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Mixed Level Class Boredom. Tips?
Wondering if anyone has tips on how to combat boredom in mixed level classes? It seems like we end up doing the fireman 100x over whenever a couple newcomers take a class. I’ve gone through the older posts and it seems like most people suggested the advanced students do progressions of whatever the beginners are working on, however, we’ve been doing that and I’m beyond over it.
Unfortunately we don’t really work on pole flow at my gym, so I was thinking of suggesting that the advanced students would have to flow to whatever song is playing while the instructor teaches the basics to the newbies? I am concerned that it could be intimidating and distracting for the new students though? There is a core group of us that go to all of the pole classes offered, but it seems we’ve become less enthusiastic about going as it seems things are getting to be a tad repetitive. Thoughts?
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8 Replies
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Can you request that they have a beginner class and a non beginner class?usually if an owner knows that they may lose a student (or students) they will try to adjust.
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Sounds like a frustrating situation.
I was totally going to suggest working on flow and stuff, and it sounds like you’ve got that part figured out. You guys can also try stringing moves together that you wouldn’t normally put together, see if you can come up with new transitions and such.
Personally, I never found other students doing more advanced stuff to be distracting. I was always too far into my own work to notice!
And, remember that drilling moves like that can be useful, too. If you reach a plateau or something challenging, those drills can really come in handy to get you over a hurdle, and increase your strength enough to push you farther. -
I agree with the thought of asking if there is an option to have a beginner class, because if someone is going for the first time even a fireman can be too much. It’s also very challenging if you can’t work on flow either, flow and lines are something that any level can focus on. Is there a reason you can’t or don’t work on flow? You might wanna check out my teacher training manual (if you haven’t already) to see if you get any ideas there as well. It’s free btw. https://www.studioveena.com/methods/letter
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My classes are currently mixed level – not an ideal situation but I think we’re making it work. Our syllabus is arranged into levels, with 12 moves per level. I do an individual class plan for each of my students. Each student plan includes a move from each level up to the one they’re currently at, plus the last two moves they learned at their previous 2 classes, and one new move. I write each student’s moves up on the mirrors for them. The easier moves work well as a warm-up as well as good practise for them. We try to finish every class with free-styling, especially using the moves they did in class that day. It’s a lot of prep work, but it seems to be working well.
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Thanks for all the help, guys!!! You are the BEST!!
@chemgoddess1 Unfortunately we just don’t have the volume or the clientele to separate classes based on ability. We do have one intermediate/advanced class, but it’s mainly tricks and some spins, no flow :(.
I’m not really sure why we don’t ever work on flow. I think it’s incredibly important and I’ve never known them to work on it as long as I’ve been going there…which is why I figured the more advanced students could work on that. @renemist34 it totally makes me feel better that you don’t think it’ll be a distraction! @Veena, I’m DEFINITELY going to check out your training manual!!!
And @penelopeann, I actually might suggest that to the instructors! How do you determine your levels?
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I base my levels on Veena’s move progression.
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This is a tough one- on both sides. From a teaching perspective, it’s very difficult to effectively teach a multilevel class and give every student enough attention to teach moves safely and effectively. You want newcomers to be included, and feel inspired rather than intimidated and you also want your advanced students to feel challenged and engaged. It’s even that much more challenging if the multi-level is also on a ‘drop in’ type basis, because it’s almost impossible to plan in advance because you don’t know who will be there. An instuctor needs to have variations of everything at their fingertips and be able to do things on the fly. From an economic perspective, I completely understand that it is not always feasible to separate levels if there aren’t enough numbers to support it. From a student perspective, it can be discouraging and frustrating.
Have you tried asking the studio owner? Many are open to suggestions and feedback. Maybe a one hour per week choreography type class where flow and movement are the focus? They could try offering it 1 class a month to see how it goes. Typically if you can get 3-4 people also willing to commit to coming to a class, they may be willing to give it a try. Many people SAY they want it, but just as many don’t end up coming when it’s offered.
If they can’t do a separate class, could they extend the class (which I’m assuming is an hour) by 15 minutes and make it the dance /flow portion, where you simply have an opportunity to ‘dance’ what you’ve learned?
Not a complete answer, but it’s a. Challenge from all sides. Good luck.
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This happened at my studio. We had one inversions class. There’s a large spectrum of skill within that. We asked our teacher to make two different classes so she did! One for beginner/intermediate inversions and one for intermediate/advanced! Was that simple!
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