Scholastic chess and competitive chess: How different? lecture by Karel van Delft

1. Scholastic chess and competitive chess: How different?lecture by Karel van Delft www.chesstalent.comwww.schaakacademieapeldoorn.nl

2. A lot in common Competitive chess and scholastic (educational) chess have a lot in common: Chess lessons, methods (varia) Didactics, empathy Psychological insights

3. Definitions Scholastic chess (teaching) education, personal development fun empowerment if disabilities Competitive chess (training) recreational top sport

4. Introduction Karel van Delft Psychologist Chess teacher and trainer Journalist www.schaakacademieapeldoorn.nl www.chesstalent.com karel@kvdc.nl

5. Teacher

6. Book ‘Schoolschaken’ (school chess)

7. Trainer

8. Book ‘Developing Chess Talent’

9. Video about book DCT • Book about developing chess talent and creating a chess culture: Coaching, training, organization, communication • IM Merijn van Delft presents book in a video www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGgr-NntMNs

10. Mark Dvoretsky, Armen and Thomas with DCT

11. Differences and similarities Similarities • Learning rules and basis techniques • Deliberate practice (what, how, where, when, why) • Variation, participation and fascination • Empathic qualified trainer • Seventeenth chess piece (self reflection, self management, study attitude) • Social, emotional, cognitive, meta-cognitive aspects • Role of parents Differences • Focus: result or education • Ambitions • Amount of time involved • Content training in later stages

12. Not often asked questions about scholastic chess benefits and transfer • A lot of research: chess education benefits for personal development • Often unclear: what chess is teached and how(French opening, tactics, etc) • How to teach, role of teacher (e.g. discovery learning, frontal teaching, empathy) • Effects on social, emotional, cognitive, meta-cognitive aspects

13. Transfer matterChess as a subject in primary schools?Chess players better school results

14. Lots of variables, several angles In addition to social, emotional and cognitive learning effects there are also metacognitive learning effects possible as a result of chess education. What you can achieve is the result of a combination of specific chess aspects (tactics, strategy, etc.) you use in combination with specific teaching methods and the target group (age, etc.). It is therefore the combinations are crucial. Compare it with H2 and O, separately they are different from the combination: H2O water. In addition, different learning effects are possible for different students: one learns to deal with losses, another learns to think more creative. Because there are so many variables at stake, it is hard to find in quantitative research very large effects on a single dimension. Therefore, you should not just look at results of quantitative research but also at experiences in practice and qualitative research.

15. Why chess in schools? • Chess is metaphor for life • Learning by playing • Stimulates development • cognitive • social • emotional • meta-cognitive

16. 4 Aspects • Cognitive, e.g. argumentation • Emotional, e.g. dealing with losing • Social, e.g. cooperation while analyzing • Meta-cognitive skills: thinking about yourself and thinking about thinking

17. Benefits reached by • Intrinsic qualities of the game • Method of education • H2O makes water

18. Script • Primary school natural environment to learn chess • Necessary: empathic adult who can teach, organize, motivate • Important: Script, make clear what you do (for yourself and school, parents, children)

19. Use a method • Interconnected activities, which are applied in a certain way with a certain goal • Elements: structure and culture

20. Key factors in method • Variation • Fascination • Participation

21. Didactical principles • Fun is main motor for learning • Success experiences • Empathy: answer questions of children, react on remarks, be supportive • Knowledge, understanding and skills • Skills development by playing and exercises • Present lectures in a attractive way • On level of child (words, examples) • Chess is an adventure full of surprises • Stimulate children to discover answers themselves, use indicative questions • Ideal maximal group 12 children: interactivity • Use various teaching techniques: explain, show, discuss, group work, game analysis, exercises • Quiz with points can stimulate • Via duos children learn to consult and formulate thoughts • Etc.

