AUSTRALIAN BRIDGE FEDERATION - ABF

AUSTRALIANBRIDGE

FEDERATION

Teacher’s Guide for the ABF Teacher Training Program

2015

2

TableofContents

Introduction 1

S T E A M

Safety 3

Timing 7

Energy 9

Attitude 13

Material 15

A Summary: The Teachers’ Checklist for Success 19

The Cards-on-the-Table Method 23

ALLRIGHTSRESERVED

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from Joan Butts, ABF National Teaching Coordinator [email protected] . This approved workshop is being conducted using training materials and approaches developed by Audrey Grant of BetterBridge

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Introduction

TheTeachers’Guideisasummaryandstartingpointthatintroducesideasand

materialthatwork.Ifwefollowtheadvice,we’llhavethetoolstodelivertop-quality

bridgelessons.Ourstudentswillappreciatethatwe’veputforththeeffortto

introducethemtothebestbridgeinformationusingmethodsthateducateand

entertain.

SoundteachingmethodsareintroducedthroughSTEAM!–anoverviewoffive

essentialingredientsforprofessionallypresentedprograms.Itworksforalllevelsof

instruction.

Attimes,theconceptsmightseemirrelevant,evenrevolutionary,and

contradictorytocommonsense.Ifwerespectthematerialonfacevalueatfirst,

followupwithsuggestedreadingmaterial,andpractiseusingmodernteaching

techniques,theresultsspeakforthemselves.

Studentsliketoplaycardsinabridgeclass.Playconceptsaredevelopedthrough

aCard-by-Carddescriptionofplayanddefense.Thisisverypopularwithstudents,

butachallengetoimplement.It’sworththetimeandefforttoperfecttheCard-by-

Cardtechniques.

Tosome,theseimplementationtipsmightseemirrelevant,butteacherswhoare

involvedregularlywithclassesofvarioussizesknowthatittakespracticetobe

successfulusingmoderntheories.Theresultofignoringtheadviceiscostly,andat

timesembarrassing,sinceitcanresultinalossofclasscontrol.

Ifyou’rereadingthismaterial,it’slikelyyou’recontinuingorstartingajourney

tobeagiftedteacher.It’sajoyfuladventure!

AudreyGrant&JoanButts

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S-Safety

Ifwewereintroducingaphysicalsport,itwouldbeacceptedthataresponsibilityof

theinstructorissafety—even“safetyfirst.”Inamentalsport,protectingthe

studentsisoftenoverlooked,theassumptionisthatateacherisaccountablefor

simplydeliveringthefacts.

Makingsuretheparticipantsareinacomfortableenvironmentrequiresclose

attentiontodetailofwhatishappeninginourclass,andthedesiretoimplement

methodsthatimproveclassatmosphere.

THREEPRACTICALSAFETYTIPS

Providingasafeenvironmentisachallenge.Thesefollowingthreepracticalsafety

tipsaresimplyastarttopromoteawarenessofhowimportantthisaspectis.

1.StarteachnewclasswiththeTeachers’Guarantee

Simplystateatthebeginningofeachnewclass:

I’dliketostartbygivingyoutheTeachers’Guarantee:Iwon’taskyoutoansweranyquestionsduringthecourse,unlessyou

volunteer.

It’sstraightforwardtoimplementthistip.Theobstacleistheinstructor’slackofcommitmenttodeliverthestatement.Itcanbeachallengetoappreciatethe

contributionthissimpleassurancehasonmakingourbridgeclassesanamazing

adventureforourstudents.

ExperiencedteacherRichardStraussofChicagosharedthisatateachers’meeting:

IdecidedtogivetheTeachers’Guaranteetomybeginnerclass.Thereweretwentystudentswhostartedtheclass,andtwenty-fourwho

completedthecourse.Thisisthefirsttimeinmycareer—andI’vetaughtforalongtime—thatIhadanincreaseinattendanceinthe

AbsoluteBeginnerClass.IthinktheTeachers’Guaranteewasabigreasonforthis.Thestudentsfeltverycomfortableandtoldtheirfriends.

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2.TrytoAvoidthe“WellDone”ApproachtoTeaching

Whyusetheword‘try’?WhynotbemoreboldandcopytheNikeslogan,“Justdoit!”Here’stheaim:

Giveuppraisinganindividualstudent,duringclasstime,whenother

studentscanhear,forarightanswer;oranideathatfitswiththe

instructor’sphilosophyofthegame.

AlfieKohn,inhishighlyacclaimedPUNISHEDBYREWARDS,writesaboutwhypraiseis

sodifficulttoavoid:it’ssodeeplyrootedthatwethinkit’scommonsensetopraisestudents.

Thereistimetoadmirethegraceandpersuasivepowerofaninfluential

idea,andthereisatimetofearitsholdoverus.Thetimetoworryis

whentheideaissowidelysharedthatwenolongerevennoticeit,when

itissodeeplyrootedthatitfeelstouslikeplaincommonsense.Atthe

pointwhenobjectionsarenotansweredanymorebecausetheyareno

longerraised,wearenotincontrol;wedonothavetheidea;ithasus.

Theideaisthatthebestwaytogetsomethingdoneistoprovidea

rewardtopeoplewhentheyactthewaywewantthemto.Thecoreof

popbehaviorismis‘Dothisandyou’llgetthat.’

Mr.Kohn’sargumentisthatevena‘welldone’candiscouragestudents’desiretodotheirbest.AreviewerintheLOSANGELESTIMESobservedthatKohnbacksupthe

themeinPUNISHEDBYREWARDSwithsolid,exhaustiveevidence.Ireadthebookata

timewhenIsuspectedtherewasabettermethodthanpraisingstudentsduring

class,buthadn’tyetfoundresearchtodocumentthisaspectofteaching.Mr.Kohn’sbookdirectedmetowardawaytogetbetterresultsinmybridgeclass.It’sworthreading(www.AlfieKohn.org).

NowmosteducationalwritersagreewiththeideasputforthbyAlfieKohn.

