tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201274142024-03-12T22:19:27.126-05:00Chess-SquaredA numeracy, engagement and well-being initiative of the Mt. Alexander cluster of schools, originally funded by Innovations & Excellence.
A partnership supported by Castlemaine Chess Club, Schools of the Mt. Alexander Cluster, Maryborough Education Centre, & University of New England- NSW.Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-32190417490752858122011-03-22T06:06:00.004-05:002011-03-22T06:20:53.616-05:00NAB Chess CupThe inaugural NAB Chess Cup, played at the NAB Bank academy on Thursday 10th March 2011, was a brilliant day out. Students from across the Mt. Alexander cluster took a bus from Winters Flat Primary School, with 55 people plus on board, to the NAB Bank headquarters at Docklands. We departed at 8.00am and we arrived home at 4.00 pm. The atmosphere at the NAB Bank Tournament was electric. The NAB Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-21836156775986507462010-10-06T06:49:00.006-05:002010-10-06T07:19:05.900-05:00Schools First IMPACT AWARD winner !!The Chess-Squared Program has been acknowledged with a $50,000 Impact Award as part of the Schools First 2010 Awards. The funding will secure the program for the next 4 years and allow research into the benefits of chess in schools to continue. The supporting evidence of the application can be found here. The judges comments about the project are outlined below. More news to follow.Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-18310775772910431992010-09-17T09:58:00.001-05:002010-09-17T10:01:22.849-05:005th Annual Mt. Alexander Cluster Schools Tournament.The fifth annual Mt. Alexander Cluster Chess-Squared Tournament was the largest and most successful to date.Students from Castlemaine North P.S, Castlemaine South P.S, Campbells Creek, Maldon, Harcourt Valley, Winters Flat, Elphinstone, Taradale, St. Mary’s, MEC, Malmsbury, and Newstead converged on Castlemaine Secondary College for the day.Over 250 students attended and Castlemaine Primary Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-86955163351880471442010-07-01T05:35:00.001-05:002010-07-01T05:47:46.177-05:00Over the Board with HarryHi fellow chess aficionados,I have been neglecting the blog lately but am going to remedy that in the coming time.Just to give you an insight into the scope and depth of the Chess Squared Program (CSP) in September, fifteen schools, who use chess in their math's curriculum, will compete in the Mt Alexander School Cluster Regional Chess Championships. There will be approximately 290 primary Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-14576121931442475242010-06-03T07:22:00.004-05:002010-06-04T02:26:55.562-05:00Playing to LearnHave to confess up, I'm a sucker for some of these web2.0 technologies, and feel all my Christmas's came at once stumbling across this website. In the 5 years this blog has been running, so much in web2.0 land has changed. This program called prezi allows quite stunning presentations to be made including this one examing the role of 'play' in 'learning': a topic we've been interested at Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-89555761873560021662010-04-24T21:27:00.007-05:002010-04-24T22:21:32.760-05:00Social Capital. Part1: The missing piece of the jigsaw.When I heard a presentation about social capital a few years ago, I had an ‘a-ha moment’. Since then I’ve explored and read different viewpoints and have reached the conclusion the construct remains the great ‘sleeper’ in education. Truly understanding what social capital is, and how to build it in schools, lies at the heart of improving a range of different outcomes.One paradox with social Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-50235239882278766122010-02-20T02:35:00.004-05:002010-02-20T03:24:31.470-05:00Tutor Profile: JOHN LAVERY.John Lavery is a legend in the local chess scene. In the 1990’s he retired from his job and moved to Castlemaine. He now spends his time tutoring young children in the game of Chess at seven different schools and has taught about 400 students in his three years of tutoring. Lavery stays motivated when teaching children chess, by always hoping that he will discover ‘exciting chess talent’.Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-36014697945002206882009-11-19T05:18:00.004-05:002009-11-19T05:24:58.537-05:00Whats a WORDLE? Click the image and find out.Wordle is just one of those web 2.0 technolgies that seem to be born by the minute. Click the image and see a larger wordle created from the Chess-Squared blog.Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-11368920094122079542009-05-30T10:08:00.015-05:002010-01-05T20:12:01.385-05:00NAB's SCHOOLS FIRST- Celebrating school-community partnerships.Chess Squared from Schools First on Vimeo.Schools First is a fantastic new initiative that is about improving outcomes for young people.At its heart, Schools First is about bringing together students, teachers, parents and community members, to support each other and help improve student outcomes.The Chess Squared Program has been honoured to selected as a best-practice example being shown to 80 Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-68169296527102427282008-11-01T05:36:00.006-05:002008-11-18T01:18:41.569-05:00SEL- Social & Emotional LearningDaniel Goleman's interview was recorded on December 10, 2007, at the CASEL Forum, an event in New York City that brought together seventy-five global leaders in education and related fields to raise awareness about social and emotional learning (SEL) and introduce important scientific findings related to SEL.
