Basics Article #6: Using TAGteach to Get and Maintain Focus

TAGteach™ (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance) is a new way of teaching using positive reinforcement with a click sound marker to identify successful performance. In past columns we have talked about the tag point – the exact response, action or position that a teacher pinpoints with a tag (the click sound) to tell the learner “YES, that was right!”, how to associate the audible tag with a tangible reinforcer and how to harness the power of peer tagging.

TAGteach can be used to create and maintain focus even for the most inattentive and distractible of learners. There are four main factors that can increase a learner’s focus on a task:

Clearly Define the Goal and Criteria for Success

It may be difficult for a learner to become dedicated to a goal that is ill-defined or without immediate benefit. To create a goal that will deserve intense focus, the learner must understand it clearly. Break the overall task into small easily defined units and start with only one. For example, the goal is to read a sentence. Print the sentence and cut it up into individual words. Place them face down and have the learner choose one at random. If this is not interesting enough, put colorful stickers on the back of each word. Use your imagination to create a situation in which the learner wants to interact with the words. Explain that the tag point is to read the word. The learner turns the word over and reads it – Tag! and puts a bead in a jar. Repeat 3 times. The next tag point is – turn the word over, read it, turn it down and up again and read it – 5 times in 1 second (be sure it is easily doable). This type of game creates intense focus on a very clear and defined goal.

Add Difficulty Gradually

Once all the words have been used as above, the next tag point could be: turn over two words and read them one after the other, then three, then four (read in any order). The next tag point could be to turn over each word and match it with the printed sentence and finally to read the sentence.

Use Effective Reinforcement

In order to hold attention, the game must move quickly with the tags happening at a rapid rate. The reinforcement (putting beads in a jar to be traded later for stickers or a choice from the treasure box) must be something the child wants and is willing to work for. Consulting the learner on the nature of the reinforcer and on the selection of tag points can go a long way to creating enthusiasm for the task.

Quit While You Are Ahead

Because the measure for success with TAGteach is the earning of the tag for each component and not the completion of the final larger goal it is possible to stop on a note of success even if the whole planned sequence was not completed. If the learner is focused and playing the game and has performed better than expected, stop and give the ultimate reward of cashing in the beads. This often has the effect of causing the learner to ask to do “just a few more” and this is terrific – exactly what you are looking for

Next time we will talk about using TAGteach around the house to encourage co-operation with household tasks.

We invite you to join the TAGteacher discussion group at www.tagteach.com to meet others who are implementing TAGteach in various disciplines and to see the list of upcoming TAGteach seminars.

Tagging for Creativity

It's 2:45pm and the dancers are descending - their giggles ring in the stairwell. My 9yr old Intermediate Jazz Class starts in 15 minutes and as I'm rushing to pull myself together for class, the phone rings. Our Ballet teacher is having car trouble and won't make it in today to teach her scheduled Tween Ballet class (which runs in our adjacent studio at the same time as my class). It's too late to try to find a sub. So, looks like I'm taking both classes - NOW. That's 28 dancers in one studio with li'l ole me - oh, and the two groups are not anywhere near the same level. I'm either looking at mayhem, martial law or..... you guessed it, TAG!

So, into the studio the dancers bounce and I begin the warm-up - throughout which I'm thinking fast and furiously to try to come up with something unique. But nothing is hitting me. We've done so many versions of our traditional TAG exercises and, since this is the week following our Holiday Performance for which they've all worked very hard, I really want to come up with something extra fun and special and then it hits me...

Our dancers LOVE to choreograph and, in fact, we often use it as a reinforcer. But I find that many of the dancers struggle with the creative aspect. Many dance styles, especially Ballet, and even Jazz to a large extent, have a set vocabulary and dancers are trained to perform them "just so". So, when asked to switch their behavior and suddenly "be creative" they can feel unsure of how to proceed. As a result they tend to regurgitate the "steps" we have presented in class, sometimes verbatim, sometimes rearranged a bit, but most often very identifiablly - as opposed to creating new shapes and connections which is the essence of true choreography. But, how to TAG for this???

"Tap, tap, tap" - nope, no one's tap dancing today, that's the tapping of my dog, Eevee, at the door signaling with her paw on the glass that she wants to come in to watch class. As I ignore her she begins to throw every trick in the book to get my attention and is coming up with new things I haven't ever seen. And, it hits me... "101 things to do with a box" the fabulous clicker training method of inspiring creativity in animals. That's what I need to try with the dancers today! And I'm off...

I break the dancers up into pairs: one older dancer with one younger. "The tag point is: make a new shape or connection. Once you have 8 tags (new moves) that we've never seen - switch and your partner will begin." The kids dove in. They were immediately having a blast AND coming up with some really interesting movements - fantastic!

After they all succeeded in getting their 8 tags, I encouraged them to work with their partner to combine all of their "new moves" into a short piece. Years ago Theresa (our TAGteach originator) had taught me the theatre game "yes, and" which has ever since been a staple here at the studio. The game instructs that when a partner has an idea the response must always be "yes, and" (as opposed to "no" or "I don't want to do that" or "that's stupid"). This way, instead of a partner's idea being thwarted, thereby inhibiting creativity, confidence and participation, each idea is validated and built upon. Naturally, the tag point for the collaboration portion of today's activity was "yes, and".

The pieces were amazing, the kids were all completely involved and the class productive. When I asked the older girls if they'd minded dancing with the younger kids today they replied "Are you kidding? That was awesome!" And, so, from a potential disaster of a teaching day came, instead, a new post Holiday Performance tradition. TAG!

Questions about how to use TAG in a dance environment? Contact: beth@tagteach.com OR beth@tagdance.net

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