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Cubing Club Ideas and Discussion

collinbxyz

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If you teach cubing as a subject, it might be boring. Will you be able to move desks away to give the club a more fun feel? Though a smartboard (AND AN INTRODUCTION TO SPEEDCUBING FOR BEGINNERS) would be good.

I guess it's possible, but what would I replace them with? This is during the school day once a month, and during the school day another time that month, so there will be classes after the club sometimes. But I don't want them to be sitting on the floor.... I think the desk would just be good since you have something to put the cube on, if you know what I mean.
 

5BLD

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I think it's a good idea to introduce absolute beginners to blockbuilding early on.
I have got three friends interested in cubing.

One I have taught Roux from scratch. He understands blockbuilding fairly well now although it was tough to teach him;

One who I am trying to teach Petrus to. Unfortunately he knew the beginner way first, and therefore uses beginner method 8 move edge inserts when say an F would suffice.
Also inserting corners with sexy*infinity is not a very good way to blockbuild.

And the other I am teaching FreeFOP to and it's working out nicely too. I told him to look for CLL and ELL (2-look) for the last layer as i am not bothering to teach him last layer.

Edit: yes, Collin, I used a storebought until like sub-15. Then I absolutely had to get a new one as I did the F2 mod and it started randomly popping, even during inspection.

Also, teaching a class cubing will be a difficult feat IMO. You need them interested beforehand in order for them to even pay attention.
 
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collinbxyz

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I think I am going to have to write a "speech" type thing for someone to say on the announcements (idk if you have them, but I do in the morning) so it has to be short, and to the point. But I don't know how to make it not sound like a stupid thing, if you know what I mean. SO ideas, please???
 
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Hershey

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I think I am going to have to write a "speech" type thing for someone to say on the announcements (idk if you have them, but I do in the morning) so it has to be short, and to the point. But I don't know how to make it not sound like a stupid thing, if you know what I mean. SO ideas, please???

Talk to them about the basics. Like go slow and lookahead, there is not best cube, lubricate your cube with silicone products, clean out your cubes sometimes, different cube shops, where to buy new stickers, the speedsolving forums and wiki, this, do whatever.
 

24653483361

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I think I am going to have to write a "speech" type thing for someone to say on the announcements (idk if you have them, but I do in the morning) so it has to be short, and to the point. But I don't know how to make it not sound like a stupid thing, if you know what I mean. SO ideas, please???

Talk about maybe reasons why you might want to join the club (learn to solve rubik's cube, socializing), things of that matter. Talk about where/when the club would meet for the first meeting. Also maybe do a quick solve (Assuming your announcements aren't over an intercom) ?
 
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Hershey

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Talk to them about the basics. Like go slow and lookahead, there is not best cube, lubricate your cube with silicone products, clean out your cubes sometimes, different cube shops, where to buy new stickers, the speedsolving forums and wiki, this, do whatever.

Also, summerize the WCA regulations and that they can go to a competition even if they aren't like 10 seconds average (go for fun and meeting other cubers).
 

collinbxyz

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Talk about maybe reasons why you might want to join the club (learn to solve rubik's cube, socializing), things of that matter. Talk about where/when the club would meet for the first meeting. Also maybe do a quick solve (Assuming your announcements aren't over an intercom) ?

Its more like a show in the morning. But I am totally not going to go on it, since I always feel bad for those who are on it every morning. They are always so nervous, and mess up, since the whole school (of like 750 or so students) watch. I don't wanna deal with that, and my teacher also gave me the option of writing something out for someone else to say. So I can't really do a solve =P. Also, the meetings are always in the same room; the gifted teacher's class room. She's also the teacher adviser. It should really be like 10 seconds, and be more of an advertisement sort of thing, that doesn't sound really gay and stupid and boring, etc.
 

Pandadudex96

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I heard that for making a club at school, you need to write a proposal and give it to the principal or something like that. So basically what did you write as your proposal? thx
 

collinbxyz

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I heard that for making a club at school, you need to write a proposal and give it to the principal or something like that. So basically what did you write as your proposal? thx

Not at my school really. Basically my mom was just yalking with a teacher on the phone and happened to add that I was planning on starting on a club. Then that teacher began to plan, and even talked to the principal about it, who liked the idea.
 

24653483361

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Its more like a show in the morning. But I am totally not going to go on it, since I always feel bad for those who are on it every morning. They are always so nervous, and mess up, since the whole school (of like 750 or so students) watch. I don't wanna deal with that, and my teacher also gave me the option of writing something out for someone else to say. So I can't really do a solve =P. Also, the meetings are always in the same room; the gifted teacher's class room. She's also the teacher adviser. It should really be like 10 seconds, and be more of an advertisement sort of thing, that doesn't sound really gay and stupid and boring, etc.

