Looking for courses in teaching chess.

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Ruble, Jun 10, 2010.

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  1. Ruble

    Ruble New Member

    This year was my first year teaching 6-8th grade Special Education. One of the things I incorporated into my classroom was chess. By the end of the year every student was capable of playing a decent game of chess, some excelled in it. I have no formal training in chess other than what I have read in a couple dozen or so books.

    UT Dallas has a graduate certificate (2 courses) in chess with fantastic content. At $2,200 a class there is no way I can afford the cost out of pocket and it's highly doubtful my school district will pay for it. Does anyone know of other schools that offer a chess class / certificate?

    Here is a link to the UTD program:
    UT TeleCampus
     
    Ruble, Jun 10, 2010
    #1
  2. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Sorry, I don't know of any chess-teaching classes, but I do know of some great resources for beginners that you could incorperate into your classes.

    Books: The Winning Chess series by Yasser Sierawan is top-notch for beginners. He mixes teaching the fun aspects of strategy with the boring (in his, not my opinion- I love that stuff!) aspects of calculation and throws in some personal anecdotes and side notes on the history of chess. The series takes you from opening to endgames and has separate books on strategy and tactics. Well worth it! Yasser is (as far as when I last checked) the top-ranked player in the USA and has competed for the world title a few times but never won. He did once beat Garry Kasparov, which is an incredible feat.

    Other than that, I would say, find a book with chess excercises that you can then set up in class and let your students figure out.

    If you have a local chess club that is a part of FIDE, that would be a great resource, too. You will probably get crushed by your opponents, who will then gladly teach you how to play better :)

    I love chess, but am learning so many different things right now (between school, languages, cooking, etc etc etc) that I really can't make room for it. I'm still working on becomming a grandmaster in connect four (which is an incredibly deep game- I know the game nearly in and out, can calculate extremely complex forced-play combinations and I'm still only a Master, not yet a grandmaster because all of those dudes have played 10 million games and have memorized every single "correct" move in existance :eek:).
     
    Maniac Craniac, Jun 10, 2010
    #2
  3. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I wonder if you could apply for some sort of government education grant to pay for the classes at UT since your use of chess education is to help special education students.
     
    bazonkers, Jun 10, 2010
    #3
  4. racechick8293

    racechick8293 New Member

    I could be misreading the information, but it seems to me that it's $1050 per class for the grad courses, for a total of $2200. Alternatively, wouldn't the content still be the same if you signed up for the undergrad option at $850 per class? If you don't need the grad credits for a raise or the like, it would seem to be a way to learn the same information for a lesser price. The site states that the grad class has an extra paper...

    Undergraduate tuition and fees - Effective Fall 2008, the tuition for each undergraduate course will be $800.
    ED 4358: Chess I - Using Chess in Elementary Schools
    ED 4359: Chess II - Using Institutional & Cultural Contexts of Chess


    Graduate tuition and fees - Effective Fall 2008, the tuition for each graduate course will be $1,050.

    ED 5344: Chess I - Chess in the Elementary School Curriculum
    ED 5345: Chess II - Institutional & Cultural Contexts of Chess
     
    racechick8293, Jun 10, 2010
    #4
  5. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I concur. It's $1050 for each graduate class for a total of $2100 for the certificate. It's $800 per undergrad class if you choose to go that route for a total of $1600. There is a $100 application fee.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 10, 2010
    bazonkers, Jun 10, 2010
    #5
  6. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Bethany College has courses on Chess, not sure if they are online.
     
    b4cz28, Jun 10, 2010
    #6
  7. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Very interesting... Courses in using Chess in Elementary Education. Intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
     
    Dave Wagner, Jun 11, 2010
    #7

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