| 1.1 |
Above all, take the drama out of
the session, introduce yourself without ceremony, be as casual as
possible (even if inside…..!), ask them to introduce themselves
with their first name, their class and their age. You could ask
them to write their name in capitals on a card placed in front of
them |
| 1.2 |
Show good humour and put them at
ease by smiling, by talking personally to them; spot the "uneasy
ones" and calm them gently. Never be aggressive. |
| 1.3 |
Encourage everyone's participation
by simple and direct questions: ("who's already played cards?" "what
have you played?" "how do you play that ?"). Watch out for those
who monopolise the conversation, involve the more timid. |
| 1.4 |
If you have dealing
boxes, for this first lesson you will need one per table. However,
it is quite enough to make sure that you have a board or wallet
for each table with the cards pre-arranged for the deal |
| 1.5 |
As far as the "wall charts" for
Minibridge are concerned, the ideal would be to leave them permanently
on the wall (if only to be certain not to forget them at home….).
If you are obliged to remove them each time you should laminate
them or make them of stronger material than simple paper (cardboard).
Certainly don't think it's not worth it because you are only going
to use them for the first three or four lessons. |
| 1.6 |
On the subject of "homework", present
it as a sort of test or training, anything except
an exercise or worse still "homework": explain to them patiently
that it is in no way obligatory but that it is in their interests
in order to play well as soon as possible. |
| 1.7 |
In the photocopied documents and
the exercises to be done at home make yourself, until further notice,
write the initials of the suits in front of each hand. |
| 1.8 |
The document which you give to the
pupils at the end of each "lesson" must have a simple, even amusing,
title which makes the child want to read it; moreover at the beginning
of the next session you can ask casually what the title was (a discrete
way of seeing who has read it and more or less memorised it). |
| 1.9 |
You should keep a record book of
your pupils or better an exercise book in which you note their progress,
their participation, their motivation (its increase, maintenance
or decline), their psychological difficulties (behaviour problems,
shyness, exuberance, nonchalance, concentration) - and practicalities
- (comprehension, game rhythm …). |