Well it doesn't really matter how stupid it may sound if you don't put your name in the speech.
 

collinbxyz

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I am just wondering what kind of competition should i make after they all learn the cube??? Like how would i organize it, and stuff. I know its sorta early for that, but I might as well ask. 15 days until introduction day!!! Still need ideas for that.
 

Yuxuibbs

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I am just wondering what kind of competition should i make after they all learn the cube??? Like how would i organize it, and stuff. I know its sorta early for that, but I might as well ask. 15 days until introduction day!!! Still need ideas for that.

my cubing club starts on the 29th.... first day last year i just started cubing and teaching, introduced myself and stuff before.

as for competitions, i just do an unofficial competition with prizes like stickers or a cube for the winners and participants.

if i'm really bored we would just have like a practice competition when theres less people just to see where people are.
 

collinbxyz

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Sorry for the bump, but the club is starting this week or next week, so I wanna make sure I have everything planned.

A few things that I may or may not have mentioned:

I am allowed to use a smartboard for teaching. Any ideas for what we could use this for? Possibly to show algs on the board, idk. (Has internet)

How much can my friend (who averages like 50 seconds) help out? He is pretty much the co-founder, I guess you could say.

My friend said that we could use his crazy foot 3x3 for showing examples in the front of the room. I guess it's possible, but what do you think? It's a decent sized room.

We got 225 in the mail from http://www.youcandothecube.com/cube-mosaics/ for free (we have to return and pay for shipping, of course) and we're gonna make mosaics out of them.

Idk how many have actually signed up yet, but I did get a few of my friends so far.

It's after school 2-4 times a month (usually 3) on Wednesdays.

(almost) every week, I got to a hobbies club during school, where I cube with my friend. I got some attention there... especially from the girls ;)

I may be ordering from pickegg.com simply because I get free shipping no matter what, and a wider variety of 3x3s -$5... And I heard you just ordered from lightake and sent it to me. Unless of course you can convince me otherwise.
 

Yuxuibbs

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Use the smart board for algs and stuff everyone will need to learn notation and stuff and you're lucky you actually get a smart board.... I have to use a white board and people have to put up with my horrible drawings and handwriting.
Your friend can teach people whatever method he uses. My friend averages like 80 sec and he just helps people with beginner's method and explains stuff when I'm with someone else teaching them.
It would be easier to use a big 3x3 for examples. Use it.
I am putting a pickegg.com order in this week and I heard shipping is really good (1 week).

Don't get frustrated if there's not a lot of people that come. I just had 5 people in the club last year. This year two quit and 3 joined but 2 more just quit last week.... I would advertise as much as possible.
 

collinbxyz

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1) Use the smart board for algs and stuff everyone will need to learn notation and stuff and you're lucky you actually get a smart board.... I have to use a white board and people have to put up with my horrible drawings and handwriting.


2) Your friend can teach people whatever method he uses. My friend averages like 80 sec and he just helps people with beginner's method and explains stuff when I'm with someone else teaching them.


3) It would be easier to use a big 3x3 for examples. Use it.


4) I am putting a pickegg.com order in this week and I heard shipping is really good (1 week).

5) Don't get frustrated if there's not a lot of people that come. I just had 5 people in the club last year. This year two quit and 3 joined but 2 more just quit last week.... I would advertise as much as possible.

1) Yes I am glad I can use it. Lol. Can someone show me a good website (with visuals) that teaches notation? I feel like that will be the hardest part in the beginning, honestly.

2) I like that idea for the most part, but I think he should be teaching some stuff upfront too. His mom is actually the one who had the idea to make the club in the first place. But he is pretty shy when not around kids he knows well...

3) Alright...

4) That'll be good then, since I could get people to order cubes on the 2nd club meet, and give them out the 3rd day, probably.

5) I think I have quite a few people already. Also, every 6th grade teacher announced it to the class, handing out forms to anyone who was willing to join.
 

collinbxyz

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I like the second link a lot, but I'm thinking about using the sexy method... I know people say that you probably won't get into speedsolving with it, but I think those who don't care, and just want to know the easiest way to solve the Rubik's Cube can learn sexy, and that's it, when those who are more serious about it, can come to me (since they will be shown example solves by me, probably in the very beginning, and know how you can be really fast [not that I'm really fast... avg 15 seconds, btw]) and I will gladly teach them a better method. Sorry for the extremely long sentence. Although maybe I will do small notation, like R, R', F, F', U, U', L, L', etc. Then teach them that the method revolves around R U R' U', with small F/F's and U'U's and cube rotations (probably won't show notation for that).Oh, and L' U' L U (sexy mirror).

Also, I think I'm just gonna call this the Beginner's Method since I don't think they want me teaching 6th graders the Sexy Method... Even though it's not bad at all, still...
 
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