What I found confusing was mainly all the chess terminology that I did not understand. This chapter was really straightforward, I thought.
Questions: How can we keep prodigies, like James, from falling through the cracks in academics? Also, when it comes to "team" chess championships, what does that mean? Is she creating a community for them and that is why they are doing so well? What would be different if the chess community did not exist for them?
What I find most important/interesting is that students find their niche--whether their parents and teachers help them or not. In James' case, he needed chess in order to be "productive." Also, I know exactly what they mean when they say they felt productive doing chess for 14 hours a day and nothing else. Also, I thought his end sentence about teachers making school as attractive as chess was a cute way to end the chapter.
Questions: What was it about chess that kept James and the other students fully involved. How can we make learning English/Art/French have the same impact on the student?
Also, do you think that Spiegel's "warm demander" way of approaching children was appropriate? It was definitely effective, but would you act this way?
Comment: I thought it was very interesting that ADHD students can use chess as a type of escape. I wonder how we could incorporate games like chess into curriculum for those students.
Interesting: I thought the idea behind this chapter "How to Think" was interesting! I actually tied it into what I was teaching today. Tough went into an explanation about how the "expert" chess players analyzed their positions more accurately than the novices & therefore, were more "pessimistic." He continues, "when the novices found a move they liked, they tended to fall prey to confirmation bias, to see only the ways that it could lead to success." This is similar to how the 8th graders came into the school year with certain writing skills. They now have been taught higher level writing skills & have to show that in essays & on the upcoming 8th grade writing assessment. They have to think ahead like the "expert" players & think outside the box. They cannot stick to typical middle school writing habits & the use of simple sentences or the same meh vocabulary. They have to think of how to make their writing stand out against the others. They have to think of what an opponent may say against their claim. This involves a lot of thinking ahead. So, I really like how this chapter helped me make a connection to what's going on in real-life.
I really like that Spiegel says, "I try to teach my students that losing is something you do, not something you are," (116). After all, it is just a game. But, she did seem intense A LOT throughout the chapter!
Question: However, I want to know how she recruited all of these kids to dedicate their life to practicing chess. It wasn't just for leisure; it was to improve their rating. What happened if a kid wanted to quit or lost interest? I don't think any of my schools that I attended had a chess club. When did the students have time to do their other homework for school if they were playing for hours on end?
Confusing: I guess it's more shock than confusion, but how do students with ADHD (with all their hyperactivity) focus on a game like chess? I don't even know if I could focus for hours & hours on a single game; that takes dedication. Initially, I would think that they would get frustrated if they didn't win right away. It's a very tedious type game from the reading. But, this is awesome that it is an outlet for some students. I like that aspect. I guess it's too late for me to learn. I should've started when I was 4!! haha.
What I found confusing was mainly all the chess terminology that I did not understand. This chapter was really straightforward, I thought.
ReplyDeleteQuestions: How can we keep prodigies, like James, from falling through the cracks in academics? Also, when it comes to "team" chess championships, what does that mean? Is she creating a community for them and that is why they are doing so well? What would be different if the chess community did not exist for them?
What I find most important/interesting is that students find their niche--whether their parents and teachers help them or not. In James' case, he needed chess in order to be "productive." Also, I know exactly what they mean when they say they felt productive doing chess for 14 hours a day and nothing else. Also, I thought his end sentence about teachers making school as attractive as chess was a cute way to end the chapter.
Questions: What was it about chess that kept James and the other students fully involved. How can we make learning English/Art/French have the same impact on the student?
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you think that Spiegel's "warm demander" way of approaching children was appropriate? It was definitely effective, but would you act this way?
Comment: I thought it was very interesting that ADHD students can use chess as a type of escape. I wonder how we could incorporate games like chess into curriculum for those students.
Interesting: I thought the idea behind this chapter "How to Think" was interesting! I actually tied it into what I was teaching today. Tough went into an explanation about how the "expert" chess players analyzed their positions more accurately than the novices & therefore, were more "pessimistic." He continues, "when the novices found a move they liked, they tended to fall prey to confirmation bias, to see only the ways that it could lead to success." This is similar to how the 8th graders came into the school year with certain writing skills. They now have been taught higher level writing skills & have to show that in essays & on the upcoming 8th grade writing assessment. They have to think ahead like the "expert" players & think outside the box. They cannot stick to typical middle school writing habits & the use of simple sentences or the same meh vocabulary. They have to think of how to make their writing stand out against the others. They have to think of what an opponent may say against their claim. This involves a lot of thinking ahead. So, I really like how this chapter helped me make a connection to what's going on in real-life.
ReplyDeleteI really like that Spiegel says, "I try to teach my students that losing is something you do, not something you are," (116). After all, it is just a game. But, she did seem intense A LOT throughout the chapter!
ReplyDeleteQuestion: However, I want to know how she recruited all of these kids to dedicate their life to practicing chess. It wasn't just for leisure; it was to improve their rating. What happened if a kid wanted to quit or lost interest? I don't think any of my schools that I attended had a chess club. When did the students have time to do their other homework for school if they were playing for hours on end?
Confusing: I guess it's more shock than confusion, but how do students with ADHD (with all their hyperactivity) focus on a game like chess? I don't even know if I could focus for hours & hours on a single game; that takes dedication. Initially, I would think that they would get frustrated if they didn't win right away. It's a very tedious type game from the reading. But, this is awesome that it is an outlet for some students. I like that aspect. I guess it's too late for me to learn. I should've started when I was 4!! haha.
ReplyDelete