How to Teach and Retain Your Teenage Students
By Pete Mills
Teaching teenagers isn’t an easy thing to do simply because actually
BEING a teenager isn’t easy! Indeed, teaching them can be a
frustrating and stressful experience, as they tend to be less
motivated than other age groups, and can prove to be very
unpredictable. However, they can also be the most rewarding, fun and
liveliest students you'll ever teach in your life!
When called upon to teach teenagers, it is important for the
instructor to understand that adolescents are going through a time
of enormous change and quite often they will exhibit some of the
classic signs of what is termed “Teenage angst” (Loud/aggressive
behaviour, etc) without getting too technical, one of the reasons
for this behaviour is that a certain part of their brain (the
“Neo-Cortex” which is the part of the brain concerned with such
things as language, empathy and other higher functions) has not yet
fully developed, so they rely very heavily upon a much more ancient
area of the brain called the “Amygdala”. The amygdala is the part of
the brain concerned with feelings, so it is to be expected that they
will behave like extremely emotional creatures! They can be prone to
certain “Psycho-Somatic” problems (such as eating disorders, which
are a well known symptom of both anxiety and depression, etc) and
some can even end up exhibiting suicidal tendencies if they are not
shown enough care and support. This state of affairs might be
further exasperated if they happen to be going through exams or have
some type of personal problems, etc.
That they need a healthy, positive outlet for this “angst” is
completely obvious. However, if they don’t have such opportunities
afforded them, then it is almost inevitable that they will turn to
increasingly anti social behaviour such as vandalism and violence as
a form of self-expression.
And, this is precisely where martial arts training can play a
pivotal role, helping the young person to gain a strong sense of
society, the world, and the “self”.
As already stated, teaching this particular age group can prove to
be quite problematic.
But, effective martial arts instructors are those who can prevent
problems from occurring in the first place and know what to do and
feel confident when trouble starts. Following a few rules can help.
- Be friendly but firm, establish and agree upon a code of behaviour
and KEEP TO IT!
-Make sure you explain things very clearly, and check they have
understood.
-Keep your lessons moving at a sharp pace, including plenty of
“challenging”
activities. This will aid in motivating the students so keeping
boredom and disinterest at bay.
-Remember to treat them fairly and with respect as young adults
rather than children, and you will get a lot more from them.
-Give them plenty of encouragement by drawing attention to what they
have done well rather than criticising them too harshly for any
mistakes they might have made.
-Be sure to allow these students a good measure of freedom, and try
and involve them in the decision-making process.
-Be understanding and supportive.
-Always remain as cool, calm and collected as possible (they can
smell fear!!!) losing your composure will only serve in fuelling any
sort of difficult or disruptive behaviour.
-If at all possible, try and have a special class for this age
group, as this will have several advantages, and can act as a very
concrete acknowledgment of the fact that these students are no
longer “children”, and are now beginning to mature into adulthood
(though they are still not yet adults) This acts as a “right of
passage” if you will, which in turn can help the young person to
understand and appreciate their “place” in society.
Adolescents are energetic, strong, opinionated, argumentative,
impatient, confused, frustrated AND stressed out! BUT: They are also
considerate, intelligent and respectful: a rich tapestry of
contradictions. In other words: Just like you and I were at that
age! The martial arts can help them concentrate upon developing the
more positive character-traits while at the same time modifying and
controlling the negative ones.
The teenage years are a period of our lives in which we are
extremely vulnerable and susceptible to outside influences, both
positive and negative. The way that instructors treat, and behave
towards, these young people can have an enormous impact upon their
future development as regards their values, attitudes and
behaviours.
Adolescents are very impressionable, and the more positive role
models they have the better for their future development: The
martial arts instructor needs to become a good role model for all
his/her students, but especially these teenagers. It should always
be remembered that this is a time of exploration and
experimentation, so be sure to encourage them to put some of their
own ideas into their training and execution of their techniques (in
line with the Health and Safety requirements, off course!)
Adolescence is the period of our lives wherein we search for
clarification of our own individual identity or “find ourselves” in
other words. And finding ourselves is a necessary pre-requisite for
moving forward in our lives.
Martial arts training equip the teenager with the confidence,
strength, purpose and direction they need to help them in this task