Dr.ThomasGordon’sTEACHEREFFECTIVENESSTRAININGhassoldoveramillioncopies.He’swellrespectedintheeducationalfield,hasbeennominatedthreetimesfortheNobelPeacePrize,wasaconsultanttotheWhiteHouseConferenceonChildren,and

hasrepresentativesworld-wide.Thisexcerptiswrittenwithyoungerstudentsin

mind,butappliesequallytoadultlearners.Hewrites:

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Praising, Agreeing, Giving Positive Evaluations

Whileteacherseasilyunderstandtheterriblehurtingpowerofnegative

evaluation,theyareoftenshockedtolearnthat,contrarytocommonly

heldbelief,praiseisnotalwaysbeneficialtostudentsandoftenhasvery

negativeeffects.

• Apositiveevaluationthatdoesnotfitastudent’sself-imagemayevokeanger:“Iamnotagoodstudent.”

• Studentsinterpretthesepositivemessagesasattemptstomanipulatethem,asubtlewayofinfluencingthemtodowhatthe

teacherwants.

“YoujustsaythatsoI’llworkharder.”

• Studentscorrectlyinferthatifateacherjudgespositively,therecanalsobeanegativejudgmentatanothertime.Theyalso

correctlyinferthattojudgeimpliessuperiority.

• Theabsenceofpraiseinaclassroomwherepraiseisfrequentlyusedcanbeinterpretedbystudentsascriticism:

“Youdidn’tsayanythinggoodaboutmydrawing,soyoumustnotlikeit.”

• Praiseisalsofrequentlyembarrassingtostudentswhengivenpublicly.Moststudentsdespisebeingheldupasthe“goodexample”asmuchasbeingexposedasthe“badexample.”

• Studentswhoarepraisedalotmaygrowtodependonit,evendemandit.

“Look,teacher,lookatmypaper”“Isn’tthisagooddrawing?”“LookteacherI’msharingwithRodney.”

• Finallystudentssometimesinferthatteacherswhopraisethemdon’treallyunderstandthem,thatthepositiveevaluationisusedtosavetheteacherfromhavingtotakethetimetounderstand

whatthestudentsarefeeling.

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AnthonyD.Frederick,authorofSUCCESSASATEACHER,partoftheIdiotsGuideseries,

writes:

Earlyinmycareer,Iusedtogivelotsofgoldstarsandsmellystickers!

I’vereachedsomenewconclusions.

Thebodyofresearchtoconvinceusthatthereisabetterwayto

conductaclassthantorelyonpraisegiventoanindividualstudent

duringclasstimeisvast.It’sworthourconsideration.

3.TheDelicateBalanceBetweenFactandOpinion

Therearenowholetruths;alltruthsarehalftruths.Itistryingtotreat

themaswholetruthsthatplaysthedevil.

—AlfredNorthWhitehead,THEAIMSOFEDUCATION

Teachersdecidewhattoteach.Whatarethefacts?Theeasiestapproachisto

presentabodyofmaterialthatwe’reconvincediscorrect,andsellittoourstudents.Simpleasthat.

Althoughrightanswersarecomfortablefortheinstructor,therearechallenges.

Historyprovesthat‘facts’canchangewiththetimes.Amoreopen-endedapproach

isattractivetothestudent.Studentswillencountermethodsthatwedon’tteach.

Bridgecanbedividedintobidding,playanddefense.Thebiddingusuallygivesthe

bestopportunityfordifferentopinionsamongtheexpertsandthestudents.With

onlyonerightanswer,studentsfeelit’saguessinggametoseewhogetsit.Onestudentinanevaluationwrote:

NowthatIknowthere’sroomforjudgmentitmakesmethinkmore.

It’sadelicatebalance,andweneedtobeopen-mindedaboutrightanswers.Theteachercanusemoreattractivelanguagesuchasthe‘Guideline’of20ratherthan

the‘Rule’of20.Thepossibilityofopinionputstheclassatease.

Playanddefensearemoreexactsciences.Onelineofplayresultsintakingmore

tricksthananother.Sothenatureofthegame,withthethreecategoriesofbidding

playanddefensegivesachanceforaphilosophythatcombinesopinionandfact;the

lessonplansreflectthisphilosophy.

Timing

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T-Timing

Mostbridgelessonsareadvertisedastwohoursinlengthwithaspecificstarting

timeandfinishingtime.Straightforward;yetinpracticeacommoncomplaintof

studentsisthatclassesstartlate.Aquietercomplaintisthattheteachergoes

beyondtheadvertisedtime.Theteachermayfeelthatthereisn’tenoughtimeto

‘cover’thematerialwithinatwo-hourclass.Wehavetoaskourselvesafew

questionstoclarifyourattitudetowardtiming.

TheBasics

Dowebelieveinstartingaclassontime?Whatseemstogetinthewayofbeing

prompt?Isgoingbeyondtheadvertisedschedulegivingextravalue?Domost

studentswantthisextratime?Ifstudentscomelate,whatmethodsdoweusetotry

togetthemthereontime?

Thebottomlineisthatwestartandendontime,asadvertised.Noexcuses.If

studentsarrivelate,theyquietlycomeintotheclass,withoutinterrupting,andwe

carryon.Itusuallyselfcorrectsifwemakenocomment.It’salmostamatterof

integrity:wemeetstudentexpectationsbystartingandfinishingpromptly,as

agreed.

TheBreak

Isitimportanttohaveashortbreakafteraboutfiftyminutesinatwo-hourclass?

It’scommonpracticeattournamentstohaveahospitalitybreak.Althoughthe

procedurewasfirstintroducedtoaccommodatesmokers,it’snowacceptedthat

mostplayersappreciatethechancetogetupfromthetableafteraboutanhour,for

manydifferentreasons.Experiencehasshownthatitisagoodideatohaveabreak

afterbetween50-60minutes.

Doweannounceatthebeginningofourlessonthattherewillbeabreakinaboutan

hour?It’simportanttomentionthisatthebeginningoftheclassforplayerswho

wouldbeuncomfortablehavingtostayinthesameplacefortwohours.

