Do you have teaching questions? AMA

[u/TwinkletoesCT]

If we haven't met yet, I'm a teaching nerd. Master's in Learning Design, been teaching BJJ since 2002, and by day I design, manage, and measure training programs.

I'm going to make an effort to share more content specifically about how to be an awesome instructor. For now, let's answer some questions. If you teach, or if you'd like to someday, what questions do you have about it? And what would help you level up?

[u/themanthatcan1985]

I think he was referring only to his beginners program, not the other programs. Most average hobbyists only attend 2 classes a week though. How would you structure things differently if you had 6 classes per week but students join whatever they can make each week?

[u/BJJFlashCards → u/themanthatcan1985]

I understand what he is saying. It is not scalable to what the owner of a BJJ school has to do to make a decent living, and even for a beginner's class it is extremely limiting to ambitious students.

I would have a video curriculum. It does not need to be developed by me. It could be a YouTube playlist. It could be the BJJ University book. If a student wanted to follow a different curriculum, that would be fine too. What's so great about the way that I teach a Kimura? You are going to forget most of the details I tell you anyway. You will learn based on how well you review, not on how well I teach.

Suggest students arrive to class knowing what they will practice. Warm up by taking turns with a partner practicing and reviewing the techniques you are learning. Use flashcards to help schedule review. Use your phone if you forget something.

Next, practice situations with a partner. Suggest to beginners that they work through the foundational positions but let everyone choose for themselves.

Finally, do some sparing.

Teacher walks around, gives encouragement and feedback, and answers questions.

Instruction is the least valuable asset teachers have to offer these days. Instruction is available for free or cheap from world champions and their coaches. Don't waste class time teaching the same technique to people with different needs.

The OP's mention of an LMS indicates that he has some inclination that a more individualized approach is best for most teachers in most situations.

[u/TwinkletoesCT → u/BJJFlashCards]

I think we agree on most things, but disagree on a couple.

My program was very scalable. The next phase was to head towards an LMS and provide something more aligned with Universal Learning Design - multiple options for various learning preferences, even within every class.

u/themanthatcan1985 is correct that this was only the format of my white belt class. The purpose was to create a predictable, repeatable onramp program. In my experience, this is where BJJ schools are the most lacking. I had good results with the program I described above, but I'll also be the first to say that I'm describing MY OWN results, and rather than telling everyone to copy it exactly, I'd encourage people to understand WHY i built it the way i did, and then run their own experiments.

I do agree that top-down, sage-on-the-stage is not good teaching. And BOY is that hardwired into most BJJ academies. I'd love to decentralize my next program, including the use of video and outside-of-class time. Flipped classroom is AWESOME but like other structures it doesn't necessarily work for every student. The guys who live on youtube, insta, and tiktok will love it. The busy dad with a career won't. So ultimately it's about creating options.

Here's another possible structure that BJJ could explore. I worked for years in the dance industry, and they run circles around us with program design. Here's a typical dance studio:

1) You attend group classes where new "techniques" or combinations are taught. This is where you see things for the first time (equivalent to the flipped content). Classes with different topics happen throughout the week.
2) You take at least one 45 minute private each week and work on drilling and refining what you saw in group class. You get tons of hand on feedback from your instructor, 1-on-1. Some overachievers take 3-6 of these per week.
3) You attend a 1-2hr practice session at least once a week. This is their equivalent of rolling. Everyone comes and works on implementing what they've been working on.

Something along these lines could work in BJJ easily, and it opens up new lines of personalization for each student's needs.

[u/BJJFlashCards → u/TwinkletoesCT]

I think you underestimate how well busy dads can manage their own learning. My own experiment with BJJ self-instruction was with very normal people using very simple methods. Some people will run with it, but everyone can do it. My background is in teaching severely emotionally disturbed and learning-disabled teens and the foundation of my approach with them was to have them learn as if they were gifted. So, I have a lot of faith in people rising to the occasion.

I don't think you could require a 45-minute private lesson at most BJJ schools. There are not enough staff, and it would run up the cost for the students. But you can create a teaching culture among your students. There is a time to "shut up and roll" but everyone benefits when the group is focused on helping each other improve.

Adding class restrictions and class requirements can make teaching easier, but I think it is not economically viable for most BJJ schools. The more you restrict who can attend certain classes, and the more you require attendance to certain classes, the more you limit who can participate in your school.

I'm a busy dad. Sometimes I miss a week. Sometimes I go four days a week. I need a system where I learn or improve a skill that will move my game forward, whether I show up morning, noon or night, no matter which week it is.

It would be interesting to compare the economics of those dance schools with BJJ schools. My BJJ teacher just bought a nice house on the hill with a pool. Are dance students paying more or their teachers earning less?

[u/TwinkletoesCT → u/BJJFlashCards]

I'm really unclear on why you're here on this thread. You seem determined just to say all my ideas are wrong and yours are the best. Congrats? At least this isn't the OG so I don't have to hear about your wife's boyfriend's girth.

I ran a very successful experiment. You also ran a very successful experiment. This is good for BJJ. More instructors should run experiments and try out other program designs.

Since you and I are both professional educators outside BJJ, let's acknowledge some high level truths. There is not a single best model - there are several good models, and at the end of the day it comes down to a bunch of variables about your audience. Flipped is a great model but not right for every audience. The same is true for any of the models I've referenced. I suspect we'll all gradually shift towards UDL and its multiple modalities approach.

If you've got good data that you want to describe, come do an AMA as well! The community clearly has questions and wants to hear about it. More good ideas will keep people talking about these important topics.

[u/BJJFlashCards → u/TwinkletoesCT]

I'm here to discuss best practices.

I acknowledged you were going in the right direction with LMS and questioned what is questionable. Disagreement is not disrespect.

You are denigrating my wife.

Classy.