I am sure the several newcomers to the class were lost as there was
so little 'how to'. She seemed to expect everyone to understand what she
wanted, what muscles should be working and how to engage them.
I teach a range of ability in my classes so always ensure everyone is aware of
the how to - recapping for the more experienced and explaining for the less so.
She did offer different levels within the exercises, which was a strong feature
of the class, and I am having to do this a lot at the moment, especially in my
pointe work classes. To me, it makes total sense to offer alternatives
if it is clear that there is a wide range of ability in the class. You do
of course have to hope that the student will make the choice that is
challenging to them, working to their maximum, but I have to let them make
these choices as a part of their learning - when they are professionals they
will have to make choices all the time, such as in open classes.
I do have the opportunity to suggest that they may be ready for the next level,
but with pointe work at the moment, I am being sensitive as most of them have
not done much and I want them to be confident. I offer such suggestions
with thought.
My overriding learning was that I must always ensure that students leave my
lesson with clear knowledge of what they did, how to do what they did correctly
and what they are doing it for. I am not sure that the Pilates teacher
today did this - she could easily have asked at the end if anyone had any
questions but chose not to.
I worked myself to my maximum and got what I needed from the lesson. My
students may not know how to do this yet so I must ensure that all needs are
met.