Timing

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PlayofaDeal

Thebasicstructureforthelessonsisthatfourdealsareplayedduringtheclass.We

havetodecideaheadoftimehowlongwe’regoingtogivetheclasstobidandplaya

deal.Thenextchallengeistohavethestudentsfollowthesuggestions.Howdowe

dothis?

Studentswillusuallyfollowalongwiththesuggestedtimeallotted,iftheyagree

aheadoftimethatit’sreasonable.Wecouldsaysomethinglikethis:

Playersbidandplayadealatdifferentrates.Someofusarecomfortable

takingalongtime,eventhirtyminutesperdeal.Othersliketofinish

quickly,inaboutfiveminutes.It’sbeenagreedbythecardplayersofthe

worldthatinmostsituationssevenoreightminutesiswhatthe

majorityofplayersprefer.Soinourclass,wecanbidandplayasmany

cardsaswecaninthattime.Thenwe’llturnallofthecardsfaceupon

thetable.Iwillletyouknowwhenthebiddingshouldbecomplete,the

leadmade,andthedummyonthetable.

LengthoftheCourse

Theidealtimeforthelengthofabridgecourseisdependentonmanyfactors.Three

ofthemostcommonconsiderationsare:theschedulefortheteacher,theschedule

forthestudents,andtheavailabilityofanappropriatevenue.Golfclubs,for

example,oftenwantonlyafour-weekcourse.Ontheotherhand,continuing

educationcoursescanbescheduledforeightormoreweeks.One-ortwo-day

festivalshavebeengaininginpopularity.Thecoursematerialisflexible.Detailsare

underthesectiononmaterial.

Attitude

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E-Energy

Thequalityofenergyinaclassiskeytosuccess.Whenweenteraroomwitha

skilledteacher,wecanfeeltheproductive,positiveenergy.

Goodteachingisonefourthpreparationandthreefourthstheatre.—

GailGodwin,THEODDWOMAN

Nothinggreatwaseverachievedwithoutenthusiasm.

—RalphWaldoEmerson

Howdoestheteacherkeeptheclassenergized?Hereareafewways:

Motion

Actioncreatesenergy.Itcantaketheformoflaughing,singing,movingfromone

placetoanother,orjustbeingaskedtoraiseourhand.

Oneofthesimplestwaystoinvolvepeopleinanaudienceistoaskfora

showofhandsinresponsetoanon-threateningquestion.Justthe

physicalactofraisingtheirhandscanboosttheirenergyleveland

receptivity.

—MalcolmKushner,PUBLICSPEAKINGFORDUMMIES

Askingthegroupforanopinionworksaslongaswe’recarefultokeeptheSafety

factorinplace.Forexample,theNorthhandinthefirstdealinIMPROVINGYOUR

JUDGMENT1—OPENINGTHEBIDDING,couldbepassedoropened1ª.Inthelessonplans,thesuggestionisthatwhenthe52cardsarefaceuponthetableafterthedeal

hasbeenplayed,allfourplayerslookattheNorthhandandofferanopinionabout

theopeningcall.Theteachersays:

Supposewe’rethedealerandholdNorth’shand.Wouldweopenthe

biddingorpass?Let’sseewhatourcolleaguesthink.

IfyouwouldopenthebiddingwiththeNorthhand,raiseyourhand.

IfyouwouldnotopenthebiddingwiththeNorthhand,raiseyourhand.

There’sonlyonerightanswer!

Thentherehastobeaconclusion,andtheteachersays:

Attitude

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Playwithsomeonewhohashisorherhandupthesametimeyoudo!

Openingthebiddingcanbeamatterofjudgment.

Theteachergivestheinformationabouthowwecouldvaluethishandusingthe

Guidelineof20,anddecidetoopen1ª.Thenthereasonsforpassingarepresented.

Talk

Providingtheopportunityforthestudentstotalktooneanotherandexchange

ideascreatesmagicinourclass.Theyareanimated,theylaugh,theylearn,andthey

enjoythekindofexperiencethatputstheminagoodpositiontoeasilylearnthe

game.

Inthefirsthalf-hourofthefirstlessonof“PlayBridge:AWorkbookfortheAbsolute

Beginner”forexample,afterthestudentshaveplayedonlytwohands,onein

notrumpsandonewithatrumpsuit,they’reaskedtodiscussthesequestions:

Doyoupreferplayinginnotrumpsorwithatrumpsuit?

Didyoulikethechoiceofthetrumpsuitinthefirsthand?

Itmayseemtooearlytohaveadiscussionwithsuchlimitedexperience,butitgives

thestudentsachancetoreflectonplayingthefirsttwohandsandtotalkabout

them.Therewillbedifferent,valid,opinions.

Transitions

ThelessonplansincludeasectioncalledTransitions.Ahandiscreatedonthetable

infrontofoneoftheplayers,andallplayerstalkaboutthehand,exchangingideas.

Thentheteachergivesgeneralinformationaboutthehandsharingtheopinions

fromthebestplayersintheworld.Here’sanexamplefromIMPROVINGYOURJUDGMENT

1—OPENINGTHEBIDDING.

You’rethedealerintheSouthposition.What’syourcall?

ª xx © AKQxx ¨ AKx § xxx

Moststudentssuggest1©.Somealwaysopenwithafivecardmajorsuitevenwithabalancedhandand15–17points.Otherswouldopen1NT.Hereisthematerial,in

thelessonplans,followingthisexample.

Attitude

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Withsomuchconcentrationintwosuits,wemightconsideropening

1©,eventhoughthehandisbalancedandwehave16high-cardpointsplus1forlength.

Infact,USexpertLarryCohen,watchingworldchampionMikePassell

holdingthishand,commented,“Iusuallyopens1NTwithafive-card

major,butthishandwouldbetheexception.”Larrypredictedthat

Passellwouldopen1©.

Passellproceededtoopen1NT,showingthatevenexpertscandisagree

onthebestopeningbid!

