No no no. Making a school chess club or team is not the point here. Any high school can do that. We are taking about starting a chess class as part of the elective curriculum. Starting a school chess club or team doesn’t even require an experienced chess teacher. Our school’s chess “coach” is a semi-beginner himself. He just supervises the club and team. However, to have a class where chess is taugh is a totally different matter.
It is true that it will be a elective curriculum. The point is to have a elective curriculum for teaching chess, if it is going to be as a curriculum or as a after school program – as a elective curriculum would be meeting like a regular high school class. If as a elective currulum, the school year in Michigan is 180 days or 180 hours for a one-hour elective: having 180 hours just to teach the simple tools of understanding the game of chess would need to grow past the simple study of the game.
With the help of the local chess club, the help of more informed instructors, will make a stronger elective curriculum. Unless you just want the students on the last day of the school year, just finding out how to have a ‘king and king pawn against a king’ just finding out how to win the game. Myself would be at this level with a student around the second or third hour of teaching. Talking in the style of a chess team formed out of the elective curriculam: will give basic understand of a chess outside the classroom. Having a curriculum of any type, is teaching the basic skills to be used for the rest of the students natural life.
Just having the students learn how to play chess: without informing the students of chess clubs, the USCF or any other information other then just the basic skills – then the class would be a total wast of time. Think of how this program could be used: in the same style as drivers training most high schools perform. After understanding the basic skills, then let the players move on with or without moving on to other levels of chess.
Thanks again for everyone’s help. It is truly an interesting concept, and I am very thankful for a principal that is willing to try innovative teaching methods. As we all know, the United States has lagged far behind other countries in chess instruction. The game is such a valuable tool, that it needs to expand well beyond a chess club of 15 kids. There are good people at work in many states to add chess into the state curriculum, and it is long overdue. I also really like the Chess in Schools model that is used in New York, which someone farther up on this thread directed me to. They travel to different classes for an hour a week. Imagine, if you used 3rd hour, and rotated into every class in the school and then started the cycle again. You could only teach the basics, but chess would be introduced to the entire student population. That combined with a Junior/Senior elective as we are discussing here would be beneficial to everyone. Sadly, (as I have talked to teachers before about adding chess into their classes) if teachers don’t play, they think it is merely a game and a waste of their instructional time. That is a shame, because the studies clearly show it benefits all areas of instruction.
Lucas
Hey Lucas!
I’ve been sending you some private messages. Have you been getting them? You may have to log in using the “Check for private messages” link.
Radishes