Goleman talks from a historic perspective examining studies that aimed to deal with a Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-14163858464111327242008-09-15T06:50:00.002-05:002008-09-15T07:11:22.647-05:003rd Mt. Alexander Cluster Chess Tournament.Schools chess is 'big' in Castlemaine. And when they built the Old Castlemaine Gaol 150-odd years ago, nobody thought one day it would be full of schoolchildren playing the Royal Game. A record number of 270 students from far and wide participated in the third annual Mt. Alexander Cluster Primary Schools Chess Tournament held at the old Castlemaine Gaol. The event is officially the largest Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-12233728788151380702008-09-08T07:48:00.005-05:002008-09-15T07:16:30.958-05:00Report from CSC Jnr. Campus TournamentThey came from far and wide. About 100 Students from Daylesford, Kyneton, Maryborough and local primary schools came to do battle for bragging honours at the annual CSC (Castlemaine Secondary College) Chess Championship.All of the students seemed to handle the rigors of the tournament day really well. They were highly motivated and played some really exciting games. It was no place for the faint Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-74499381056742007332008-08-30T07:03:00.002-05:002008-08-30T07:07:30.359-05:00TOURNAMENT TIMEWhen they were building the Old Castlemaine Gaol 150-odd years ago, nobody thought the place would one day be filled with young schoolchildren doing battle over chess boards.Monday 15TH September sees the third annual Mt. Alexander Cluster Schools Chess Tournament at the iconic Castlemaine landmark.It is expected 300 primary school students will converge on the venue, including first-timers from Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-50850052885567979112008-07-27T02:02:00.007-05:002008-08-02T03:28:00.316-05:00OVER THE BOARD WITH HARRY: The work of Fernando MorenoVELs Thinking Domain says “Our world and the world of the future demand that all students are supported to become effective and skilful thinkers.” http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/interdisciplinary/thinking/index.html ) The Chess Squared Program encapsulated the directives and spirit of the new VELS strands of Physical, Personal and Social Learning and Interdisciplinary Learning (VictorianSteve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-49744963422734701312008-07-16T06:43:00.006-05:002008-07-16T06:57:44.397-05:00OVER THE BOARD WITH HARRY-Albert Bandura and self-efficacyHow can we explain the phenomena of boy’s enthusiasm and success in the Chess Squared Program (CSP)? They do poorly at math/science these days compared with girls and fall way behind girls on every index particularly EQ areas yet they do so well at chess. The key issues raised here centre upon self efficacy, resilience and achievement. The CSP has engendered high success amongst many low Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-22908140366627138632008-05-31T04:23:00.006-05:002008-05-31T08:33:36.402-05:00Leading by example.It might have nothing to do with chess. Or has it?Last year I wrote a post of a former schoolteacher colleague, Lambis Englezos, an amateur historian who claimed to know the whereabouts of 173 Australian soldiers unaccounted for from WW1. They were in a paddock somewhere in France.For 6 years Lambis’ investigations received ridicule from both the highest ranks of Government Departments, and Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-13067426694450152442008-05-28T04:51:00.004-05:002008-05-29T22:26:47.475-05:00This Learning Life 2- University of Bristol 19-21 June 2008This Learning Life 2 Conference, held in Bristol UK, is for everyone who wishes education to provide all young people with a more powerful preparation for life in the 21st century. The presumption is that current 'schooling' often develops a rather arcane and anachronistic set of learning skills and attitudes; and if education is in part a preparation for lifelong learning, richer models of Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-65962554180676099712008-05-21T06:33:00.010-05:002008-05-22T03:22:48.612-05:00Chess Squared goes to MaryboroughStudents at Maryborough