Activity

Weallknowthatourstudentsliketoplaydeals.It’ssoimportanttotheirlearning,

thateveryoneofthelessonsinthe“PlayBridge”booksprovidesfourhandsforthe

studentstoplay.Theconceptsforthelessonsarepresentedthroughthesefour

deals.

PlayingaDeal

Thefirststepisthatthestudentsexperiencethedealbybiddingandplaying

withoutinterferencefromtheteacher.Itstartswithwhattheparticipantsknow.

Thentheyturnitfaceuponthetable,dummystyle,withthehighcardsattheedge

ofthetable.

Nextthebiddingisdiscussed,carefully,makingsurethatnostudentisputonthe

spot.It’semphasizedthatit’smucheasiertocomeupwithanopinionlookingatall

ofthehands,afterthey’vebeenplayed,andtalkingwiththreeotherpeopleatthe

table.

Afterpresentinginformationaboutthebidding,theteachercanwalkthestudents

throughtheCard-by-Carddescriptionoftheplayanddefense.Thiscreatesaholistic

approachthatappealstostudentswithawiderangeofexperienceandskill.

A-Attitude

Whatdoweneedtodotoadvanceourcraftasateacher?Mostofthetime,thefocus

ismainlyonthesubjectmatter.Wetrytoimproveourbridgeskills.Ourclasses

improvewhenwefocusonteachingbridgeastwowords:teachingandbridge.

Attitude

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Clearly,subjectmatterknowledgeaffectsteachingperformance,

however,itisnotsufficientinandofitself.Teachertrainingprograms

thatemphasizecontentknowledgeacquisitionandneglectpedagogical

courseworkarelesseffectiveinpreparingprospectiveteachers.

—JamesH.Strong,QUALITYOFEFFECTIVETEACHERS

APracticalAttitude

ParkerJ.Palmer,inTHECOURAGETOTEACH,sharesapractical,expansiveviewofwhat

ittakestoimproveourabilityasateacher.Hewrites:

Thequestionwemostcommonlyaskisthe“what”question—what

subjectsshallweteach?

Whentheconversationgoesabitdeeper,weaskthe“how”question—

whatmethodsandtechniquesarerequiredtoteachwell?

Occasionally,whenitgoesdeeperstill,weaskthe“why”question—for

whatpurposeandtowhatendsdoweteach?

Butseldom,ifever,doweaskthe“who”question—whoistheselfthat

teaches?Howdoesthequalityofmyselfhoodform,ordeform,thewayI

relatetomystudents,mysubject,mycolleagues,myworld?Howcan

educationalinstitutionssustainanddeepentheselfhoodfromwhich

goodteachingcomes?

Hehasnoquarrelwiththewhat,orhow,orwhyquestions,exceptwhentheyare

posedastheonlyquestionsworthasking.

Allofthemcanyieldimportantinsightsintoteachingandlearning.But

noneofthemopensuptheterritoryIwanttoexploreinthisbook:the

innerlandscapeoftheteachingself.

Attitude

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AttentiontoDetail

Attentiontodetailisanattitudethatyieldsoutstandingresultsinourclassroom.To

succeedweneedtohavetheattitudethatsuccessisnotautomatic;likeanysportor

activityitrequiresfocusandpractice.

KnowingtheMaterial

Improvingourfamiliaritywiththematerialtobepresenteddoesn’tcomefrom

playingalotofbridge;itcomesasaresultofcarefulstudyofthetextsandthelesson

plans.Weneedtoorderthetextandthehanddealsandthembeforetheclass.We

needtoreadtheplansaloud,todecidewherewearegoingtoputtheemphasis.The

planisascript.Thesuccessdependsonthedelivery.

PractisingtheMethod

Teachingwithanemphasisonbidding,playanddefenseisachallenge.Todeliver

theCard-by-Cardisanart:ittakesmanyhoursofpracticebeforewearereadytodo

itinfrontofourclass.

It’swhatyoulearnafteryouknowitallthatcounts.

—JohnWood

Material

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M-Material

Thetextbooksintroducestudentstoup-to-datemethodsthatrepresentthewaythe

gameisplayedtoday.Teachersmayuseanytextbookstheychoose,andapplythe

methods,buttherecommendedbookscontainteachingmanualsandtipsfor

presentingthematerial.

Thefirstbook“PlayBridge:AWorkbookfortheAbsoluteBeginner”(JoanButts)is

forbeginningplayersandthosewhowishtobrushuponfundamentalsofthegame.

Thesecondbook,“PlayBridge2:AWorkbookforHelpwithPlay”(JoanButts)was

writteninresponsetoaneedformaterialforHelpwithPlayafterbeginnersclasses,

andforfundamentalplaylessons.Manyteachersconcentrateonbiddingtheoryand

neglectplay,sothisbookcoverstheessentialtechniquesforplayingahandof

bridge.“AGuideByYourSide”(KathyJohnsonandJoanButts)isasummaryofthe

basics,foruseatthetableinsupervisedsessionsandlessons.

OverviewoftheBridgeforBeginnersSeries

1.PlayBridge:AWorkbookfortheAbsoluteBeginner

• TheMechanics• OpeningTheBidding• RespondingtoNoTrumps• RespondingtoSuitOpenings• Opener’sSecondBid• Responder’sSecondBid

Play Bridge: A Teachers Manual • Aguideforteachers,emailedfree

2.PlayBridge2:AWorkbookforHelpwithPlay

• WinnersandLosers• Promotion• Length• Finesse• Trumping• DiscardingandCombiningYourChances

Material

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Bothtextscomewithdealrecords,handrecords,brifiles,andindividual

travellersforpractisingthehands.

3.AGuideByYourSide

• Opening• Responding• Scoring• Defence• CompetitiveBidding• CardPlay

4.12videosto match each chapter of “Play Bridge: A Workbook for the AbsoluteBeginner”,and“PlayBridge2:AWorkbookforHelpwithPlay”

TheseareavailableontheABFwebsite.

BridgeforImprovingPlayers:TheNextStep

ByAudreyGrant,thesetextsareusefulforplayerswithawiderangeof

experienceandskill.Theyaredesignedtobemulti-level.

