Schools Area

Memory Organisation

When testing a beta version of Bridge Coach at the Swanmore Middle School, Ryde, Isle of Wight, my test group consisted of year six students who had been through an introductory Mini Bridge course of 10 sessions in curriculum time in year five. Their teacher who had played some bridge, followed up by projecting a Bridge Baron program occasionally to get them interested in "proper bridge". When ever they finished their maths class early and their work was satisfactorily done they were allowed to deal the cards and play a hand. A change of staff and the fact that year six is a "SATS" exam year, meant that their bridge playing was greatly curtailed.

I showed them how to play a hand on the "Smart Board". If they played the first nine cards in the exact sequence they could beat the computer. Because of a technical hitch with a shortcut on the IT computers, and further general instruction on the use of the program there was a fifteen minute delay before they played the hand. Out of 28 participants I personally saw six play the cards correctly. The next day I repeated the procedure without the technical hitch, with bright year 7 and 8 students at another school, and none succeeded. They had not had any bridge experience. The ability of the Swanmore children to organise memory for bridge play would almost certainly transfer to other situations.