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Course Information
ED 4359 Chess II - Using Institutional & Cultural Contexts of Chess
Course Description 3 semester hours. ED 4359 students give examples of the roles of
chess in history and in contemporary culture. Students in ED 4359 analyze essays on
chess in education. Each student’s culminating paper proposes improving an existing
chess program or developing a new chess program.
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes ED 4359 students learn the history of chess and
consider its implications. Students summarize research and discuss resources to teach the
game of chess. Students demonstrate knowledge of chess through playing and notating a
game of chess with a classmate opponent. Students write a proposal for a chess program
for an institution.
Course texts are on reserve at the UTD McDermott library. Required and suggested
course texts are available for sale at the UTD bookstore, Off Campus books, and through
online book retailers. Exception: Tim Redman’s book may only be available from Off
Campus books at:
561 W. Campbell Road, #201
Richardson, TX 75080
972-907-8398
fax 972-907-0311
These references are in APA style citation, which you will use for your paper for this
course. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is
Root, A. W. (2009). Read, write, checkmate: Enrich literacy with chess activities.
Westport, CT: Teacher Ideas Press. ISBN-10: 1591587549.
Root, A. W. (2010). People, place, checkmates: Teaching social studies with chess. Santa
Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN-10: 1591587549.
Students receive a First Lessons in Chess© CD, available free from UTD
Interdisciplinary Studies, Debbie Buckner <dbuckner@utdallas.edu> or (972) 883-2057.
Root, A. W. (2006). Children and chess: A guide for educators. Westport, CT: Teacher
Ideas Press. ISBN: 1591583586.
Although Web sites and computer software display two-dimensional chess sets
and boards, I recommend that each Chess Online student acquire a chess board with
algebraic notation on its borders and a chess set. You can find such chess boards and sets
at www.uschess.org or www.amchesseq.com.
Technical Requirements
ED 4359 will be offered through eLearning. For information about eLearning, please go
to http://www.utdallas.edu/oee/distance/index.html
Unit One:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Students will acquire the course texts and CD. Students will read chapters 2 and 3 of
Root (2009) and compare how chess is taught in that book to how it is taught in chapters
on the same topic on the CD. From his or her UTD email, the student will email the
instructor a three paragraph response. (50 points)
II. Students will select an institution about which to write a Paper #1 (program proposal)
to improve, or develop, a chess program there, and, from their UTD email account, email
their choice to the UTD instructor. The instructor will email back and forth with the
student until a clear agreement is reached. (20 points)
III. Students post a self-introduction on the Discussion Board, in Discussion A. The self-
introduction will tell the student’s chess level, major in college (or degree earned), job,
and other general introductory information. (30 points)
IV. Students know all the rules of chess. Read Root (2010, chapter 5) to review the rules
of chess. (0 points)
Unit Two:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Play at least 5 moves of chess with a classmate. The instructor will assign you a
classmate to play with. You will need to finish the game by Unit Six, to post about it
again in Unit Six. For Unit Two, you will post the notation and annotations of the first
five moves of the game in Discussion B. Read Chapter 4 of Root (2009) for how to notate
and annotate a chess game. (50 points)
II. Post on Discussion C the one best chess book, Web site, or piece of chess software for
your proposed chess program. Tell why this one curriculum item is best for your
institution (remind us of the name of the school, grade levels OR the name of the center,
ages taught, etc.). Your Paper #1, which is a chess program proposal, is based on this
discussion and subsequent discussions! Read Tom Brownscombe’s essay “Chess
Resources for Classroom Teachers” in Redman (2006). (50 points)
Unit Three:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
Unit Four:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Discussion Board G. What are the mental processes associated with chess? Which
processes are most in need of development among your community’s members? (50
points)
II. To be successful on Discussion G, students read and quote from Redman (2006): Bart
essays, “How children solve simple endgame problems” and “What is known about what
occurs in the brain.” (0 points)
III. Discussion Board H: What negative outcomes are associated with chess, and how can
those be avoided? Are there particular negative outcomes that members of your
community might be susceptible to? (50 points)
IV. To be successful on Discussion H, students read and quote from Redman (2006):
Problems section which includes Root, “Crying” and Kiewra & Igo, “Distractions.”
V. ED 5345 students read the first half of Birth of the Chess Queen by Yalom (2004). (0
points)
Unit Five:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Discussion Board I: What stories from the history of chess will resonate most with your
proposed chess program population? Summarize the history contained in the readings
you picked, and then explain why those historical lessons will be meaningful in your
proposed Paper #1 chess program. (100 points; this means an extra long and detailed
answer.)
II. To succeed on Discussion Board I, all students in ED 4359 and ED 5345 choose and
then read three lessons from Root (2010): one lesson from chapter 2, one lesson from
chapter 3, and one lesson from chapter 4. In Redman (2006), read the “In the Spirit of
Caissa: Chess and Holistic Education” essay by Ed Hirsch. ED 5345 students cite also
from all parts of Yalom (2004). (0 points)
III. For Discussion I, and to continue preparing for their Paper #2, ED 5345 students will
read the second half of Yalom (2004). (0 points)
Unit Six:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Discussion Board J: Play, notate, and analyze the remaining moves of your chess game
with your classmate opponent, which you first posted about during Unit Two. (50 points)
II. Discussion Board K: Summarize and analyze your choice of one of the following
author’s essays from Redman (2006): Redman, Kopec, Bayley, Moreno, Potts, Kiewra
(“Developing Masters” essay), Samer, or Gobet & Jansen. Show how the essay applies to
your institution. (50 points)
III. ED 5345 students only: Paper #2 is due.
Unit Seven:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Discussion Board L: Which chess in education research study do you think would be
most persuasive to leaders of your target institution? Describe the methods, results, and
implications for members of your institution of the study that you selected. To be
successful on Discussion Board L, read in Redman (2006) all of the following: Eberhard,
Gobet & Campitelli, Benson, and Ferguson. (50 points)
II. Discussion Board M: Give one example of chess as metaphor, art, sport, science,
history, or symbol that you plan to use in Paper #1. To be successful on Discussion M,
choose one lesson plan from Root (2010) to discuss. (50 points)
Unit Eight:
Here are the objectives for this Unit, and the points you earn for achieving each objective.
More details about each objective can be found by reading the pages of the online Unit.
I. Paper #1 is due for all students. (450 points toward Paper #1 grade)
II. Discussion N: Funding opportunities. All students search online and find funding
source(s) for their proposed program. Post the granting institution, description of grant,
and the link. ED 4359 students describe one opportunity. ED 5345 students summarize
three opportunities. (50 points)
III. Email me what you liked about the course, what you didn’t like, and your suggestions
for future versions of this course. (50 points)
Grading Policy
Each Unit is worth 100 points. Thus the Units are worth 800 points (50% of an
ED 4359 student’s course grade) and the Paper #1 is worth 800 points (the other 50% of
an ED 4359 student’s course grade). Please see previous section of this syllabus for
detailed point by point break-down within each 100 point unit. Please see after the
grading scale for criteria for your Paper #1. Grading scale is as follows (out of 1600
points possible):
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