What is TAGteach?

FROM: Liz Norris, Master Trainer
AKC-CGC Instructor and Therapy Evaluator
Pawsibilities Unleashed
Pet Therapy of Kentucky, Inc.






Teachers and coaches draw from personal experience, wisdom, technical skill and a wide variety of tools to address the individual needs of each student. TAGteach™ is a powerful tool that has its basis in the laws of learning and a key focus on breaking skills down and shaping using positive reinforcement.

TAG stands for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance and uses a sound marker to indicate correct performance.

The TAG refers to the distinctive sound made to mark or “TAG” a moment in time. This sound becomes an acoustical binary message, a sort of “snapshot” that is quickly processed by the brain.

A TAG means “yes.” Absence of a TAG means “try again.”

The student no longer has to perform a time-consuming language analysis while attempting complicated movements. The immediacy and clarity of the feedback allows the student to form a mental picture of the movement or position.

“The TAG helps me make a picture in my brain so I can find the right position on my own.” —11-year-old dance student

TAG points are the individual pieces of a desired response action or position. Students receive a TAG (the click sound) when the points are correctly performed.

The TAG points may vary from teacher to teacher and from student to student depending on the teaching style and the needs of the student.

The teacher sets the student up to succeed by setting attainable TAG points and by increasing criteria in manageable increments.

Because the criteria for success is the attainment of the TAG point and not the completed perfect skill, the student achieves many small successes and this reduces frustration and increases confidence, satisfaction and happiness for both teacher and student.

In all cases, only one TAG point is worked on at a time and the student does not receive correction for errors. The absence of the TAG tells the student that the TAG point was not executed. Verbal correction is not needed and in fact impedes the learning process. The coach is relieved from the pressure to make numerous corrections and can work in a systematic way toward the ultimate goal.

For example
The set up for a golf swing may have TAG points for grip, body position, foot placement, and club placement. The swing component may have TAG points for hand, arm, and club position at the top and end of the swing, TAG points for leg position, arm position, and weight transfer during the swing. With a beginning golfer a limited set of key TAG points are defined and executed individually. With an experienced golfer a diagnosis is performed and TAG points are identified based on technique errors requiring correction.

Positive please! TAGteach utilizes a method of phrasing that presents exactly what the teacher/coach is asking of the student in a clearly positive manner.

Remember, the TAG tells the student what they did right! “The TAG point is: touch your ear.” As the student touches her ear, she hears the TAG.

Phrases like “OK, NEXT time” and “that was better, but…” are omitted. Students rush to their parents proclaiming, “I got 37 TAGs. That’s 37 times I did something right!”

“Coaches may tell you what you’re doing wrong, but the TAG always tells you what you’re doing right!” —8-year-old gymnast

Positive reinforcement and reward systems

Perhaps the most enticing part of TAGteach is the power of reinforcement.

While the information supplied by the TAG is often reinforcement enough for adults, counting and “collecting” the TAGs to trade in for trinkets, can add excitement for the younger students. Older students may want to trade their TAGs in for a pass to “leave workout early for the Friday night football game.” The idea is to bring creativity and fun back into the learning process.

TAGteach is interactive
Within the TAGteach methodology, students play more than a receptive role in their own education. They are a crucial and creative part of the process: defining and developing breakdowns and progressions, designing reward systems, observing, and reinforcing their peers.

“TAGteach helps me understand a skill; it’s like a light bulb goes off in my head.” —Lacey, 2003 All-around State Gymnastic Champion

Peer TAGing
Tagging also provides a framework in which athletes can TAG each other, allowing for mental training and a class management strategy for the coach. Because TAG points are broken down into easily recognizable bits with simple yes or no answers, students can “become” teachers and TAG each other. They learn to look for correct actions in their partner, while mentally reinforcing the same points within themselves. Students instantly fill with a sense of responsibility and pride.

There is an added bonus to this type of TAGing. While students TAG each other, the teacher is free to give individual attention to students who needs you most, without halting the rest of the group.

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MeBO Research