Teaching Vs Learning Karate 6 - Collaborative Learning

This is the sixth post in a series that compares traditional teaching to the learning that occurs in the best karate dojos.

When my mother went to school, back in the 1940's, she went to a one-room school house. All grades, k-8, went to the same school house. She'd ride her horse from the farm, stable it in the barn next to the school, and attend with kids from all around. They all knew each other well. I can't say they cared equally about each other, but still, something important was going on that is lost in today's age-segregated schools.

Lost in our modern schools, perhaps, but not lost in our best dojos.

When there are many students of various skill levels and ages, all working in the same dojo, the opportunity for collaborative learning is everywhere. Advanced students (sempai) help the less experienced students (kohai) learn kata, demonstrate form, practice kumite, etc.

The traditional sempai/kohai relationship found in some dojos may not be the best model, because it carries the baggage of too much rigid social hierarchy. With a good dose of western egalitarianism, and some good modeling by the sensei, this form of learning can be very productive, because all students can get individualized instruction, and eventually, all can learn their karate better by being required to teach it.

This approach worked well in my Mother's one room school house. Older kids helped younger kids with math and spelling. The younger kids who were more advanced even helped some of the older kids.

The best collaborative learning not only is modelled by the sensei/teacher, but also taught. For those who have not done it before, the sensei should set up learning pairs, be explicit about the interaction, and then monitor the results. Not only is teaching more individual, the sensei is also ensuring that all students are learning. Often, students will listen to each other better than to the sensei. And you know they'll get more attention.

A recent video on teachertube.com mentioned that a student in a classroom only gets to ask one question a week. That changes completely with collaborative learning.