Interview with:Jamie Clubb [jamieclubb]
EDUCATION
 | What subjects do you teach? What types of students do you have? I teach realistic self protection/self defence, MMA (mixed martial arts) and progressive martial arts. My students range from 6-14 year old juniors to anyone 15 year and over in my adult class. My couses and seminars are aimed at the corporate and professional sector as well as martial arts and fitness clubs. I take a very unique individualistic approach to teaching, where I cater for the individual's requirements. |
| Can you provide a link to a site where we can see something about what you do or the center where you work? |
| How have your past experiences prepared you for teaching? How did you become interested in education? I grew up in an extraordinary environment, where talent was all around me. My parents ran a travelling circus, my mother came from a 300 year old line of live entertainers and my father had run away to join the circus to become a wild animal trainer. However, we left the show when I was seven before I could really leanr anyting. I was never naturally gifted, so I learnt how to graft hard in order to acquire skills. It was through a combination of varied life experiences and an empathy for anyone who is not a natural at learning anything that I became interested in teaching.
As I became a martial arts teacher and eventually moved into realistic self defence, I started to look more into teaching methods outside of what was generally being taught in my field. I was inspired by the proactive methods of Stephen R Covey and later by the methods of critical thinking. All of my peers in the realistic self defence world were teaching adults. I decided to teach children as I saw them as the most at risk in our society along with the disabled and the very old. I figured that if what I taught could be confirmed by children then it would prove to be at least as effective when applied to adults. By utilizing some of Covey's concepts about genuinely listening and empowering students, I learnt better ways to get honest responses and I learnt how to develop these responses in a postive and, most importantly, practical way. |
| Who was your most influential teacher and why? I have many important teachers in my life, so it is difficult to pin down one specific teacher. I credit my mother for teaching me about awareness and courage, key areas I teach in self protection, from a very early age. I dedicted my first book (an historical book on the lives of two circus elephants called "The Legend of Salt and Sauce") to Miriam Digerness, a lady who worked on our circus and taught me the joys of storytelling. Ray White was my English A level literature teacher who brought discipline to my writing along with many others skils.
Back to self defence and the two largest influences on this field have been Geoff Thompson and Mo Teague. Geoff wrote 30 books on self defence and changed things massively in the UK in the early '90s. Since then he has become my teacher and friend. I gained an instructorship under him in 2006. Mo has an extensive background in self defence and martial arts, including military, bodyguard, security and volunteer work in these fields. I am one of only three instructors qualified to teach his exclusive Hard Target programme to the corporate sector. I have had a huge variety of martial arts and self defence coaches, but these two are the best examples of influence over the main services I teach today. |
| What is your educational philosophy? Genuine empowerment:
Above all else I want my students to be independently minded. That is the greatest gift any teacher can bestow upon a pupil. Unfortunately my field work very rarely does this. They just line students up and tell them what to do. I like to create activities and to prompt thinking so that students discover things for themselves. I act as a coach or a guide as opposed to a person who just barks orders. If a student finds out something for themselves and can be guided how to improve it, they will commit to it more. This commitment is further encouraged by my "think like a teacher" philosophy. All my students are encouraged to train their fellow students. As often as possible, I put them in positions where they are empowered to take responsibility for their fellow classmate and to improve him or her.
Individualism
I see strength in individualism. By getting a student to acknowledge the advantages of being unique you not only build confidence, but also creativity and progress. We do not abdicate blame or responsibility, we look at how a single person can change things for the better. In a frontline self defence situation no one can tell you what you will do. Only you will have a good idea of what you will be capable of by honestly assessing yourself through pressure testing and applying reason. On a macrocosmic level we encourage students to make a difference in their communities and through their own education and careers. By taking an individualistic approach I also point the dangers of mindless conformity or simply obeying herd instinct.
Critical thinking
Reason and logic are key skills for a student to learn if they are going to approach anything that is practical. We need keep a reasoned sceptical eye on what we are being taught, how we are being taught and why we are being taught. Every drill, exercise or test will have some type of flaw and this must be acknowledged in order to make any progress. No one is above questioning and no one is above error. We take our inspiration from the scientific method, which means that students are encouraged to test everything. |
| What is the most challenging aspect of teaching for you? This is a difficult question for me. I enjoy being challenged and I am more inspired by a student that is determined with no natural ability than one who picks things up very quickly. The only challenges I won't accept is from a student who isn't keen. If you haven't got the interest or the passion then this is not something anyone can provide. I can give a student everything else but these qualities.
Other challenges come people in my business sector who don't share my views on teaching. |
| What kind of relationship do you have with your students? I pour everything into my students. We operate like a feedback loop, continually improving each other. I am always there for my students and they are there for me. This relationship extends to even those not training at the club i.e. other family members.
