Progressive Plain Hunt

An alternative way of teaching plain hunt involves the learner ringing from the treble and progressively plain hunting further out.

E.g. they start making 2nds and.back, which is what they do starting on the treble for Mexican wave. (Also, this can be done for various methods where the treble hunts to 2nds and back).

Then thirds and back again this can be rung in a method like cloister.

Then fourths and back again this can be done to methods like penultimus.

Finally to fifths and back.

This has the advantage of teaching places and the feel of hunting to various positions.
Of course the big draw back is that they don't get the feel of hunting out slowly and in quickly until the very end, but does help show ropesight.

It is worth noting that for the kinaesthetic learner this is a great way to learn plain hunt, but for the more traditional oral/visual learner they will probably prefer to learn the traditional way.

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.

Learning Styles

Each learner has their own style of learning. As a teacher it is up to us to adapt to the learners learning style to teach them in a meaningful way. Traditionally, things have been taught in one style and if that does not correspond to your way of learning then you are disadvantaged.

The most commonly used model is based on Neil Fleming’s VAK model:

·         Visual

·         Auditory

·         Kinaesthetic

Visual learners learn through seeing things written down, or similarly organised. These people need to see what you are talking about, our exercise traditionally helps such learners by the way we show our information, blue lines and circles of work are perfect examples  of how they take information that is best for them. For such ringers once they are method learning they are in the best place. So for instance they will best learn a 3-4 down dodge through seeing it written down and how the two bells doing the dodge interact.

Auditory learners learn through hearing and speaking things to understand. These will hear and often repeat information given them in order to organise it. So talking to the learner about what they do is the best way for them. For instance they will learn best a 3-4 down dodge through explaining that they are hunting down and need to hold all the way up into 4ths and then quickly back down to 3rds and to the lead.

Kinaesthetic learners are ones who learn through doing. These will feel what needs to be done, though without a visual or auditory element it is often difficult to get them to feel it, though we all use this to some extent, like learning where the balance point on the bell is, we can’t be told where it is, we can’t hear or see when it is there but we can feel it. For these learning the 3-4 down dodge will be done by feeling what the different pulls are like to understand what the dodge is like.

While the model itself has many opponents, it is certainly easier if you are able to teach using all three techniques then they will get information from each source.