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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State | So, I've heard all kinds of stuff about assessment (i.e., the certification process for Iyengar teachers). Apart from the fact that people work so diligently to prepare -- and most then pass -- I also hear from time to time that the standards are unclear. Essentially, some people say that it may come down to the personal opinion of whoever is assessing that day. I was in a workshop with an Iyengar teacher once, and this teacher instructed a pose in some particular way. Then this teacher said "If you go for assessment, don't teach the pose this way or someone who knows less than you do will fail you." What am I to think of this comment? .. bg |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| There are several assessors present so it should not come down to the opinion of one person. Of course there is always politics and there could be people who can be intimidated by one assesor, I suppose. The assessors I know ALL know a lot more than me so I anot worried. I also am years away from taking JI I so I can forget about it for awhile  |
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| Very few people will ever be perfect at the assessment and the assessors are only really looking for evidence that you can demonstrate and teach asana safely in the Iyengar tradition.
When I took my introductory assessment, I had three assessors (all senior and intermediate) who regularly visit Pune, and they did not always agree on the exact approach to each asana.
Gabriella (senior instructor from Italy) gave me a very hard time on one occassion, questioning some aspects of my practice and challenging me to defend my approach. When I explained my actions and understanding of the concepts of Iyengar Yoga, she was happy, even though my approach had differed slightly to hers.
Many people refer to Iyengar Yoga as Traditional. To me, it is anything but! Radical would be a better way of defining it, as Mr. Iyengar himself has no issue changing his approach to asana practice whenever he discovers/learns something new (and he practices every day). It is a style of Yoga which is in a continual state of evolution.
Jonathon
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| jonnie - in Canada you don't have to defend your teaching at assessment until the Junior Intermediate level. For Intro I and II they just observe your practice and teaching. For me though, this did not mean I didn't have to defend my teaching ever. We have a large community here and many senior assessors are in my area, so when we do teacher training meetings or intensives we are constantly critiqued both by them and our peers. Actually, peer teaching is massively helpful, especially as we each work with our own mentors so we can exchange ideas on different ways to teach. It is great to be able to get together with 3 or 4 others in my cohort and discuss "never teach x this way at assessment because Assessor A really prefers this other way". Not that we know who will be on our assessment panel, but it gives us more ways to teach a pose. |
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| Hi Tourist,
Yes, we do that in Dubai as well (usually twice a month). I'm teaching a class of backbends this Thursday and my students are two senior intermediate instructors and five introductory instructors. I'm expecting a lot of feedback 
Jonathon |
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Assessment
