Being a pupil, not a teacher

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.