As part of our ongoing conversation with school owners, administrators, and instructors, we reached out to a few of our ABMP partner schools to get their best tips to share with the broader massage and bodywork school community.
Let’s meet Michael Jacobus, LMT, BCTMB, the senior instructor and education director at Discoverypoint School of Massage in Seattle.
ABMP: How long have you been at Discoverypoint?
Michael Jacobus: Since 2012.
ABMP: Please share any bits of advice you have that can make an instructor’s life easier.
MJ: We use plush cubes that we can insert cards into (we do A, B, C, D, True, False) and then give these to students when we do multiple choice practice, reviews, etc. Students can hold up the correct answer to their chest without calling out a wrong answer. Instructors can give enough time for all students to answer before moving on to the next question. Students who need more time to chew on questions appreciate this. The cubes are definitely a hit with students. (You can see an example of this classroom tool in Image 2.)
ABMP: What advice do you have that might be relevant to either admin or school function-type issues?
MJ: We started using DuoLingo English language test for our ESL applicants to determine if they have enough English literacy to handle the rigors of massage school.
ABMP: Do you have any overarching advice you can share with new school owners or new instructors?
MJ: Cornerstones: The ABMP Instructor Development Program is a phenomenal teacher-training tool. Use it. It’s so relevant and useful. Consider attaching a pay bump to faculty who complete the whole course.
Learn more about what ABMP offers educators and schools.
Related Content:
“Tips for Instructors, Administrators, and School Owners with Brandon Smith”