We are an anti-cult. Our door remains open to our students for life and people train and continue to train only if they want to. I don't them into contracts or dangle carrots in the form of qualifications. I am happy to say that there are students who have returned to me after a two year absence and they have said they feel like they have never left. Unfortunately a lot of martial arts clubs resemble cults in the way they influence opinion, tie people through bribes and emotional blackmail, and control everyone with uniforms and hierarchies. We do our best to keep away from this as much as possible. |
| What is the secret to instilling interest in knowledge? You set yourself up as an example and then demonstrate what made you want to seek out new knowledge. I also encourage those who train with me to think away from their specific area of interest in order to find other connections. I teach cross training as a method of attribute training. This cross training doesn't just mean training in other martial arts, but actively looking into the sciences, various sports, history, philosophy, criminology, psychology, mathematics and various other subjects to help look at learning from different angles. When knowledge is understand as a valuable tool and tool that can help a person be better at his or her area of interest, you help develop a passion for seeking it. |
| What is your philosophy on homework and grading? Homework is refinement and research. The time in a class is very valuable. It is up to the teacher/instructor/coach to put across methods, ideas and to offer guidance. Homework should either be to refine these ideas through regular repetition and practice or to research further to seek out new ways.
I am in two minds about examinations. In addition to being a self defence/martial arts coach I am an National Vocational Qualification A1 assessor, which is more asssessment based. In many ways I like the principle of getting evidence to prove a person's competence as opposed to simply putting them in an examination. My problem with exams are that many students take a technique-led approach. They figure out how to pass a subject's examination without really learning the subject. I like to teach habits that are deeply rooted rather just convey superficial data that is as easily dropped as it is learnt.
Having said this, I am not against testing people. I am certainly not against pressure. My classes regularly employ pressure and from a very early stage. It benefits students in many ways. Firstly they get used to working under pressure, something they will have to face in whatever they do from a self defence situation to personal problems to their career path. Secondly it demonstrates exactly what has been retained at a base level. |
| Is it possible to teach creativity? how? I am not sure whether you can actually teach creativity. I see it as a very personal thing. However, I believe it can be inspired and encouraged. You inspire it by exposing students to as many different concepts as possible. You encourage it through restrictive exercises that allow them to come up with creative solutions and ideas. |
| How do you establish authority? What do you do when a discipline problem arises? I am more heavily invested in prevention than reactive teaching. To begin with have the advantage of being able to accept students who are interested in the subject only. In the case of children, this point is repeated. I don't want anyone in my class who doesn't want to be there.
From day one my students are given activities that require responsibility, usually just between two students. This helps install a sense of investment in the activity as opposed to just receiving commands. Today more than ever a generation is growing up that thrives on collaboration and wishes to be a part of what is being learnt. Students want to be proactive and a good coach encourages that whilst also putting up guardrails. Within a class the majority should always want discipline to be kept, so they will influence others not to disrupt the teaching.
Often a discipline problem starts in a very minor way and when left unchecked will then grow until it is a problem that cannot be ignored. I do my best to spot it early and to isolate the person who is causing it. Taking them to one side and talking to them often helps. In the case of children, I have a good relationship with parents and guardians who regularly watch my classes in a support role. |
| How do you individualize your teaching? How do you handle the different ability levels of students in classes? My whole method of teaching is about individualization, so this is rarely a problem. I don't teach en masse and expect everyone to keep. I work bottom up anyway. We work mainly on activities that bring out everyone's natural responses and then refine them through various other exercises. In addition to this the group has regular discussions, so more experienced students get an opportunity to help the less experienced ones. By having a "think like a teacher" approach I rarely have much difficulty with different levels of ability. We don't have any advanced techniques - I see them as an illusion - rather we have basic techniques that get better and better. Granted there are times when clearly there is a very big distance between a beginner and an advanced student. In such cases I either divide the class up or hold seperate classes. |
| What cooperative learning means to you. How have you used it? If you read most of my previous answers you will see that my whole approach to teaching is based on cooperative learning. Outside my self defence/martial arts classes I encourage the buddy method for my NVQ candidates/learners. |
| What do you expect from your supervisor? What qualities would you like to have in your principal? In martial arts/self defence the closest thing I have to a sueprvisor/principle are the people who run the associations I am affiliated to. In NVQ I have a tutor, an Internal Verifier and an External Verifier. I just need to them to be on hand for advice and support when needed, and to have transparent rules and regulations that help validate my profession. |
| What issues in education are of greatest concern to you? My own personal concern is that history is being seen as less and less important in educational institutions. |
| Would it be a good thing if teachers had economic incentives based on student performance? N/A |
| Besides more financial resources, what do today's schools lack? n/a |
| What are some ways you have incorporated technology into the classroom. PowerPoint displays, an online journal and various new training equipment to encourage functional fitness. |
| In light of new technologies, do we need to reinvent the school, its methods and objectives? I think it need reappraising. Principles are more the issue than anything else. We need to look more into effective methods to retain important information than anything else. Technology has certainly changed many things. The emerging generation are lapping their seniors in terms of understanding the way society is changing. It is down to teachers to understand what is going on and help steer it in the right direction. |
| If you could create the ideal school, what would it be like? A school founded on reason and logic, not under pressure from politics. |
| What are your professional goals? Where do you want to be in five years? Running professional courses on a regular basis and producing more books! |
| What qualities would you need to see in someone before advising him/her to go into teaching? Firstly, patience! It's an old cliche, but without it you shouldn't even begin to consider teaching. Secondly, passion. You have to actually love your subject and be the sort of person who can convince others it is great. Thirdly, be interested in teaching. Be actively involved in researching and finding out about different teaching methodologies, philosophies and ideas in general. |
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Jamie Clubb
Oxfordshire
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