Efficient Dojo Scheduling and Class Structure, Pt. V

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Subject: Efficient Dojo Scheduling and Class Structure, Pt. V

Friend,

So, yesterday we discussed how price impacts scheduling. Today, I'm going to talk about determining class length by age group, and how developmental levels impact instruction.

Does A Shorter Class Give You Enough Time To Teach?

In yesterday's email message, I provided you with examples that illustrated why it's a mistake to make your classes excessively long. Those examples showed that longer classes mean less students, which in turn means you're going to be a broke school owner if your classes are too long.

But the question this brings up is this: Can you cover enough curriculum in a class that's 30, 45, or 60 minutes long?

To answer that question, first we have to look at who we're teaching, what their capabilities are, and what we're trying to accomplish with our instruction.

Age, Attention Span, and Classroom Instruction

Attention span is typically believed to be a function of a person's developmental age and their willingness to focus on a given task. However, the general rules of thumb that are often given for determining attention span in children are "age in minutes" or "3 to 5 minutes per year in age," depending on which "expert" you reference.*

And, while some children might be hard-pressed to focus on a classroom lecture for more than a minute or so, put them in front of a television that is playing their favorite show, and they can focus for several minutes at a time.

So, what we can deduce from practical experience and what the child development wonks say is that children can only be expected to focus so long on a given task, before mental fatigue sets in and their minds wander.

Applying Age Groups To Martial Arts Instruction

This is why you want to break your children's classes down by developmental age group. For example, ages 3 & 4 (and God help you if you teach that age group), ages 4 - 6, ages 7 - 12, and teens ages 13 - 17.**

Generally speaking, at best you can expect children to focus their attention on a single task or activity for the following lengths of time:

Ages 3 & 4: Two to three minutes, up to 5 minutes (depending on interest)
Ages 4 - 6: Between 5 and 15 minutes (depending on interest)
Ages 7 - 12: Between 10 and 20 minutes (depending on interest)
Teens: Between 15 to 20 minutes (again, depending on interest)
Adults: Typically 20 minutes at a stretch

For this reason, class length and structure need to be determined by age group. More on this in a minute.

What Is The Goal of Instruction?

When addressing class length as it applies to different age groups an important factor to address is this: What is the purpose or goal of instruction? And to address that question, you have to examine the physical and mental capabilities of each age group.

While it should be obvious to anyone, I feel it necessary to point out that children are not little adults. They generally have a ton of energy, but lack the long-term stamina for physical activities that adults can bring to bear. And, they can be incredibly enthusiastic about an activity that excites them, but mental fatigue sets in much more quickly in children than in adults.

Besides that, a child's brain and body is developing throughout their childhood. Children don't start developing the ability to apply logic to problem solving until about age seven. And, they don't develop the ability to think abstractly until their early teens.

Physically, younger children are still developing motor skills, such as kinesthetic perception, static and dynamic balance, and hand-eye coordination. This limits their ability to learn and perform movements that children a few years older might not find challenging at all.

This is why the goal of instruction should differ based on age. For the youngest age group, instruction goals are more emotional and psychological than physical. A child aged 4 to 6 simply can't be expected to "do" martial arts very well at all... but they can be taught how to line up and how to interact with other children in a classroom environment. And, they can be INTRODUCED to martial arts techniques.

Older children can be taught basic physical skills, and may even develop the ability to perform complex skills as they get older. However, they're still not going to physically perform like teens and adults. Nor should they be expected to.

So, the scope of physical skills taught (and performance expectations) need to be pared down to essential, foundational skills for these age groups. Anything a child develops beyond that is a bonus, but expected outcomes should be based on what the average child can perform, and not on outliers who develop physical skills at a younger age.

Age as a Guideline, and Not a Strict Rule

Regarding the age groups I list above, anyone can see that there are transitional stages at the edges of those age groups. That's why I'll sometimes bump a 6-year-old up to their next class early, or hold a 7-year-old back for a few extra months, depending on their developmental level and maturity.

But what you don't want is 12-year-olds who are in full puberty mixed in with 6-year-olds. Not only are the physical differences too great, but the differences in mental and emotional development will cause you to have to slow things down for the younger kids, and you'll bore the older kids to death.

The bottom line is that when breaking down classes by age and developmental level, you have to use common sense about where you're placing children based on age and maturity. Each child is different, so I suggest that you should be willing to place kids at the transitional stages on a case by case basis.

Back to the Original Question...

So, back to my original question: Do shorter classes provide enough time for you to teach what students need to learn to advance in skill?

The answer is, yes... IF you are teaching martial arts skills at an age-appropriate level, by paring down your curriculum to essential skills that are appropriate for each age group.

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Subject: Efficient Dojo Scheduling and Class Structure, Pt. V