I cannot figure out why some of my students just don’t get it. I’m telling them everything I know, I’m trying different images and drills and they still do not seem to improve. One day on the other court, I was observing a fellow teaching pro giving a lesson. In a half-hour time span, he said very little. As a matter of fact, he didn't say anything technical or noteworthy. “Good shot, way to go, that's not it,” seemed to be his repertoire, but the student was still improving at a rate not much different than my student … what’s up? Certainly, I give my students feedback as well. After many years of trying different teaching techniques, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is little that can be taught but much that can be learned through self-discovery. And that’s the gist of it! I’ve evolved in to a “learning facilitator.” This may seem nothing more than a connotation distinction, but definitively, an important one.
In conclusion, we need to train our brain. By that I mean, our brain controls the body and the body controls the racket. How-to instruction is less effective than allowing self-discovered learning. The brain learns through self-discovery. I've concluded that I can teach very little, but my students can learn a lot. I implore my teaching colleagues to get more in tune with the learner and the learning process and stop teaching so much!
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Edward Wolfarth <p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">Edward Wolfarth is the tennis director at the Tam O' Shanter Club in Brookville, N.Y. He is also a professor of physical education and sports sciences at Hofstra University. In addition to his class load, Edward finds time to coach high school tennis at Jericho High School. He’s an active member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and currently serves on the executive board of the United States Tennis Association-Long Island Region. He still plays competitively and is a highly ranked senior player. He may be reached at (516) 626-9005 or e-mail wolfarthe@msn.com.</span></p> |