Chess in Schools
The state of Idaho is committing to a state-wide program of chess instruction for 2nd and 3rd graders. As someone who loved playing chess as a kid, worshipped the sane Bobby Fischer and dreamed of a comeback, and a proponent of constructivist approaches to education, I normally love this kind of thing. (There’s an argument that chess isn’t external or project enough to be constructivist, but there’s some alliance there.)
Now, I’m starting to wonder. Is chess nothing more than a measure for under-funded schools — short on textbooks, lab equipment, notebooks, teachers — to bring something to these kids?
On the upside, they’re using the web to bring a chess expert into the classroom and it does attempt to bring some history and math into it.