Greetings,
I would like to discuss and issue. Now this may be an issue for some and a matter of semantics for others, but I think that it is something that needs to be looked at both from the teacher/instructor point of view and also the student's point of view. What I am talking about is the difference between a teacher and an instructor, and consequently teaching versus instruction.
Now first we have a look at the words, a teacher teaches, and an instructor instructs. Pretty simple really. The question is which one has the most benefit for both the student and the teacher/instructor. In essence I would like to look at it this way, instruction involves the giving of a set of techniques which the student follows, the instructor says and the student does, this is the essence of instruction. Teaching differs from this, a teacher teaches the student the technique and explains what it is based upon and how it fits into fencing overall. This involves a two way form of communication something that instruction is missing.
So the big question here is do we want to be instructors or teachers? Or another way to look at it are you a teacher or an instructor? Teaching involves explanation of what is happening in the technique. Instruction just deals with the technique and perfecting it. Now, there has to be some element of instruction in the teaching in order to pass the information along, but there has to be more than that in order for it to be teaching. How is only one question that can be asked of a technique, there is also why and when which are relevant to understanding a technique properly. The teacher should be able to answer these questions. The instructor will not worry about them as all he is interested in is the how of the technique.
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The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...
It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV
... or direct from the author.
About Me
- Henry Walker
- Either an author who fences, or a fencer who tends to write a lot. I found a passion for writing first, then I found fencing. I also found that the pen and the sword work very well together. The pen may be mightier than the sword but together they are much greater.
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