CompetitiveBidding(AudreyGrant)

• PreemptiveOpeningBids• Overcalls• TakeoutDoubles• TheCompetitiveAuction• AdditionalPracticeDeals

3.PopularConventions(AudreyGrant)

• Stayman• Transfers• BlackwoodandGerber• StrongTwo-Bids• AdditionalPracticeDeals

OverviewoftheImprovingYourJudgmentSeries

Material

17

TheImprovingYourJudgmentseriesisforadvancingandexperiencedplayerswho

wishtobrushuponaspecificaspectofthegame.Therewillbeseveraltextbooks/

courses,eachwithfourchapters/lessonsandsixteenadditionalpracticedeals.The

firsttwobooksintheseriesare:

1.OpeningtheBidding

• OpeningattheOneLevel–InFirstandSecondPosition• OpeningattheOneLevel–InThirdandFourthPosition• ObstructiveOpeningBids• StrongOpeningBids• AdditionalPracticeDeals

2.Doubles

• TheTakeoutDouble• RespondingtoaTakeoutDouble• Doubler’sRebidandtheSubsequentAuction• BalancingandOtherDoubles• AdditionalPracticeDeals

TheStudentTextbooks

Eachstudenttextbookisdesignedwiththereaderinmind.Thereareseveralspecial

features.

• PracticeDeals.Therearefourpracticedealsincludedineachchapter.Theyhighlighttheconceptsintroducedduringthechapterandincludeadiscussion

ofthesuggestedbidding,play,anddefense.Ineachsetoffourhands,every

playerisdeclareronce.

• AdditionalDeals.Sixteenadditionaldealsareineachbook.They’recarefullyconstructedsothat:

CourseSchedule

AlthoughtheTeachers’Manualisbrokenintofourlessons,thematerialcanbe

adaptedinanumberofways.Thechallengeinwritingamanualistohavejustthe

rightamountofmaterialtofitintoatwo-hourlesson,ortwoone-hoursegments.

However,thereisnosuchthingasanidealclassandtheteacherwillneedtobe

flexibleinadjustingthelessonstomeettheneedsoftheclass.

TheFour-WeekCourse

Material

18

Eachlessonis2hourslong.Thefourdealsareplayedinthetwohours,withthe

focusonthebiddingandtheplayofthehand.Theteachercanchoosewhetherto

walkthroughCard-by-Cardoneachdealortosimplygooverasummaryoftheplay

anddefense,referringthestudentstothedescriptionofthedealinthetextbook.

TheSix-WeekCourse

Therearesixteenextradealsinthetextthatareideallysuitedfortwolessonsof

supervisedplay.Thedealscanbeplayed,turnedupdummystyle,anddiscussed.

Thestudentslookatallfifty-twocards,anddiscussthebiddingandplay.The

declarer’sABC’sforplanningtheplaycanbereviewedandappliedtoeachhand.Or,

thestudentscan“bid”thehandfirstandthenturnitfaceup,readyfordiscussion.

TheEight-WeekCourse

AfterthefirstfourweekswithCard-by-Card,introducefourweeksofsupervised

play.PlayfourdealseachweekandincludetransitionsinsteadofCard-by-Card.

LengthofIndividualLessons

Thelessonsaredesignedforatwo-hourclass.Theycanalsobeusedfortwoone-

hourclasses.

It’snotadvisabletohaveclassesofmorethantwohoursinlength,althoughitmay

seemasiftheplayersareappreciativeoftheextratimewespend.Moreimportantis

topresentwhatwasadvertised.Iftheclassisadvertisedastwohours,it’simportant

todeliverthematerialinthattime.

Material

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STEAM:TheTeachers’Checklist

forSuccess

ThegoaloftheSTEAMchecklististokeepfocusedonaspectsofteaching

thatmakesureourplayersaresatisfiedcustomers–pleasedtheyhave

decidedtoinvestinbridgelessons.Thelettersarenotinorderof

importance;thewordcouldhavebeenTEAMSoranythingelse.STEAM

seemedlikethebestchoice.

Safety

It’scriticaltokeeptheparticipantscomfortable.Thereareseveral

importanttechniquestoaccomplishthis:

• Atthebeginningofeachclassletthemknowthat,unlesstheyvolunteer,theywon’tbeaskedaquestion

• Allowfordifferentopinionsandavoidthe“rightanswer.”Forexample,someplayersalreadyknowandprefertoplaya16–181NT

range.BridgeBasicsintroducesthemorepopular15–17pointrange.

Theresponsesarethesame,sorespectthestudents’opinionsand

movetheclassalong.

• KeepAwayfromtheTable.Aplay-focusedapproachgivestheparticipantsachancetoexperiencetheplayofthehand.Don’twatch

themwhilethey’replaying,orcomeovertosuggestabid.Thistends

tomakeotherplayersatthetableuncomfortable.

• GiveClearInstructions.Takethetimetobecomeskilledatgivingstudentsthebestinstructionsforconstructinghandsonthetableso

thattheywon’tfeeltheyaren’tdoingtherightthing.

• Avoidinterferingwiththelearningprocessbypraisingastudentforworkwelldone.It’soneoftheillusionsofteachingthatthisenhances

thedesiretolearn.AlfaKohn’sbook,PUNISHEDBYREWARDS,isan

excellentresourceifyoustillaren’tconvinced.

Material

20

Timing

It’simportanttorespecttime.

• Startontime,haveashortbreakafteraboutanhour,andfinishontime.It’sthatstraightforward.

• Givetheparticipants7½minutestobidandthenplayasmanycardsastheycaninadeal…keeptheclassmoving.

• Endontime;it’sjustasimportantasstartingontime.Givingextravaluedoesn’tapplywhenwegobeyondtheadvertisedtime.

• Balancetheclasswithtimeforthestudentstolisten,talkaboutconcepts,readinformation,andplaydeals.

Energy

Energyisimportant.Keeptheatmosphereupbeat.

