Teacher Training

The ECU is concerned to ensure that teachers are given the best training to ensure that children receive the social and intellectual benefits which chess has to offer. For this purpose, the ECU has contracted with ChessPlus Limited, a company based in London, as its education delivery partner.

There are two training programmes :

• School Chess Teacher Training Course
• Chess and Mathematics Teacher Training Course

School Chess Teacher Training Course

The ECU School Chess Teacher training course comprises two days of interactive presentations, group discussions and practical exercises. The focus of the course is on how to teach chess. The course is suitable for teachers and tutors who want to make chess an exciting and educational experience for children.

The ECU School Chess Teacher Certificate is available to those who complete the course and pass an online test taken at the end of the course. The Certificate is endorsed by the European Chess Union (ECU) to recognise that the individual has an adequate level of chess knowledge and is familiar with didactical methods for the classroom.

The course is innovative in content and delivery and was developed in the ECU after a review of best practice in Europe. Attendees give very positive feedback on the course. Some 300 teachers and tutors have attended the course in the last year.

The course helps you to build up your teaching skills in chess so as to improve the general educational attainment of children. You can showcase this qualification on your CV and LinkedIn profile. The course qualifies towards Continuing Professional Development and is recognised across Europe by virtue of being accredited by the European Chess Union.

1) Attendees are expected to be able to play chess to a basic level.

2) The online test requires that the candidate brings a digital device.

Chess and Mathematics Teacher Training Course

The Chess and Mathematics teacher training course is a one-day course on how to teach mathematics problem-solving skills using games and puzzles. The course gives teachers the confidence and insight to teach maths in a fun and exciting way to children in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 (ages 8 to 12). The course comprises interactive presentations, group working, and hands-on exercises. The emphasis of the course is on innovative ways to teach problem-solving methods. The course is suitable for anybody who is involved with or interested in teaching numeracy or mathematics to children and is seeking an innovative approach. 

The games environment makes the problems seem more natural and accessible as children love to play and are motivated to search for a winning strategy. Each of the exercises has been tested in the classroom and refined accordingly. The course explains how to solve the problems using a variety of approaches. The problem-solving approach is based upon the work of George Pólya which informs mathematics teaching around the world, including the Singapore Method. The course derives from the ErasmusPlus CHAMPS Project – Chess and Mathematics in Primary Schools which has established the European reference.

It is not necessary to be able to play chess or to be knowledgeable in mathematics. The course focuses on a unique set of problems for which creative solutions are required.

This is the latest list of courses.