Chess & Curriculum Education

One of the articles that caught my attention while reading the New York Times today involves education and games without an overly expensive technology, the game of chess. I must confess my personal adoration for the game and play in ladder tournaments online holding a modest ranking. However, the best aspect of this article demonstrates the innovative thinking process of the Idaho superintendent of education, Tom Luna, to introduce a complex, mathematical based game to assist students with both social cognitive development as well as the ability to calculate actions in advance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/us/20chess.html?_r=1&st=cse&sq=education+and+games&scp=1&oref=slogin

The article mentions that the game itself transcends issues of race, gender, ethnicity and language allowing students to challenge one another in a proper setting with set rules. The game also enhances students understanding of vocabulary and history as stated by the teachers, many of whom are learning to play the game for the first time as well. Most importantly though, Chess generates a friendly competitive environment that forces children to think about the game and the possible moves based on both predicted and unforeseen outcomes more so than a strictly opposition defense against the opponent.

The benefit of teaching chess, beyond the reasons stated in the article itself, centers on the impact of chess as a technology to assist students with developing an important cognitive process of pattern recognition within math concepts and in addition allows students to observe behaviors, process the data and produce a composite reaction. This essentially begins to frame the development of the meta-cognition of the individual as a piece within society, that the chess board is a world within itself and that each piece carries set roles, and certain choices lead to inevitable outcomes. Therefore, one cannot simply dictate moves based on previous experiences but instead be forced to react to new challenges in a way that requires a new line of thought never before applied to this setting. Chess opens the mind to endless possibilities releasing boundaries and allowing for development of strategies and tactics to overcome problems. This ability for students to learn this line of thought represents a unique way chess can enhance the cognitive development of students at an early age that no other subject adequately provides. Also, one of the most promising aspects of the article demonstrates the combination of both political parties and non-profit organizations using an innovative, yet simple game, that has existed for thousands of years in order to create an inclusive environment for children of all varying background and abilities.

This article proves that not all technology must be cutting edge to make a positive impact nor does the strategy itself require intricate design, just the application of an idea using technology to enhance the development of students in education.