Increasing numbers of teachers are recognising the importance of Thinking Skills in today's demanding educational environment but often lack the necessary material for a logical, structured approach.
Chesspod has been designed with precisely this in mind. Aimed at players from 8 years and upwards, it offers a structured approach to teaching chess skills, starting from complete beginner and offering all the tuition required to reach the standard of a junior county player.
In addition, it offers the non-chess-playing teacher the tools required to run a School Chess Club and in-school tournaments. It will:-
- record results
- organise inter-school leagues, all-play-all and ladder tournaments
- rate players’ games, giving an at-a-glance record of the relative strengths of the chess players in your school
- automatically award certificates for progress and other achievements
Chesspod's content has been devised and written by Peter Walker and Ellen Crozier, who are both Qualified Teachers and Chess Coaches. Peter has, for a period of two decades, been one of England's most successful coaches of junior chess players, with numerous of his pupils having won British age-group Championships, as well as having won National titles as members of School and County teams; Ellen is Head of History at Maidstone Girls' Grammar School. She was a member of the Temple Sutton School team which won the National under-11 Championship in 1992, and throughout her teens was one of England's strongest female players in her age group.
Press Next to try some of the coaching exercises from pawnpod.