Become a Certified Bridge Teacher & Grow Your Impact
Do you love bridge and want to share your passion? Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or just getting started, the Best Practices Teacher Certification gives you the tools, confidence, and recognition to attract more students and grow the game!
Hear What Students are Saying about the Course
Best Practices Workshop Details
The Best Practices Workshop is a multi-day course with hands-on, small-group activities that focuses on how to teach, not what to teach. Through the workshop, teachers will gain insight into structure and activities that maximize student engagement and retention. The adult education methods taught in the course were recommended and validated by more than 400 bridge teachers.
Whether you’re a new or veteran teacher, this workshop is for you! More than a third of previous workshop participants had never taught bridge before – all you need is love for the game and a good foundation of bridge knowledge. Meanwhile, seasoned bridge teachers can also benefit by learning the latest techniques in adult education.
Rebate for TAP teachers: If you earned the ACBL’s previous teacher certification through TAP, the ACBLEF will help with your workshop fees and pay a partial rebate for costs over $50 (maximum $75 repayment). Rebate will be automatically refunded to your record of payment after the course is completed. Please contact education@acbl.org for more information.
If you are a District or Unit wanting to host a workshop, click here for details.
Earn Best Practices Teacher Certification to Stand Out & Get Found
After the workshop, there will be opportunities to earn certification to be a Best Practices Teacher. Certified Best Practices teachers appear at the top of the ACBL Find a Teacher Directory marked by the Best Practices logo —helping more students discover you! You’ll also receive a certificate signifying your distinction, a special lapel pin and the ability to place the Best Practices logo on your marketing materials and business cards.
To earn certification, you must attend the workshop to learn the teaching techniques and pass a proficiency demonstration following the workshop. Teachers with fewer than 50 masterpoints must pass a basic bridge knowledge test prior to the start of the workshop.
Free Resources after the Workshop
New for Best Practices Teachers! Free teaching materials for a face-to-face version of ACBL Intro to Bridge: The original online ACBL Intro to Bridge course successfully taught more than 1,500 students during the pandemic and proved to be both popular and engaging. It was a 10-class course that focused on hands-on learning. The content for the face-to-face version of ACBL Intro to Bridge is based on it and has been expanded into 2 series totaling 20 classes. Information on the course is available in the Teachers’ Lounge on the ACBL website.
Free tools for all attendees: Thanks to a program from the ACBL Educational Foundation, workshop attendees get a free one-year membership to the American Bridge Teachers’ Association (new members only) and a Bridge Bee module, along with one of the following: Teacher starter kit (cards, boards, bid boxes) or 100 Shark Bridge credits.
ACBL Best Practices Teacher Certification Calendar
| Location | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Spring NABC in St Louis MO | February 27 – March 1, 2026 | 3-Day Workshop: Friday – Sunday February 27-March 1. Friday, February 27(1-5 pm), Saturday & Sunday, February 28 & March 1 (8 am to noon) Workshop Fee: $125 USD. Proficiency Assessments: Assessment spots will be offered the afternoon of March 1 and the morning of March 2; the number of spots is based on enrollment you must sign up. Assessment Fee: $25 USD. Refresher: If you have previously taken a Best Practices Workshop, you can attend again for only $50 USD. If you did not earn certification, you will have that opportunity. Look for ‘BP Teacher Refresher’ in the registration drop-down. Register Questions? Contact education@acbl.org |
| Summer NABC in Minneapolis MN | July 9 – 10, 2026 | 2-Day Workshop: Thursday – Friday July 9-10. Thursday, July 9 (8am to 5pm with a break for lunch), Friday July 10 (8 am to noon) Workshop Fee: $125 USD. Proficiency Assessments to earn certification: Assessment spots will be offered between 12:30 and 5:30pm July 10; the number of spots is based on enrollment you must sign up. Assessment Fee: $25 USD. Refresher: If you have previously taken a Best Practices Workshop, you can attend again for only $50 USD. If you did not earn certification, you will have that opportunity. Look for ‘BP Teacher Refresher’ in the registration drop-down. Register Questions? Contact education@acbl.org |