• Provideanopportunityforthestudentstotalktoeachother.Inthefirstlesson,thereisaniconplacedinseveralspotstogivethegeneral

idea.Afterthat,theteacherhastobeawaretoregularlyaskthe

studentstotalkamongthemselves.

• Playatleastfourdealsineverytwo-hourlesson;avoidtoomuchattentiontobiddinginisolation.

• Useamicrophone.

Attitude

Playtheoddsforcustomerservice.Small,seeminglyunimportanthabits

canmakeadifference.

• Mostclassesprefertheteachertobeprofessionallydressed.• Avoidquestionablejokesandremarks.• Beprepared.Nomatterhowmanytimeswehavegiventhelesson,reviewtheplansbeforetheclass.

• Havethematerialready.• Doyourbest,eventhoughconditionswillchangefrommomenttomoment.

• Continuetolearn.• Beawareofhowtheclassisbeingreceivedbythestudents:doesyourattendanceincrease,staythesame,ordecrease–andwhy.

Material

21

Material

Usethebestbridgematerialandteachingphilosophyavailable

• Offerseveralmethodsforlearning.Somestudentsprefertoreadandwillreadaheadandrereadmaterialpresentedinthelesson;others

usethetextbooksporadically.

• Somearenote-takers,writingdownreactionsandthematerialpresentedbythelecturer,eventhoughtheinformationisinthetext.

Theywriteinthetext,underlinekeypoints,recordnotesinthe

margin.Othersdon’thavenotebooksandwouldneverwriteinatext.

Somestudentshavehighlydevelopedlisteningskills;othersfindit

difficulttohear.

• Somefindtalkingapowerfultoolforabsorbinginformation;othersdon’tliketosharethoughtswithothers.

TheCards-on-the-TableMethod

TheCards-on-the-TableMethodisusedtodevelopconceptsinbidding,

playanddefense.Itisthepracticalwaytoimplementahighlyevolved

educationaltheorywhichoffersthestudentsanexcellentwaytolearnthe

game.Usingthecardshasthefollowingadvantages:

• ClarifiesthePresentation• Studentscanseeahandface-uponthetablebetterthanonewrittenonaflipchart.

• BiddingBoxesworkbettertocompletethepicturethanthetraditionalblackboard.

• ProvidesforaStudent-FocusedClass• Playersfaceeachother,ratherthantheteacher.

• IncreasesClassEnergy• ParticipantsaremovingthecardsandmovingthebidsfromtheBiddingBox.

• Thepositionofhavingfourpeoplefacingeachotherpromotesconversationamongtheplayers.

• EncouragesanActivityBasedApproach

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22

• Playingthepracticedealsisanactivewaytoexperiencethegame.

• Playingcarefullyconstructedhandshandlesindividualdifferencesandallowsthematerialtobepresentedtoplayers

withawiderangeofexperienceandskill.

• CardsEnableaPlay-FocusedLessonSeries• Bridgeisatricktakinggame;focusingonplayisimportant.• Playingthecardsdevelopssoundcardplaytechniques.

AFREQUENTLYUSEDLAYOUT–13CARDSFACEUPONTHE

TABLEThispatternisusedtodiscussbiddingconcepts.Inplaceofusingaflip

chart,playersconstructahand,dummystyle,infrontofonedirection.

Aftertalkingaboutthehand,afewcardsaremoved,andanotherhandis

discussed.ThisisreferredtoasTransitions.Weneedtobeclearabouthow

toimplementthismethod.

StepOne:GettheCardsintoSuits

Fromthefulldeck,eachplayertakesonesuit.Therearevariouswaysto

getthedeckdividedintofoursuits.

a)TheTeacherSuitstheDeck

Theinstructorcanhavethedeckalreadysortedintosuitsandputina

duplicateboard,orinfrontofeachplayer.Theplayerstakethecardsoutof

thepocketinfrontofthem,orpickupthecardsonthetable,andareready

toconstructthehand.

Eventhen,theinstructionshavetobeclear.Ifwe’reusingthemodelof

havingthecardssuitedaheadoftime,hereisthedetailnecessarytokeep

controloftheclass:

Eachplayerisgoingtohaveonesuit.Therearethirteencards

inonesuitinthepocketoftheduplicateboard(oronthetable)

infrontofyou.Takethesethirteencardsoutofthepocket

(pickupthecards).Oneplayerwillnowhaveallthespades;

oneplayerallthehearts;oneplayerallthediamonds;andone

playeralltheclubs.

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23

Althoughthismuchdetailmightseemunnecessary,experiencehasshown

thatthestudentsareappreciativeofthetimesavedinclasswhenspecific

instructionsaregivenonthefrontend.Whatmighthappenifwe’renotthis

specific?Aplayermightshufflethecardsandstarttodealthemout.

b)TheStudentsDivideaDeckintoSuits

Anotherwaytohavethecardsdividedintosuitsistostartbyhavingone

playerdealthecards.(Oreachplayermayalreadyholdthirteencardsfrom

anearlierdeal.)Theinstructionswouldthenbeasfollows:

North,dealthecardssothateachplayerhasthirteencards.

Turnthecardsfaceuponthetable,incolumns,dummystyle.

Therewillbe52cardsfaceuponthetable.North,keepyour

handintact.NowEast,South,andWest,putyourspadesontop

ofNorth’sspades,yourheartsontopofNorth’shearts,your

diamondsontopofNorth’sdiamonds,andyourclubsontopof

North’sclubs.

East,South,andWestnowtakeonesuitfromtheNorthhand.

North,pickuptheremainingcards.Youshouldeachnowbe

holdingthirteencardsinonesuit.Oneplayerisgoingtohave

allofthespades,oneplayerallofthehearts,oneplayerallof

thediamonds,andoneplayeralloftheclubs.

StepTwo:ConstructingaHandontheTable

Togetfourpeopleatatabletoconstructahandwiththirteencards,face

up,infrontofonedirection,useanage-oldmaxim:“Tellthemwhatyouare

goingtotellthem,tellthem,andtellthemwhatyou’vetoldthem.”Even

someexperiencedplayersneedtoberemindedabout‘dummystyle.’

