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.