Chess Parents FAQs
  • Blog
  • Index
  • 5334
  • Camp
  • About

Why after-school chess clubs are not as effective as group lessons at chess schools?

4/13/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
After-school chess clubs have done a great job for promoting chess among young kids. Thanks to the efforts of parent volunteers and coaches, kids learn the moves, play games, and have fun with their friends. Because the environment is familiar, and they have their friends in the club, it's much easier for them to pick up chess. That's also the first place we suggest new chess parents to check out.

But most after-school chess clubs are just for fun. It's difficult for kids to have serious improvement in these clubs. There are several reasons for that.

First, the convenience of the clubs is good for attracting kids to play chess, but not good in selecting kids. Most clubs are considered as part of after-school care, basically their parents can't pick them up when school ends, so they are staying for after-school care. Parents just sign up some activities for them. They may not feel playing chess is fun. We have to admit that not everyone like to play competitive games. In such a club, it's difficult for serious kids to learn much. 

Second, because it's like care, the main goal is to keep kids occupied. No serious homework will be assigned. No students or parents would take it seriously even if homework is assigned because it's not school work. Without doing work outside club (or chess lessons), it's difficult to see improvement.

Third, because the coaches or volunteers only come in to monitor the club once a week, it's difficult to enforce any discipline if the club has some unruly kids. The teaching will not be effective if the class is disrupted and kids are distracted.

The only effective after-school chess clubs are those which have in-house coaches, and meet at least two to three times a week. The club is actually considered as an official program at school. Joining the club is an honor not an entitlement. Such schools also send out school teams to nationals and state competitions. They are running like a varsity team, as all other sports.



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Coach Andy
    Princeton Chess Academy

    Having been a chess parent for more than 10 years himself, Coach Andy will answer questions about chess, chess education, scholastic chess for chess parents from his own experience and lessons. 

    Daily Puzzles

    Steps Method

    Online Course

    Chess^Summit


    Please like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

© Copyrights 2015 All Rights Reserved | Daily Math Worksheet, LLC