Otherwise,they’llputthehandright-sideuptothemselvessotheycansee

thehandbutitisupsidedowntotheotherthreeplayers.

a)TellThemWhatYou’reGoingtoTellThem

Giveinstructionsthatsettheobjective.

We’regoingtoconstructahandinfrontofNorth,faceup,

dummystyle,withthecardsincolumns.Thehighcardswillbe

attheedgeofthetable,justasifthishandisthedummy.Ifthe

handisinfrontofus,dummystyle,itwillbeupsidedowntous

butrightsideuptotheotherthreeplayers.Agoodtrade.There

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24

willbe13cardsfaceuponthetable.Allothercardswillbe

facedownorplacedinourBiddingBox,notinourhands.No

oneatthetablewillneedtoholdanycards.We’regoingtolook

atinterestingbiddingideas,andwe’llbeabletoseethecards

moreeasilyifthey’rerightinfrontofusonthetablerather

thanonaflipchart.

b)TellThem

ThereareseveralwayswecouldasktheplayerwithspadestoputtheªA-7-6faceuponthetable.Wecouldsimplysay,“PuttheAce,Seven,andSix

ofspadesonthetable.”Astatementlikethisislikelytoleadtoconfusion.

Firstofall,everyonehastolistentothenumbersbeforethesuitisgiven.

Thisspendsclassenergyinanunproductivemanner.Thereisno

informationwhereorhowthecardsaretobeplaced.Betterinstructions

wouldbe:

Thepersonwiththespadesuitwillbefirsttoputcardsfaceup

onthetableinfrontofNorth.Therearegoingtobethree

spadesinthehand.ThespadesaretheAceandtwolowspades.

Puttheminacolumn,faceup,infrontofNorth.Turnthe

remainingtenspadesfacedownonthetable.Onlythreecards

areonthetable,theªAandtwolowspades.Arethereanyquestionssofar?

Theinstructionscontinueinasimilarmanner:

Theplayerwithheartswillgonext.Putfourheartsinfrontof

North,faceup,besidethespades.Therearetwohighcardsand

twolowcards.Putthe©K,©QandtwolowheartsinfrontofNorth.Thereshouldnowbesevencardsfaceuponthetable:

threespadesandfourhearts.Arethereanyquestions?

Althoughthismightseemfartootediousandtimeconsuming,experience

hasshownthattheoppositeistrue;itsavestime.Ifwegivethe

instructionsonlyonce,thehandsareunlikelytobeaccuratelyconstructed

atmanytablesandtherewillbequestions!“Whatwerethespades?”“We

onlyhavetwelvecards,couldyoureadthehandagain?”“Howmany

diamondswerethere?”“Couldyoucomeoverhereandtellusthehand

again.”It’sveryeasytolosecontroloftheclassifwe’renotspecificwhen

givingdirections.

c)TellThemWhatYou’veToldThem

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25

Oncethehandhasbeenconstructed,reviewitbrieflywiththeentireclass.

Theinstructionscouldbe:

Thereshouldnowbethirteencardsfaceuponthetable.In

spadestherearethreecards,theªAandtwolowspades.Inheartstherearefourcards,the©K,©Qandtwolowhearts.Indiamondstherearefourlowcards.Finally,thereshouldbetwo

lowclubs.

Nowthereareunlikelytobeanyquestions.Ifwe’renotworkingwithan

assistant,however,weshouldhaveahandmadeupaheadoftime,ina

boardintheNorthpocketwiththeotherdirectionssortedintosuits.Inthe

eventatablestilldoesn’thavethecorrecthand,wecantakeawaythedeck

ofcardsthatthestudentswereusingandquicklyreplacethemwiththe

board.

Oncewecarefullygiveinstructionsforthefirsthand,therearefew

problemsmovingcardstogettoanotherhandpattern.Theparticipantsare

readytobeanactivepartofconstructingahand.

AvoidingTableClutter

Evenwithclear-cutinstructions,therewillbetimeswhen,forexample,one

playerputstheªA-x-xfaceuponthetable,andleavestheremainingtenspadesalsofaceup,creatingtableclutter!Or,aplayercouldthrowthesuit

carelesslyonthetable.Wecansimplysay:

Ifthereareanycardsfaceuponthetableotherthanthe13

cards,orifanysuitisnotarrangedsothatitcanbeseeneasily,

couldanyplayeratthetableadjustthecards.

Althoughthiscouldsoundintrusivebecauseoneplayermighthandle

anotherplayer’scards,itisusuallynotseenasthis.Thealternativeistobe

atthemercyofanyplayerwho,forwhateverreason,didn’thearthe

instructionsorcan’tarrangethecardsinaneatmanner.Inpractice,the

fourplayersarebeingdirected-almostbeinggivenpermission-towork

witheachother,toworkasateam.

Inthemanual,suchspecificinstructionsforconstructingeachhandarenot

given.Forexample,hereistheinformationforthefirsthandinLessonOne:

Construct the following hand in front of East.

EAST ª x x x © A K ¨ A K x x

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26

Theteacherneedstoknowhowtodirectthestudentstoputthirteencards

faceuponthetable.Althoughthisseemslikesuchaneasythingtodo,it

requirespracticeandskill.Thepriceishighifwearenotdetailedenough

andlosecontrol.

13CardsforDevelopingaPlayConcept

Thirteencardsinasinglesuitcanbeusedtoillustrateaplaypoint,suchas

howtotakesuretricksorhowtousepromotion,length,orthefinesseto

developthetricksneededtomakethecontract.Usuallythispattern

developsfromhaving27or52cardsfaceuponthetable.Tomovetoa

singlesuitfaceup,thefollowinginstructionscouldbegiven:

Turnyourhearts,diamonds,andclubsfacedown.Leavethe

spadesfaceup.Thereshouldnowbe13cardsonlyfaceupon

thetable,allofthespades.Allothersuitsareturnedfacedown.

