Every year, the ABTA (American Bridge Teachers Association) solicits articles from teachers on "how to teach."

Below is Larry's 2022 submission.

Even if you are not a bridge teacher, we think you will benefit from many of the 10 concepts listed.

Larry Cohen's 2022 Apple Basket tip

Work on a Game Where You are Not an Expert.

Playing Chess (or try something else) has been an invaluable educational tool for me. As bridge teachers (more expert than our students) it is challenging to put ourselves in our students’ shoes. What is natural and easy for us is foreign and unnatural to them.

By working at chess, I have learned humility. Never again will I think “How in the world could Joan not see that she could just draw trump and claim.”  What looks easy to us is anything but to Joan.

I play so-so chess. I can set the computer to Level 4 (on a 1-10) scale and usually win. At Level 5, I almost always lose. In bridge terms, I’d probably be above beginner, but not much. This is the sweet spot for the people we teach, so the analogies have been helpful. For example:

1)     Failure to concentrate. If I play chess without thinking, I almost always lose. I must concentrate to have a chance. Our students need to know that there is no substitute for concentration.

2)     Dumb mistakes. That is usually my undoing. Sure, it is fun when I come up with a brilliant move (maybe akin to successfully using a convention, or executing a throw-in play), but 99% of the time, it is just a matter of not doing anything stupid. If I leave a piece exposed, the computer gobbles it up and I lose. Our students need to forget about learning fancy stuff; just avoid silly errors.

3)     Making that same dumb mistake over and over. How humiliating! Shouldn’t I learn from my mistakes? Apparently not. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made the same error.  Our bridge students do the same. Somehow, they need (through repetition) to make that same mistake enough times so that they can slowly eliminate it from their arsenal.

4)     Just playing and not studying. It is fun for me to play. It is work for me to study/read/learn. When I find a good chess article (or app or lesson), I endure it, but end up learning a bit that helps me improve. Our students want to play. It is much harder for them to study/learn.

5)     Playing too quickly. What’s my rush? I’m not saying I should study a play for 5 minutes, but why the need to play in 2 seconds? Many times, our students err in bridge because they don’t think before they play/bid.

6)     Carelessness. This is sort of a combination of #1 and #2 above, but I notice that if I am not careful, I pay the price.

7)     Playing “station to station.” In chess, I am guilty of making my move without thinking ahead as to what might happen on the next move(s). It is hard work for me to do so and I get lazy. This makes me better understand how difficult it is for our students to plan ahead. They play one trick at a time.

8)     Not even realizing mistakes. I’m sure I am making lots of terrible moves. No, the computer doesn’t always penalize me, but without instruction and guidance, I know I must be doing lots of things wrong. I wish I had a chess expert standing over my shoulder to critique my play. Our students need a good teacher to guide them.

9)     Focusing only on my moves. I have trouble figuring out what my “opponent” is doing and planning. It is hard enough for me to figure out my own moves. To anticipate what the computer is planning is difficult for me. Our students, especially newer ones, have their hands full with their 13 cards; it is difficult for them to logic out what their opponents are trying to do.

10)    Compassion. I feel like an idiot. There seems to be no limit to the number of stupid mistakes I make at chess. I laugh at myself. But never will I (internally) laugh at my bridge students. What is routine for me at bridge is anything but for the people I teach. I vow to always be compassionate and understanding.

I like to think that I (and most of you reading) am fairly bright and intelligent. Our students, often more so. While brilliant in their careers and lives, we have to accept that bridge is challenging for them. Try playing Chess (or fill-in-the-blank) and it will be easier for you to put yourself in their shoes.