Education Centre , 45km west of Castlemaine, are fast becoming proficient chess players.In term 1 our program developer, Harry Poulton, worked with Well-Being Officer Marg Gallagher to adapt the Chess-Squared Program to Years 3-4-5-6 students at Maryborough Education Centre, and the results were immediate.Gallagher said: ‘The level of interest of even the youngest Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-38760483884320839302008-05-07T07:56:00.009-05:002008-05-21T04:34:58.541-05:00Jonathan Rowson- an interesting thinkerI first came across the work of Guy Claxton reading Sam Grumonts blog and thinkings about slow-learning. Two of Claxton’s more interesting ideas are i)that the mind needs to be given time to create meaning hence the phrase slow learning, and ii) that the modern maths curriculum has lost its way.Almost serendipidously, we met Jonathan Rowson in Aberdeen last year. Interesting fellow Rowson. Born Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-54144949234396138992008-05-03T08:01:00.006-05:002008-05-21T04:40:20.455-05:002008 BeginsBefore we knew it, 2008 was well and truly underway. As our ‘man-on-the-ground’ Sam Grumont has taken a coaching position in other parts Loddon, our link between the 12 schools is relying solely on e-mail. This will certainly make things challenging.Our focus this year will be ‘whats happening in the classrooms’, and 'research perpsectives', and by the end of the year we want profiles from all Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-15100649780860237212007-11-24T04:39:00.001-05:002008-02-24T04:07:08.944-05:00THE AUSTRALIAN 24/11/07: Schools make the move to chess. By Justine FerrariNO longer the secret, dusty passion of nerdy types that live in the school library, chess is now the fastest growing sport in the nation's schools.Even members of the footy team play chess these days. The national school chess competition has grown exponentially over the past five years, by 40 to 50 per cent every year, with some competitors as young as five. Other schools are taking chess out ofSteve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-40702820918496877212007-11-14T05:43:00.001-05:002008-02-24T04:06:25.395-05:00My Brilliant Brain- National Geographic DocumentaryMy Brilliant Brain is a 3-part series examining the concept of genius- and putting forward the notion that genius is created through perserverence and hard work.The first episode, screened in Australia last Friday on Pay TV, traced the story of Grandmaster Susan Polgar, who was bought up by her psychologist father as an experiment to prove that, if trained properly, a female can be as competitve Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-25189200814289751232007-11-09T00:51:00.001-05:002008-02-24T04:05:44.333-05:00The 'J' FactorMark Johansson has ‘gone the extra yard’ this year with chess coaching on the junior campus of Castlemaine Secondary College. And the tournament results have been rewarding.Twice a week, for the whole year, Johansson’s voice booms over the lunchtime announcements: : “CHESSSSSSS……. IS……ONNNNNN….….IN …..LAWWWSON….. HAAAALL!” where the ‘true believers’ refine their skills in a relaxed and informal Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-7733940070687445482007-11-05T01:23:00.001-05:002008-02-24T04:05:17.498-05:00Sam Grumont interviews Ross AllengameIt's stalwarts like Ross Allengame who make Chess-Squared successful. Here, the Castlemaine Primary School teacher talks to Sam Grumont about his recent success in our cluster tournament and the benefits of chess in his classroom. Sam: what is your reaction to your kids winning the chess tournament?Ross: I was very, very pleased with the way they performed. I was a bit worried about round Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20127414.post-75753325629692246262007-09-27T02:09:00.003-05:002008-05-21T04:36:08.766-05:00A message to CISCCON from Harry Poulton Harry Poulton is one of our tutors, and the driving force behind the Chess-Squared Program.A mastery learner is one who perseveres and doesn't give up. Let's just say this video is a victory for man over technology!Steve Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434993363900914319noreply@blogger.com2