About a month ago, we got an extra-large chess game in our Library Learning Commons. It currently sits on the floor while we await the Woodworking class to make us a table for it. I bought it because on any given day, the four chess boards in the Library are being used by students playing chess.
Since September, I have wanted to learn how to play. I will sometimes join the other students gathered around to watch to see if I could pick up the game, but the learning doesn’t stick. There are too many pieces and it is too complex. I am going to admit, I felt kind of stupid not being able to pick up the game.
So the other day, I picked up a Quick Chess game that touts, “The Quick & Easy Way to Learn Chess!” The game takes each chess piece and creates a mini-game out of it so that you learn the role and function of each.
It also provides Quick-reference diagrams. My husband and I first played the Pawns game–learning about the role of the pawns, followed by short games isolating each of the other pieces (rook, bishop, king, queen, & knight). I was not nearly as frustrated as I had been trying to watch a Youtube video or watching others; I learn by doing. Each time I played a mini-game I felt more and more confident and the role of each piece became committed to my memory.
After I would say about two hours, my husband and I were ready to play an actual game. I’m not going to be a pro any time soon, but I feel confident enough in my abilities, that I may challenge a student to a game sometime this week. I will also bring this game in for the students, who like me, are watching all of the students and longing to play the game, but are too scared to try or feel it’s too complicated to learn.
Real learning is fun. It’s not about worksheets but about trial and error, the iterative process and feeling successful.
This experience has prompted me to wonder:
-How do we scaffold learning for students in a way that is easier for them to grasp complex topics, but not necessarily boring?
-What role do anchor charts play in teaching and learning?
-How might we incorporate gamification and game-based learning in the classroom to make challenging information more fun?
-How might we use this approach with professional learning?
I think about my Amazing Race EDU collaborative game and Breakout EDU games, as well as Design Thinking challenges (check out Global Day of Design created by AJ Juliani and John Spenser) and recognize that there is really positive movement towards active learning and a plethora of resources to support teachers to try this.
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.
