The MiniBridge Starter Programme is a series of eight lessons that are presented in PowerPoint. You simply load your program into your laptop and project it onto a screen, or use a smartboard. You as the teacher control the progress of your class. You load the selected PowerPoint Programme and control it with the forwards button. At the end of a section of commentary there is multiple dinging of a bell. If the signs are the class have understood the commentary you continue. If not repeat the section. There lesson one, there is a video clip which shows how to handle cards. In the film there are two nine year old youngsters shown doing what they called an air shuffle when the cards were not on a table during the shuffling. When this was shown to a year five class at the Archbishop King Middle School, Newport. Isle of Wight, the following week three girls and four boys who had practised in the interim, could perform it. Nine year olds can handle full sized cards but it is helpful if they are softer than average. Cards such as the"Stratus" type from Carta Mundi are ideal.

Bridge Coach is self teaching apart from the occasional word the youngster might not know.

You as their teacher can encourage them to bypass the questions for their first bid after they have been following the bidding advice for a while. They cannot enter a wrong bid. If an error is made the programme is halted and the next box displays "Err". They click on a large box at the bottom of the window to try again and they are told what bid to enter. Upon entry they are told why that was the correct bid. When they get a reasonable number of first bids correct encourage them to hide the messages. If the bidding sequence is correct they will be praised, or if they make an error they will be encouraged, at the end of the auction. Bridge Coach was developed with youngsters in learning situations, who commented on their reactions to it. As you might expect their views were generally quite outspoken.

Bridge Apprentice opens the joint program. There is an options box where the deal number can be chosen. Click on "Play Bridge" and Bridge Coach is opened. At the end of the auction click on "Play The Deal" and Bridge Coach is closed. A repeat of the auction is displayed and there is chance of to repeat the auction if wanted, otherwise click "OK" to play the deal. If help is needed to choose a good card to lead a click on "Hint" will yield a suggestion and the suggested card will change colour and flash to draw attention to it. The deals can be played automatically. For teaching purposes it is better if the option is chosen which stops the play after each trick. This gives a better chance to understand what is happening.