Massage Therapy Instructors
Classroom Coach
Are you ready to supercharge your instructional strategies and elevate classroom dynamics? Do you want to crowdsource ideas with massage educators from across the country to overcome shared challenges? Would you welcome an arsenal of practical tools, designed specifically for massage instructors? If you answer “Yes!” then Massage Classroom Coach is for you.
These complimentary teacher resources are curated or created by Anne Williams. Anne’s passion for massage therapy education, learning theory, and instructional design inspires an ongoing desire to support massage instructors with knowledge, skills, and resources that make teaching more efficient, effective, and enjoyable.
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Client Assessment in Massage Education Survey
As an educator working in a foundation massage training program, what do you think about client assessment curricula? When it comes to client assessment, what does your school teach? What should your school teach? What knowledge and skills should graduates demonstrate and what resources are needed? This survey is completely anonymous and open to all massage educators. Please share your views and then participate in the live event featuring guest Whitney Lowe. We will share the survey results and insights from the live event with the Classroom Coach community.
Participate in the Live Event on June 6, 2024
Client Assessment in Massage Education: A Collaborative Exploration
When it comes to teaching client assessment in foundational massage are more hours needed or should we cut back curriculum here because most therapists are working in environments that require only basic assessment skills? What do you think? When it comes to client assessment, what should schools teach? What knowledge and skills should graduates demonstrate and what resources are needed? In this FREE live, online event, June 6, 2024, we'll explore our attitudes, challenges, and views on client assessment in foundational massage training programs through a facilitated group discussion and insights from guest Whitney Lowe. Earn 1.5 NCBTMB-Approved CE hours and find out more when you click the "Register Now" link.
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Priming: The Education Game Changer
As a classroom strategy, priming refers to the intentional actions and methods educators use at the beginning of a lesson to prepare and engage students for learning. The aim is to create receptive mindsets that enhance knowledge acquisition and understanding. Priming reduces student anxiety, taps into students’ prior knowledge, sparks curiosity, and provides context for new learning. In this multimedia online course (1 NCBTMB-Approved CE Hour), you’ll explore practical and effective methods for priming student learning. From compelling visuals and intriguing questions to immersive scenarios and reflective self-assessments, you’ll have tools and activities you need to elevate your teaching game. Find out more information and register now!
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Better Thinking, Better Learning, Better World
Today’s students are mired in survival thinking. Their thought lives revolve around dealing with immediate challenges and they’re burned out, overwhelmed, struggling to make ends meet, and constantly distracted by technology. In this video-based online course (1 hour NCBTMB-approved CE), originally presented at the ABMP School Forum in 2023, we examine new strategies to end student survival thinking and improve the clarity of our own thinking processes. Our goal is to revitalize our thinking, our classrooms, and our schools. Usually $29.99, this course is free right now for the Massage Classroom Coach community. Once you register, you'll have ongoing access to this course on your school or professional dashboard.
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When you join the Classroom Coach community, we’ll send you notifications when new resources become available. Let’s learn together as we empower future massage therapists. We will never share your information. Join the Massage Classroom Coach community here:
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Coming May 2024
Students Who Don't Seem to Care
Most of us have experienced frustration when our students don't seem to care about their coursework. It's mind-boggling - even heartbreaking - that they signed up and paid tuition and now seem resistant and disinterested. In this session, I talk with psychotherapist Anthony Riske about student motivation. Anthony uses Motivational Interviewing as a lens through which to view and understand student resistance and ambivalence. He offers communication tools that help us engage students more effectively to guide them toward their broader goals and values.
July 2024
Level Up Your Massage Technique Courses
We understand that mastering massage hinges on a mix of athletic coordination and artistic grace. Our mission is to guide learners through the three crucial stages of hands-on skill development. Initially, at level one, students observe and imitate their instructor’s techniques. Level two involves structured practice, implementing feedback, and refining their approach. By level three, learners adapt movements to their own body achieving a natural fluidity. Together, we’ll leverage effective instructional design and evidence-based coaching strategies to help students forge a distinctive personal style and excel in the session room.
August 2024
A New Approach to Giving Students Constructive Feedback
Most massage instructors have encountered challenges when giving feedback to students. Despite our efforts to inspire growth, our feedback causes hurt feelings, defensiveness, and unnecessary drama. Research shows that many of us are using old feedback models that don't work and may cause more harm than good. In this video-based online course, we'll examine constructive feedback through positive psychology and social support. Together, we'll learn methods that help us motivate and empower our students to demonstrate excellence in their hands-on skills and coursework.
September 2024
Giving and Receiving Feedback: A Course for Your Students
It’s the end of a massage class, and your students sit in a circle reflecting on their massage exchanges. You say, “Emma, can you share the feedback you received from Jake?” “Sure,” Emma replies. “Jake said my massage was great and he felt really relaxed.” You sigh because these types of generalizations are pervasive and won’t improve anyone’s hands-on skills. Without instruction, it’s unlikely students will move beyond vague generalities. So, Massage Mastery Online created a video-based online course for students founded on the positive psychology approach we advocate for teachers. Soon, you can find out more about how to use this course and register your students for free!
NOVEMBER 2024
Unraveling the Mysteries of MBLEx Questions
Have you had this experience? Your graduates return from taking the MBLEx and report that they have never seen questions like those they encountered on the test. You get out all your MBLEx study guides, and look through the questions with your students. “No,” they say, “The questions weren’t like this.” What’s happening? Why is this experience widespread and what can educators do about it? We've invited the FSMTB to bring samples of advanced MBLEx questions. Together, we'll dissect several questions to decode their structure and intent. Then, we'll learn to craft practice questions that help our students prepare effectively.
January 2025
Shaping the Future: Massage Educators' Vision for Massage
Join us for a collaborative Zoom discussion where we crowdsource a vision for the future of massage therapy and share it with national stakeholders. Share your voice and your vision for massage therapy.
Educator articles
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Participation and Feedback
Are you enjoying Massage Classroom Coach? Please share your feedback with us. We appreciate hearing about the strengths of this program as well as weaknesses.
If you would like to participate by serving on a panel or sharing your ideas in an interview please indicate this in the message and let us know the topics you’re comfortable sharing with others.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!