Peaceful Mind

byAllisonPrisloe

MastersofEducationinLearningDesign,Innovation,and TechnologyfromHarvardUniversity

AnEthnographyonLearningOutsideoftheClassroom

“Ichi, ni, san, shi...,” Vazrik Sensei counted in Japanese as we practiced our first kata for the twelfth time in a row. The 21-step sequence of movements is a fundamental foundation in karatethatmustbeperfectedbeforelearninganythingelse.

Ifoundmyselfdrowninginaseaofcoloredbelts,havinghadnomartialartsexperienceuntil two weeks prior. Upon noticing my struggle, Vazrik immediately began translating his commands into English instructions in real-time to help me keep up. “If you make a mistake, it’s because that mistake was programmed into you,” he explained. “You need to de-bug it fromyourcode.”

The one-minute water break that followed was hardly enough time to jot down what had happenedintothefieldnotesonmyphone,butIdidn’thaveto.Hiswordsstuckwithme.Ihad chosen to conduct research on the karate club in order to understand how students learn outside of formal academic settings. Why was he speaking to us like we were in a computer scienceclass?

Upon further investigation, I discovered this was just one instance of a larger trend. “Shotokan karate is oneofthemostbeautifulthingsIhaveeverstudied,” Vazrik once shared with MIT’s newspaper, The Tech. Studied? “The art form is almost mathematical in its precision and methods for developing power, speed, timing, and rhythm.” Months of apprenticeshipbased fieldwork offered me a privileged stance to experiencethispursuitofprecisionfirsthand.Multiple practices per week – in which we learned that the ground is our “reservoir for momentum” and that “one degree” of an angle makes a significant differenceinourform–madethisoverarchingtrend crystalclear

In a lot of ways, the learning process that proved to beeffectiveformeandotherstudents,rangingfrom undergraduate to postdoctoral, is similar to what you’dexpectinaclassroom

First, practice routinely starts with a series of warm up exercises and stretches meant to build muscle memory and prepare us for techniques we would learn that day – A classic example of scaffolding Movements that feel arbitrary and unnatural when introduced, such as standing shoulder width apart and twisting back and forth as fast as possible, alwaysfacilitateourlearningofsomethinggreater,in this case the proper motion for blocks Another student reassured me of this process early on, sharingfromexperiencethat“eventuallyitwillclick”.

Second,personalizedfeedbacksteersthedirectionof our learning. Vazrik typically walks back and forth during each exercise to direct real-time feedback towards us as we follow his commands. I wasn’t the onlynewmembertostandinthebackinanattempt toconcealmylackofconfidence,untilrealizingthere wasnowaytogounnoticed.VazrikSenseitracksour every move during practice with far more attention to detail than my own observations of him, as if he weretheethnographer.

Third, summative assessments hold students accountablefortheirlearningandaremandatoryto level up. Students are evaluated individually and grades are announced publicly in the form of belt colors and formal write-ups. Many students, myself included, arrived to practices earlier, attended more frequently, and sought out additional support in the monthleadinguptothebeltpromotionsexam.

Evidently,therearesimilaritiesbetweenmyethnographicfindingsandtraditionalclassroom learning. What’s more interesting, however, is what has made karate training different. This differencealoneisaprerequisiteforthestrategiesmentionedabovetowork.Withoutit,my interviewees would not have stuck with karate from as young as ten years old, and I would not have returned after a challenging first practice let alone continue my training beyond thescopeofthisstudy.

Toputitsimply,it’sthestateofmindkaraterequires,whichinturninfluenceshowitmakes youfeel.Karateachievesthisuniquemindsetintwoways:mentalfocusandspirit. Mokuso, the Japanese term for meditation, is performed systematically at the beginning and end of every practice in order to “silence and clear one’s thoughts”. One hundred percentfocusonthepresentmomentisrequiredtoachievethelevelofprecisiondiscussed earlier.

AsVazrikputsit,“Karate,forme,isthemostintrospectiveart Youhavetoperfectyourwhole beingforonemotion”Itsetsthetonenotonlyfortherestofpractice,butfortherestofyour day Ileavekaratefeelingnoticeablybettermentallyoneventheworstofdays Asastudent informedmeonce,“Karateisallaboutbeingabletofindcalminthestorm” Anotherstudent shared during an interview that it helps her forget about any stress in her life, which is why shemakestimeforitdespiteherIvyLeaguecourseload

Forgettingabouttheoutsideworldhelpsyourefineyourtechnique,butwelearnedthatitis not enough if you don’t have spirit This can be thought of as your purpose or attitude We were taught to demonstrate it through our energy, confidence, and kiai shout when performing an attack move It was emphasized as the most important theme during training, and was the first thing commented on in our formal exam results (Appendix I) I have seen how spirit makes it possible to overcome learning challenges and perform your bestnomatterthecircumstances

The name of the kata that earned me my promotion from white to yellow belt, Heian Shodan, translates to “peaceful mind”. It illustrates the differentiating factor uncovered in myfieldwork,becauseitcannotbemasteredwithoutbothmindandspirit.

Analuizacasallidonating Sailinghelmetsforthehigh Schoolsailingprograminboston

It was Ana’s first week in the sailing program and when she was getting ready in the locker room, she heard the coach outside the room tell the high school students that they need sailing helmets that were officially approved by US Sailing to be able to join the state tournament.Asapublicschool,theydidn’thaveenoughmoneytobuythesehelmets,soAna askedCassianohowmuchtheseofficialhelmetscostandCassianogaveherawebsiteand shedecidedtobuyanddonate14helmetsfortheBostonPublicSchoolsotheycancompete intheregattasduringthespringseason.