ABMP School Issues Forum

Schedule of Events

Thursday, April 14

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Registration
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.	Welcome
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Session 1: Massage Education—The Long View, with the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Session 2: Online Education in Foundation Curriculum, with Whitney Lowe
5:15 p.m.	ABMP Reception and Dinner

Friday, April 15: Owner/Administrator Program

7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.	Yoga Wake Up with Brian (optional)
8:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.	Breakfast
8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Session 3: What Employers Want from Your Graduates
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.	Your Strategic Plan Workshop, with Les Sweeney
12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Practical and Inspiring Team Building, with Jeff Mann
2:30 p.m.	Field trip to the ABMP offices

Friday, April 15: Instructor Program

7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.	Yoga Wake Up with Brian (optional)
8:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.	Breakfast
8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Session 3: What Did You Say? Developing Presentations that Leave a Mark, with Whitney Lowe
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.	Session 4: Creating Change When Change is Difficult, with Anne Williams
12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Session 5: Using Technology Effectively in the Classroom, with Whitney Lowe and Anne Williams
2:30 p.m.	Field trip to the ABMP offices

Saturday, April 16

7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.	Yoga Wake Up with Brian (optional)
8:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.	Session 6: Listen Up Leaders! Leaders in the Profession Respond to Your Concerns and Questions
10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Session 7 and Forum Closure: At My School We …

Session Descriptions

Massage Education: The Long View with The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education
The skills and ethics we teach our students (and how they subsequently practice as therapists) flow from a time-honored tradition. Over the last two decades, massage therapy has grown so quickly in the United States that some believe the profession is in danger of losing touch with its past. In order to preserve integrity, massage therapy education must recall and embrace its roots. Curricula, teachers, and students alike can then be nourished, inspired, and empowered to move this healing art forward. Join the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education for a lively discussion about how honoring our tradition can translate into quality education in your school’s environment.

Online Education in Foundation Curriculum, with Whitney Lowe
A study released by the US Department of Education found that on average, students perform better taking courses online than through face-to-face instruction, and those who take blended courses (which combine both elements) appear to do best of all. Online education expert Whitney Lowe explores online education in relationship to foundational massage curriculum. This informative session looks at the benefits of online education for schools and students, which massage topics are appropriate for online lessons, and achievable first steps for ways schools can move portions of their curriculum online.

Administrator Break Out: What Employers Want from Your Graduates

The ability of a massage training program to place its graduates in massage jobs is key to assuring the school’s business stability. Employers of massage therapists sometimes report a disconnect between their needs and massage graduates’ skills. This panel, comprised of people who employ massage therapists in various aspects of the profession, looks at what employers need from massage school graduates and ways to enhance massage curriculum and graduate placement practices to ensure everyone’s success.

Administrator Break Out: Your Strategic Plan Workshop, with Les Sweeney
Every school can benefit from the process of defining a strategy and direction for its business and making decisions on how to allocate resources to successfully pursue this plan. Strategic planning deals with at least one of four key questions: “What do we do?” “For whom do we do it?” “How do we excel?” and “How do we beat or avoid competition?” ABMP President Les Sweeney [link to bio/picture] shares methods and processes that lead to an effective strategic planning process for schools of all sizes and structures. Expect a dynamic discussion as participants contribute insights and observations from the floor.

Administrator Break Out: Practical and Inspiring Team Building, with Jeff Mann

The challenge of creating a cohesive and effective team is one every organization faces, but the unique nature of a massage school’s faculty and staff makes it especially important for schools to focus energy in this area. A unified team leads to a successful program and enhanced student experience. At the 2010 ABMP School Issues Forum in Alexandria, Virginia, an attendee gave the following feedback: “Jeff Mann brings the human side to business.” This year, ABMP has asked Jeff [link to bio/photo] to bring the human side to team building in this inspiring session that looks at tangible and collaborative ways to improve team dynamics and team performance at your campus.

Instructor Break Out: What Did You Say? Developing Presentations that Leave a Mark, with Whitney Lowe

If you’re a teacher, it’s probably happened to you. You finish a presentation and look around the room to nodding chins, drooping eyelids, or worse: students texting from under the desks. Renowned educator Whitney Lowe [link to bio/photo] provides practical methods and tools to help instructors take their presentations to the next level and effectively engage students with shorter attention spans. Return to your classroom with innovative methods to enhance the way you present your information, interact with your students, and increase material retention.

Instructor Break Out: Creating Change When Change is Difficult, with Anne Williams

Instructors are often the ones to initiate change and inspire growth within a massage school. They lead the way by inspiring new curriculum, developing new community outreach, implementing new procedures like greening their campus, and taking their programs academically to the next level. Motivating positive change within the students is their most important impact of all. Unfortunately, creating meaningful change can be difficult. This session with ABMP Director of Education Anne Williams [link to bio/picture] explores ways to facilitate positive change in ourselves as educators, in our schools, and—most significantly—in classroom dynamics and individual students.

Instructor Break Out: Using Technology Effectively in the Classroom, with Whitney Lowe and Anne Williams

Today’s students spend many hours immersed in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. They peruse websites in order to find information or generate ideas. While technology infiltrates every aspect of modern life, many classrooms have been left behind. This session provides practical advice on the use of instructor websites for learning, the use of social media to engage and communicate with students, benefits and methods for setting up an instructor blog, and the use of collaborative learning tools.

Listen Up Leaders! Leaders in the Profession Respond to Your Concerns and Questions

ABMP has invited leaders from the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB), and the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AMTE) to join ABMP President Les Sweeney in a panel discussion fueled by participants. This is your chance to get the answers you’re looking for directly from leaders in our profession and engage in a lively discussion of relevant topics.

At My School We …

ABMP’s Education Department includes eight staff members dedicated to the needs of massage schools, students, and instructors. This team regularly ventures out to meet with school administrators face-to-face and work with instructors directly at Instructors on the Front Lines teacher training events. What we often hear is the sentence, “At my school, we …” followed by fantastic ideas. This group session provides a space for schools to share their best practices in a way that allows every participant to benefit. Come prepared to share a few of your favorite ideas and be inspired by your incredible colleagues!

Yoga Warm Up, with Brian Halterman
Shake off any morning sluggishness and invigorate yourself for the day with the healthy practice of yoga with ABMP’s Education Program Coordinator and yoga instructor Brian Halterman [link bio/pic]. Brian will lead the group in gentle physical postures (asanas) and energizing breathing techniques (pranayama) while tuning in to some inspiring Kundalini yoga music. No experience is necessary for this very relaxed class—a great alternative to caffeine! (Yoga mats will be provided. Wear comfortable clothing.)

* Presenters subject to change.