Power of Chess For Troubled Teens

Submitted by pythagoras on Sun, 10/26/2008 at 4:12pm.

Several years ago, I taught in a middle school behavior disorder middle school. One of the first things I implemented was chess training for my students. I did it because they were interested in the game and so I thought it would be a good way to teach them social skills, which it did, but they and I, learned so much more.

The way my program worked was that if students performed well, they could have fifteen minutes to play chess. That is, fifteen minutes so long as they displayed good social skills and sportsmanship. Often, when this skills were being modeled, the fifteen minutes would extend to a half hour.

But, as I said, the students developed other skills as well. For one thing, all of their behaviors improved and they attended to their studies more. When I first took the job, teachers would tell me, "If I had ot work with kids like that, I wouldn't be in teaching." By Christmas, I was hearing, "Oh, your job is easy. Those kids are so good."

Here is what my students learned from chess. First, they developed patience. Behavior disorder students tend to behave impulsively. So, practice in this area is important. Secondly, chess teaches students to think about the consequences of their actions. In chess, ones actions have immediately consequences and mistakes are immediately punished and good moves are rewarded. Again, troubled teens don't think about what will happen next. Thirdly, chess teaches students to plan and to carry out the plan. Also, it teaches students to reason logically and to problem solve. Students who play chess develop the ability to visualize, which is an important skill that is used in mathematics. Lastly, it teaches students to think abstractly as well as algebraically because of the symbol manipulation.

Chess is a wonderful game that can provide us all with a lifetime of pleasure. And, for troubled teens it offers them an opportunity to develop skills that they desparately need to be successful in school and in life.

» posted in Scholastics

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1 vote:

Comments:

by bigfundu - 2 months ago
Chennai India

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 84

I admire you for your courage in taking such a challenge up! I know from experience that it is not easy teaching kids or teens, let alone ones with behavioral disorders. Social skill development or not, it must surely have kept them engaged with something that interests them ... and that is a great plus :)

by leoz08 - 2 months ago
Makati Philippines

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 21

One thing which I have regretted is I haven't taught my kid to play chess (although he has learned it anyway!) because the game is time consuming. My kid is a teen-ager who acts impulsively and doesn't care of the consequences of his actions. Yes, I think, learning the game of chess may teach kids that good moves are rewarded. It may not be too late to teach my kid more aout chess! Thanks.

by JohnnyDarko - 2 months ago
Milwaukee United States

Member Since: Jul 2008
Member Points: 5

It also effectively replaces addictions. More effective than cold turkey, is cold turkey and chess : )

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