Whilst studying the website of the Mawson Centre, University of Adelaide, South Australia, I encountered this:-
"Chess Club SA run a school holiday program at the end of every term here at The Mawson Centre. Normally the first Wednesday of holidays, kids enjoy a day of chess play and friendly tournament activities.
For all the latest news and bookings for the program- please visit
www.chessschool.com.au
The seven greatest benefits of chess
Focusing • Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully.
Visualizing • Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens.
Thinking Ahead • Children are taught to think first, and then act. Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness.
Weighing Options • Children are taught that they don’t have to do the first thing that pops into their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.
Analyzing Concretely • Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences. Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse.
Thinking Abstractly • Children are taught to step back periodically from details and consider the bigger picture. They also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different, but related situations.
Planning • Children are taught to develop goals. They are also taught of the need to reevaluate their plans as new developments change the situation"
"Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness." as regular users of this forum will know, er,... Chess as a learning aid sounds more plausible than as an anti-dementia treatment.
The centre is named after legendary Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, whose team members did play chess when in their hut in the frozen wastes just over a century ago.