PLAYINGADEAL

Therearethirty-twodealsineachBetterBridgetextbook.Fourareatthe

endofeachlesson.Thedealsareusedtoshowthebiddingconceptsinthe

contextofanentiredeal,alongwithsomeplayanddefenseconcepts.An

additionalsixteendealsareatthebackofthebook.ThereareColor-Coded

Cardsthataccompanyeachbook.Todistributeadeal,givethestudentsthe

followinginformation:

We’regoingtoplaythefirstdeal,Deal#1.Thefirststepisto

puttheColor-Codeddirectionalguidecard

(North/South/East/West)inthemiddleofthetable.Northis

shadedred,Eastisblue,Southisyellow,andWestisgreen.

Nowlookatthebackofoneofthecards.Thenumbersarefrom

1to32.Arrangeyourcardssothat#1isintheupperleft-hand

corner.We’regoingtodistributeDeal#1.

Deal#1willbeshadedoneoffourcolors:red,blue,yellow,or

green.IfacardhasDeal#1shadedred,putitfacedownin

frontofNorth.IfDeal#1isshadedblue,putthecardfacedown

infrontofEast.IfDeal#1isshadedyellow,putthecardface

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27

downinfrontofSouth.IfDeal#1isshadedgreenputthecard

facedowninfrontofWest.

Afterthecardsaredistributed,eachplayershouldhave

thirteencards.Ifwe’reNorth,allthirteencardsforDeal#1will

beshadedred.North’snumberswillalsobeunderlined.That

indicatesthatNorthisthedealeronDeal#1.Eastwillhave13

cardsinwhichDeal#1isshadedblue;SouthwillhaveDeal#1

shadedyellow;WestwillhaveDeal#1shadedgreen.

52CARDSFACEUPONTHETABLEAfterthedealhasbeenplayedallfifty-twocardsareplacedfaceuponthe

table.Thereisacautiontousingthecardstoillustratebiddingconcepts

whenallthecardsarefaceup.Thecardshavetobevisibleforallofthe

players:neatlyarranged,incolumns,dummystyle.Toachievethis,

instructionshavetobedetailed.Thesametechniquesareused.Theteacher

tellstheclasswhatwillhappen:

We’regoingtohave52cardsfaceuponthetablesothatwe

cantalkaboutthebiddingandplayonthisdeal.Sothatallthe

playersatthetablecanseethecards,weregoingtoplacethe

handsinfrontofeachplayer,dummystyle:incolumnswiththe

highcardsaboutthreeinchesinfromtheedgeofthetable.

Yourhandwillbe‘upsidedown’butyouwillbeabletoseethe

otherthreehands,whichare‘rightsideup’;it’sagoodtrade.

Thenwetellthem:

Putyourcardsfaceuponthetable,dummystyle.

Finally,wetellthemwhatwe’vetoldthem:

Thereshouldbefifty-twocardsneatlyturnedfaceuponthe

table.Eachhandshouldbedummystyleincolumns.Ifyousee

Bid and play Deal #1. North is the dealer. You have 7 minutes to play as many cards as you can.

If you finish before that time, turn all four hands face up, dummy style, and discuss the deal with the others at your table. You can consider the best contract for both sides and how the auction should go.

Material

28

acardthatisfacedownonthetable,evenifitisinfrontof

anotherplayer,turnitfaceup.Ifanyhandisdifficulttosee,any

playeratthetablecanadjustit.

IntheManual,allthisiscoveredwithaninstructionsuchas:

DISCUSSINGTHEDEALWhenallfifty-twocardsarefaceuponthetable,thebiddingandplayare

discussed.Duringthebiddingconversation,thekeyistofocustheplayers’

attentionontheappropriatehand.IntheManual,directionstotheclassare

inboxes:

Somesectionsonplayinstructthestudentstohaveonlytheleadandtwo

handsfaceuponthetable,andtoarrangethesuitssothattheyfaceeach

other.Here’sanexampleforDeal#1:

Aftertheplayinonedirectionisdiscussed,theplayintheother

directionmightbediscussed.

It’s time to look at the deal so, even if you haven’t completed the play, turn your hand face up and arrange it dummy style in front of you.

All 52 cards should be face up on the table, arranged neatly in columns, dummy style, in front of each player.

Focus on the East hand.

East and West, turn your hands face down.

North, keep the order of your suits intact. South, place your suits, dummy style, opposite North’s suits: spades opposite spades; hearts opposite hearts; etc.

East, lead the ¨K.

Only 27 cards are face up on the table … the North and South hands and East’s lead. Focus on the North-South hands.

NORTH (Declarer) ª K Q J 10 9 8 7 © 10 5 ¨ 6 3 § 8 6 WEST EAST ¨K SOUTH (Dummy) ª 4 © Q J 8 4 ¨ A 9 7 § J 10 9 7 4

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29

CARD-BY-CARDAuniquefeatureofthelessonplansisacard-by-carddescriptionofhow

thehandistobeplayed.Thestudentsareveryenthusiasticabout

‘watching’ahandbeingplayed.Thisisatimeforclearinstructions.We

wanttoletthestudentsknowwhatisgoingtohappen.

We’regoingtoplaythecardsoneatatime.Taketheguidecard

andpushittowardEast,whowillbethedummyonthishand.

Whoisonlead,ifthedeclarerisWest?(North)

Thekeyistosaythedirectionfirstandthenthecardplayed.Forexample:

North,ªQ.East,ª3.South,ª2.West,ªA.Whowonthefirsttrick?(West).Turndownthefirsttrick.Whowonthefirst

trick?(West).Who’sonlead?(West).Westplaysthe¨4totricktwo…

Successisinthedetails!Otherwise,welosecontrol.

TheTTPisalsoavailableonlineforthosewhowanttoreinforce,orfor

thosewhocannotattendinperson.GototheABFEducationwebsite

http://www.abf.com.au/education/abf-education-program/abf-teacher-

accreditation-program-online-exam/

Watchthevideoandthencompletetheexamandsubmitifforfivepoints.