Progression vs. Perfection

There is a fine balance between progression and perfection. I have seen both extremes a ringer who claims to ring surprise minor who couldn’t strike in rounds and a learner whose rounds were practically perfect but didn’t learn plain hunt because the striking wasn’t quite up to scratch.

Progression is important as it allows a new challenge and gets the learner up to speed with the rest of the band, the temptation can be if you are one short for a particular method to bring the learner up to speed quickly to get them to ring what you want, while this is all well and good it should not be done at the detriment of learning all the steps properly in the meantime.

Perfection is, of course, what we all strive for. People say that method ringing is supreme however I have had just as much enjoyment in ringing some very good rounds and called changes in Devon as I have ring surprise in Liverpool. Certainly, the called changes were the better struck ones in that case.

The balance can be very hard to achieve. In inexperienced bands striking perfection is not always such a requirement as if the learner is striking as good as the rest of the band that is good enough. In an experienced band the learner could be striking just as well but because the rest of them around the learner are that much better they aren’t moved on. Continual progression is important in keeping ringers interested.

Using feedback you can balance the need for progression with perfection so let them know that they are ringing well but need to strike better before moving along. Perhaps consider practising the skill in another way using consolidation or stretch exercises.

Feedback

It is important to give feedback to learners soon after each activity. Positive feedback is just as important as negative feedback. However, giving feedback itself is a tricky subject. You need to know the learner well enough to give feedback at a level that they understand. I have heard some brilliant feedback in my time but the person it was given to had no idea what had just been said to them. The other thing to bear in mind is the experience of the learner, if it is their first time ringing plain hunt then being super critical on their striking probably isn’t appropriate, if it is their umpteenth course of bob doubles then criticising the dodges that had been crashed through would be wholly appropriate. The key thing though is for it to be constructive, criticising dropped backstrokes at the leads is one thing, explaining what they have done and how to correct it and why they should is something else, the first just criticises, the second is constructive feedback.

Feedback can also be given during a piece of ringing. However, remember that your band is made up of individuals who will respond to feedback given in different ways. Shouting at someone that they are crashing their handstrokes in may in the short term improve them, but may undermine the confidence of the ringer, some may have no issue with faults being announced across the circle. Others would prefer this information to be given whispered in the ear by someone standing behind them.

Feedback can also be very useful in helping you plan the practice and for the individual. While talking to the learner about the feedback you can explain what you are trying to get them to do, how to do it and why they are trying to do so. It would also be important at that time to discuss with them about what they feel they are doing, how they think it is coming along and what they think they are heading towards. Hopefully, these will be in line with each other and if they are not this can then be aligned. It can also be used to identify any requirement for consolidation exercises.

Consolidation and Stretch Exercises

I tend to classify the work for my learners into three types:

1.       Revision of previous works

2.       Current Work

3.       Additional Work

The revision is either the same work that the learner did last week, or the step before. This should be a good solid piece of ringing which does not need to be prime, but should put the learner into the mind-set that they are here and ready to ring, this should be the first thing that a learner does. A good piece should give the learner confidence in doing something “easy” well. This then helps to build them up so they can do the next work.

For example:

A learner is currently putting both strokes together, not their first time of doing so. The first time they ring this practice night get them to do some backstrokes and handstrokes singularly so they relax.

Current work is what you have planned for them to ring this evening. This would usually be the prime ring and should make up the majority of the time on the end of the rope.

Additional work is either Consolidation or Stretch.

Stretch is for when the current work has been rung well and consistently throughout and gives the learner an opportunity to ring the skill that they have just learnt but in a different context. This could well form the basis for what will be current work next practice.

For example:

A learner has rang Bob Doubles without problems striking well and then as a stretch ring an unaffected touch. This way they continue to ring their plain course but with the bells around them in different positions.

Consolidation is for when the current work is not good enough to progress but it has not improved over a period, or there is a specific aspect which needs addressing,  these pieces of work either re-visit a skill that has been learnt previously or apply it in a different sense.

For example:

A learner has rang Bob Doubles but keeps making mistakes while making 2nds. There are many opportunities to practise this but based on the learner’s confidence as to whether to do Mexican waves with them on the treble or two so they lead make 2nds lead or a method where the treble just hunts to 2nds like Bastow Little Bob Doubles.
 

In a lot of ways the consolidation and stretch excercises may very well be the same thing but used in different contexts. 

Confidence and Diffidence

Each of us is different and display different levels of confidence and diffidence and how confident we are affects our learning in different ways.

A very confident person will progress in leaps, generally, and will relish each challenge afresh. For them going from plain hunt to bob doubles in one step is a simple matter, in their minds at least. This on the one hand is very good as it enables them to learn in the traditional leaps and bounds style. They require the minimum of coaxing to get them to try something new. The downside of course is that they will often try to run before they can walk. This can mean that they want to progress onto the next challenge before the current one is completed to a good enough quality. The difficulty is trying to manage their expectation. Initially, this is not a problem, as the learning curve from first lesson to rounds and called changes is usually very rapid, it is from that point on where it starts to slow down. This sort of learner would do well to do “stretch exercises”   these are exercises which are practising the same skill that they have been doing, but might need some improvement, but in a different setting. This gives them the practise at the skill you are teaching them, but the feeling that they are doing something new and different. An example would be if they are trebling to bob doubles, getting them to treble to a different plain method like grandsire, that way they practise the skill (hunting) but it feels different as the bells are in a different order.

A very diffident person will progress at a more stately fashion, generally, and will have to be encouraged to try new challenges. For them going from plain hunt to bob doubles is a series of little steps with every minor setback a major event for them. For this style of learner progress is slowly gained because of a reluctance to try new activities. This can lead to the frustration of a teacher as they might be able to ring plain hunt perfectly on the treble with the bells in any order then not be able to ring a plain course from the third. The traditional approach of teaching makes it hard work for these types of learner as the initial steps are larger than they would like to make. This sort of learner may require “consolidation exercises” these are exercises which practise a small particular aspect of a larger part. For instance, continuous dodging to practise the dodges in plain bob doubles, or continually ringing one particular lead. This gives them a focused practise on the small aspect that they are trying to achieve without having to worry about it being completely new.

Of course no learner is completely one or the other and can be a different mixture based on what else is happening in their lives at that time. The trick is to try and balance them out and ensuring that the confident ringer gets the skill good enough before moving and with the diffident it is pushing them on so they do continue to make progress without overwhelming them.