Lesson Planning Essentials Block Buster Method (Episode 20251030)

Every instructor has a method — even if it’s not yet defined. Your teaching methodology is the rhythm and mindset that shape how you help others learn. Knowing it brings clarity, confidence, and consistency.

There’s no single “right” way to teach mah jongg. What matters is finding your way — one that fits your strengths, honors the game’s integrity, and helps students learn with ease and enjoyment.

NOTE: The name of the method has been changed but it’s the same powerful construct to ensure a short-form transformation(see below).

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What part of lesson planning challenges you most — clarity, pacing, or adapting in real time?

Have you ever had to toss your plan mid-lesson? What did you learn from the experience?

When you think about your best teaching moments, were they the result of careful planning — or quick adaptation in the moment?

Talking Points:

1. Clarity Creates Confidence: A well-structured plan helps you stay focused, reduces overwhelm, and supports student learning.
2. Define Your Goal: Each lesson should have one clear takeaway, what students should know or be able to do by the end.
3. Plan with Pacing in Mind: Include transitions, breaks, and buffer time. Avoid trying to teach too much in one session.
4. Flexibility is a Skill: Be ready to adjust when questions or teachable moments arise without losing your overall direction.
5. Use Anchors, Not Scripts: Think of your plan as a framework, anchor points keep you grounded while allowing room for flow.

Block Buster Method

A Four-Phased Approach to a Deliver Short-Form Transformation

The Block Buster Method is the Mahj Life approach to lesson design—a four-phased method that helps instructors break through planning roadblocks and deliver transformation in every short-form session.

Instead of teaching from instinct or improvisation, instructors use this structure to create lessons that flow logically, build confidence, and connect meaningfully.

Each phase—Warm-Up, Topic, Application, and Reflection—serves a distinct purpose that moves learners through a complete, contained experience:

1. Warm-Up – Activates prior knowledge, builds comfort, and sets intention.
2. Topic – Introduces the core concept or skill with clarity and focus.
3. Application – Reinforces learning through guided practice or play.
4. Reflection – Consolidates understanding and anchors personal insight.

Inside each phase lives the Triple-Step Framework, the micro-sequence that gives your lesson rhythm and depth: Introduce → Practice → Apply.

This inner framework helps instructors balance demonstration, engagement, and student ownership—turning each phase into a moment of short-form transformation.

How They Work Together

Level	Name	Purpose	Example
Macro	Block Buster Method	The four-phase design that structures a complete, short-form lesson.	A 45-minute Charleston lesson moving through Warm-Up → Topic → Application → Reflection.
Micro	Triple-Step Framework	The internal rhythm within each phase (Introduce → Practice → Apply).	Within the Topic phase, demonstrate a passing strategy, let students practice, then apply it in play.

The Block Buster Method gives instructors a clear construct for creating lessons that move—lessons that feel light to plan, easy to deliver, and transformational to experience.

It’s where structure meets creativity: a method that helps every session flow, build, and connect with purpose.

Examples:

Topic: The Charleston
Outcome: “By the end of this lesson, students will confidently perform all three passes of the Charleston and identify one personal tip that helps them decide what to pass.”

Topic: Mah Jongg Mind Shift
Outcome: Students will learn how to identify the natural strengths of their dealt hand, apply simple hand-development tactics, and make decisions that optimize and transform their hand as the game evolves. By the end, they will know how to stay focused, avoid unnecessary pivots, and evaluate risk at each stage of play.