22. Polgar – Waitzkin elements education • Stimulate early learning performance  • Accent on stimulation via environment, not innate talent • High but attainable goals • Learning via play elements • Make children selfconscious early on • Much variation in practice • Systematical approach • Realistic taxation of developmental potential and load capacity • Understand limitations regular school system • Creating stimulating environment • Qualified and empathic teachers and trainers • Children draw conclusions themselves while learning • Dosed success experiences • Develop bit by bit resilience • Accept children make unavoidable mistakes • Trust intrinsic motivation of children • Don’t project exaggerated expectations on children • Take children serious • Take in consideration personality features and developmental stage features

23. Education: direct and indirect transfer Direct What you learn in one domain using in other (e.g. counting chess pieces, counting on school) Indirect Learning attitude Concentration Growth vs fixed mindset

24. Research and methodological flaws London Conference 2016 John Jerrim: no benefits chess teaching on math results • Video Karel interview Jerrimwww.youtube.com/watch?v=TLWANu8mWio • Video Sala critical on research Jerrimhttp://londonchessconference.com/giovanni-sala-comments-on-current-chess-and-education-research • Article newsletter 41 Schaakacademie Apeldoorn (page 38)www.schaakacademieapeldoorn.nl/documenten/Nieuwsbrief%20Schaakacademie%20Apeldoorn%2041%20-%2018%20januari%202017.pdf

25. Explaining chess technique and psychological insights • Connect to pupils experiences, knowledge and mental stage • Speak language of pupils • Not too much information at the same time • Give practical advises how to deal with problems

26. Basis good training and teaching Pupils co-author own upbringingDeliberate practice Empathy trainer-teacher Content: • Question round • Tactics • Game analysis • Varia • Competition

27. What motivates children to learn? • Curiosity • Surprises (you surprise with Réti, they you with questions) • Ambitions • Experiences • ? What does this mean for the way we teach?

28. Creating a stimulating environment Build a concrete program and routines based on: • Trainers, trainings • Study material • Training place • Training program • Time • Collaborating with training partners is stimulating • To have yourself influence on a process is an important success determinant • Success experiences • Positive feedback from trainers and parents (on efforts, not on result or personality) • Determine real expectations and convert them into clear goal-setting (aspects: perform, fun, learning) • Space for failures (you have the right to be wrong: failures acceptable, experiments)Attention: • Not everyone learns and develops the same way • These factors can also work out negative if they are applied incorrectly

29. Fear of failure: performance goals • Important distinction between result and performance goals • Result goals: Comparison with competitors. Result of a game (1-0). Influence of circumstances, coincidence and opponent. • Performance goals: Comparison with yourself. You show what you are capable of. Doing this you can control yourself. • Doing so concentration and self-confidence will raise and fear of failure will decrease. • It is natural if you want to win. But the paradox is by concentrating on a performance goals you are focused on your task and you can perform better.

30. What is chess thinking Important aspects: • Pattern recognition (e.g. castling) • Rules of thumb (e.g. three golden opening rules) • Calculation

31. Chess performance Result of • Chess qualities • Mental qualities • Physical condition • Coincidence You can influence the factors Learning and behaviour can be more productive

32. Concentration Exercise: • What is concentration? • Make a list of possibilities to destroy concentration Reverse the list Formulate what to do Check list regularly Build routines

33. Skills Practice makes perfect Build up productive routines UCCO • Unconscious not skillful • Conscious not skillful • Conscious skillful • Unconscious skillful

34. Compliments Positive reinforcement A compliment can do wonders Stimulates self-image, motivation of pupils

35. Help for searching strategies Via words you can give help for searching strategies E.g. Piece is attacked • Take attacker • Put between • Go away • Support • Counter attack Memory aid: TPGSP (In Dutch STUDT, sounds better)

36. Examples of Varia for teaching and training

37. Chess is for everybody: Gens Una Sumus

38. Chess is fun

39. Mitrofanovwww.youtube.com/watch?v=2vgIQikkoKQ

40. Creative thinking See connections in unexpected way

41. Creativity: skill or gift? What do you think?

42. Definition Creativity is making connections between matters and ideas that are not connected at first sight. It enables you to find, use and develop more possibilities than appear possible.

43. Expect the unexpected • Creativity is a trainable way of thinking which leads to see, use and develop more possibilities • Creativity is having big expectations of the unexpected

44. Einstein ‘Creativity is seeing something that others also see, but having different thoughts about it.’

45. Creativity is redefining • Chess is a game of possibilities and limitations • Define a problem in a different way • You do not see something you do not look at • A creative mind is open to paradoxical possibilities • Welcome the unexpected

46. Watch inspiring videos

47. Participation in tournaments

48. Game with quiz questions

49. Tutor method

50. Tactics quiz: duos, forms, clock