Chess and Dictionary: Check Mate

        At one point over the course my academic journey, I became intellectually drawn to six areas of linguistic knowledge: phonological, morphological, orthographic, etymological, visual, and semantic. Each of those areas can be more fully understood when accompanied by knowledge of the Webster-Merriam dictionary. Learning how to unlock the linguistic treasures in the dictionary allowed me to appreciate not only the complexity of our American English sound structure, but also value the power of language. I craved knowledge of linguistics after I first learned how to read at 18 years old. It was my fix and motivated me to increase the rate at which I absorbed book knowledge.  

During one of my teaching sessions with an adult learner, we were talking about aspects of linguistics (i.e., learning to read) and the conversation of chess came up. 

Free image 

It turns out that chess and learning how to read may have some similarities. The benefits of chess include improving cognitive skills, boosting self-confidence and self-worth, and increased attention span and memory capacity, as well as providing opportunities to exercise logic. These same characteristics are ones that students can achieve when they learn about the six areas of linguistics in-depth. Learning linguistics help students appreciate the structure of language, become independent readers, and possibly even become addicted to gaining new knowledge from the dictionary. I am not a chess player but believe there are many similarities between the game and gaining word knowledge. Here are my thoughts: 

·      Playing chess brings people together over a shared passion and those learning to read (i.e., word study) may demonstrate the same sentiment when studying the six areas of linguistics with peers as those who play! 
 

·      Chess can be an excellent education tool for schools as it is a low-cost activity where students can participant before, during and after school, and even form an extracurricular club. Similarly, studying the American English sound structure through the dictionary is a low-cost activity and one that can be implemented through a school extracurricular (linguistic) club. 

·      Playing chess develops creativity as students showcase their own styles and personalities through various playing strategies. Studying the dictionary and mastering the various aspects of linguistics can foster the creativity of readers. 

·      Chess players build confidence if they put the time into studying, competing in various tournaments, analyzing mistakes, and memorizing certain strategies. With continuous repetition students may nurture a sense of confidence and become resilient in their approaches. When learning to be better readers, students can build confidence by studying the six areas of language through analyzing specific spelling patterns, knowing origins of language, and competing in spelling bees. 

·      Chess helps users develop problem-solving skills, which is similar learning how to read. Students will be challenged with various spelling patterns (i.e., orthographical & orthographical units) that they must analyze and assemble to build words. Chess players and readers have opportunities to think ahead, not rush their decisions, and evaluate those decisions.  

·      Chess and reading activate areas of the brain that exercise logic, recognize patterns, analyze and synthesize information, and rely on working memory. 


Ultimately, it is a process of metacognition that supports both the chess player and the reader. Seeking to master a full range of linguistic skills liberated me, and I feel like a winner. Check Mate!!

Follow LA Shakoor of Urban Kings & Queens Chess Academy to learn more. 

Email: Urban.kings@yahoo.com

IG: shakoorchess

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unpacking Systematic Barriers for Black Boys with a Learning Disability in Special Education

Image
Special Education classrooms are a melting pot of students who are creative, innovative, and waiting for an opportunity to shine. These are the generalized qualities the students come with as their hard-wired gifts. Students all still need to learn how to read through direct, explicit and systematic instruction, and that will only happen through effective  literacy instruction that is culturally responsive  and teacher training. Literacy should be the great equalizer for students to become academically independent. Not every student will get exposed to quality literacy instruction which pushes them to reach their full potential or positions them to achieve their freedom. However, it should be at the top of the list for educators, policymakers and administrators to train teachers to excel in literacy instruction.  Although the demographics of classrooms are changing to reflect increasingly diverse students, what remains unknown in Special Education is why there is a persi...
Read more

Learning to Read – The Key That Opened The Door

Image
As a young kid, I had always struggled with reading and avoided it at all cost. Reading should be an activity that one does for pleasure and opens their mind to endless dreams. However, reading was not an activity I enjoyed. I was engaged in behaviors that were destructive in order to avoid it. I had to attend an alternative program for two years of high school because I could not control my temper. I was angry for many reasons, but the main one was that I was not able to read.   I was not diagnosed until the age of 18 and graduated from high school reading at an elementary level. My options were very limited. Yet, my life changed in 1996 when my mentor, an angel, Dr. Robert T. Nash literally saved my life and gave me HOPE as a student who was in Special Education. He and his colleague Dr. Kitz told me I was one of the most illiterate students they had meet, but that it was not my fault. They both said the system failed me. Dr Nash saw talent in me, told me I had a gift, b...
Read more

Balancing Resources for Literacy: How Policy Impacts Literacy Quality and Modern Illiteracy Rates

Image
The Science of Reading (SoR) has become a central focus in education, emphasizing evidence-based practices for teaching literacy skills. However, alongside these instructional methods, the role of policy in shaping literacy outcomes is often overlooked.  Understanding how resources—both public and private—are allocated can shed light on why certain literacy disparities persist, even with advances in the SoR.  This piece explores the balance of resources and inequities through the lens of the equation  LQ = R {Pub + Priv (M)} - I , which highlights how policy decisions impact literacy quality and modern-day illiteracy rates. Figure 1 : A black and white vector illustration depicting the balance of resources for literacy, showing books and coins on a balanced scale, symbolizing the relationship between educational resources and funding. Created by an AI illustration tool. While instructional approaches are critical for improving reading skills, how resources are distributed...
Read more