Programme 380, Playing Chess in School (20-11-19)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I bring you an interview with Liam Murray who is secretary of Ficheall, a network of teachers around Ireland who teach chess in primary school. Among the topics discussed and the resources mentioned are the following: Is chess a curricular or extra-curricular activity? What students learn from playing chess: developing their social, cognitive and mental fitness skills How he organises chess teaching in his own classroom, using the lesson plans on the website and adopting a “(mini-) game-based” approach Organising a school chess tournament Helping students lose and win gracefully Using a points system to decide who wins a game of chess with limited time to play Describing the game of chess (what is meant by checkmate and castling?) History of the game How chess compares to draughts How children respond to playing chess How Liam first became involved in teaching chess in schools when he was a student teaher How different children respond to learning or playing chess Playing face to face versus playing on apps or computers Children getting better at chess over time The “Masters” competition (for fifth and sixth class) and the “Budding Masters” competition (for third and fourth class). Children playing chess from first class onwards Why it’s good to play chess with players who are better than you (“If you’re not losing, you’re not learning”) Resources available on the Ficheall website The Ficheall network of teachers How inter-school chess tournaments are organised (the “Swiss System, ” timing games) The role of chess arbiters in inter-school tournaments Relationship of Ficheall to Moves for Life How Liam got interested in chess himself Follow-on opportunities for children to play chess Opportunities for playing chess in post primary schools (Leinster Schools Chess Association) The use of clocks in professional chess games What is school for/what are schools for Volunteering with Graham Jones and the Solas Project How he is inspired by the selfless dedication of teachers Evidence-Based Teachers’ Network Anseo podcasts Book Bounce by Matthew Syed. Book Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed. Book Bad Science by Ben Goldacre