sphercular lesson plan

So we never really got around to devising a lesson plan for all the videos. I like to do it now so that we can inject a bit more structure into the site and accelerate everyones learning.

SO I'd like to see some ideas about how poi should be taught. What great ways have you learned how to teach stuff? Is there a particular order that you think is good to teach patterns, or moves?

How do you teach poi? Are there any fundamental concepts that you try to get across?

Are there any little diagrams or flash animations you want me to make to explain concepts?

How can we make it quicker and easier for people to learn from spherculism and teach what they learn to others?

m

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Poi Miscellania

Comments

MAY
13
2005
jon

on the last point you raise, some remaning might be in order. all i get in the galleries section next to vids is stuff like this:

throw_out_2poi_360_Bwd5btW.WMV

i now understand it, but at the start i just clicked on any vid because the abbreviations werent clear to me. maybe an explanation key could do the trick rather than changing the names? if there were short articles or links to articles on the most important techniques (like your throws post matt, or revs wraps post) that would help people navigate much quicker and kinda circlate people more around the site and into the tech forums. theres loadsa stuff there just gathering dust, probably because the way things are discussed is waaaaay too complex and daunting. maybe some animations could help with the posts about hyperloops etc, or short videos.... somehow....?
peace

MAY
13
2005
spiralx

[quote="matt"]SO I'd like to see some ideas about how poi should be taught. What great ways have you learned how to teach stuff? Is there a particular order that you think is good to teach patterns, or moves?

MAY
13
2005
Rev

I teach 2bt weave, turns (hi and lo), buzzsaws, and the bf (normal and giant)... and timings (usually sametime weave building up to a split time one)
then I explain the idea behind the poi matrix, and how everything is a combination of variables..
I follow this with a demonstration of how patterns are all only slightly different... Which I do by teaching them a ttn, and following it with a 4bt ttn (ie alternating normal and giant bf hand patterns), a 3bt weave (alternating right and left hand led 2bt weaves), and that turns are just reel patterns...

Then I show them dfferent planes.. cork and windmill and then work those into what they know (under-over reels, and a fountain) and a little more on timings. (3bt ttn)

then I go a bit into a bit more detail on the matrix.. deconstructing moves to find the pieces you need to learn, and constructing moves from the pieces you have. This way they pick up quicker on what they need to learn, they always know which patterns are currently available to them, and they dont get hit the 'wall' because they are always looking at what they can do with wat they have.. I'm basically teach them the moves, but I dont teach them to see 'only' moves..

then I go on to other things.. like combo construction.. which wraps are good for.. but by this point, they are pretty much up and running on their own.. exploring and what not, and I only give feedback and answer questions..

MAY
15
2005
Achluophobia

How about, you organize the videos into categories based on what's going on and assign each one a difficulty rating, you could decide it yourself or let anyone who watches the video a chance to vote. Then you could have it organized based on difficulty.

MAY
15
2005
Mooseh

This subject has been running through my head since I did my "what next" post. I learnt in this order (or something similar) which is typically how i teach people:

Crossover,
2bt weave,
butterfly,
3bt weave,
TTN,
windmill,
buzzsaw,
corkscrew,
5bt weave,
Reverse 3bt weave,
Reverse butterfly,
3bt turns

which as I said before is about where I'm at currently, though this could possibly be in a more logical order, if there is a "right way" to learn poi, I have friends who are learning 5bt weave and still haven't mastered butterfly Sphism/smilesmiley.

MAY
30
2005
Trial_By_Fire

It might just be me but I think if there was an audio explanation with the video of what you're doing, just as an example, the thread about 5 beat weaves, someone mentioned "hooking" it back to the other side, as soon as I heard that term everything clicked. so maybe a brief explanation on how to make your arms and body move like the video.

Not sure how much work that is so take it with a grain of salt.

NOV
1
2005
matt

Right, i'm gonna *BUMP* this thread cos i'm working on new lessons but the structure to use still eludes me...

Just been writing in the 'order of poi moves' thread on hop and figured i should put it in here for discussion...

Quote:

As for the order of poi moves, it's not linear. I see it as more of a matrix of possibilities with many paths through it. I learn things like a 5 beat weave, then break it down into each circle. Then you end up with 2 possibilities at any given moment. You either keep a poi spinning in the same place, or you move it somewhere else. The moves we learn are just a means of lubricating familiar paths for your hands to take from place to place (node to node).

Then once you get to grips with that you learn the 'Modifiers'. Like isolations and Long Arm just change the radius and center point of the circle, this effects the timing of the patterns, then you have Twists & Tangles which are essentially the same as weaves and butterflies but the twist or tangle occurs along the length of the poi instead of along the length of your arm. Then there's Plane modifiers like Boxes and Trinity. Throws have the effect of allowing your arms to pass through one another within a pattern.

But like i say the order you learn it all in is pretty much up to you, once you have grasped a few of the fundamentals there's not many prerequisites

NOV
1
2005
Rev

[quote="matt"]
But like i say the order you learn it all in is pretty much up to you, once you have grasped a few of the fundamentals there's not many prerequisites

NOV
1
2005
Mr_Chutney

First and formeost are we looking to make the structure appealing to new spinners?

Much of what we seem to get here comes from what poiple wish they had done when they started, or what they think would be best in hind-sight. Much of this is great 'in theory' ie drilling planes, circle positions etc, but there really is something to be said for showing people how to do a weave (albeit in wall plane or long arm or something) and letting them go 'OH! I can do it!' Reels etc are great to play with, but having just helped with a 'walk-past and have a go workshop' this past weekend, allowing people to crack something they can't get their head around relatively quickly can work wonders for enthusiasm. I got a few poiple isolating before they touched a weave and they couldn't care less, even after I demonstrated to brilliant things it can do to your spinning.

NOV
1
2005
matt

Yep, i'e always been of the opinion that it's best to teach people how to teach things to others. That way they learn how to teach themselves too. with the bonus of having other spinners to bounce ideas off and so on.

I figure once i'm in nz i'll be able to make at least an hours footage a week, most weeks. I've got my technique down and all the software i need to 'batch' process lots of video.

The problem that i face is 'what do people wanna see?'

I'd love to get it to a point whereby people can say 'i don't understand quite how blah works' and i can just make a group of lessons to teach that specific thing within a week or so.

This is for the pay site btw, (which isn't called S2 anymore, that was only ever the working title). But of course i'll be able to add oodles of free content as well. I'm hoping that sphism has enough money to fly teachers out to nz to stay with me and make badass videos Sphism/smilesmiley I'll be doing some freelance stuff as well, and hope to get some performance work whilst i travel around too. So sphism will never be my sole income.

But i want to limit the time i spend at a pc to spherculism only. Get fit and healthy, fix my RSI and teach and learn lots of crazy stuff.

Can't wait to get to nz. Think i'm gonna wait till then to finish the dvd. I've got such great source material that it seems a shame to rush it.

Anyhoo, i'm moving out of my flat today, it's a nightmare,

Take care poiples,

m

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