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An interesting idea on punishment

My brother used to work out an Outdoor Therapy camp here in Georgia. They took problem kids and trained them to live outdoors, to build their own shelters, to take care of themselves (and others) in the woods. I don't know if they ever taught them to play chess, but it does sound like an idea worth considerable investigation.
 
Loren Pechtel said:
http://theconversation.com/judges-sentence-youth-offenders-to-chess-with-promising-results-96172

The URL says it.
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Nothing like a punishment:
Punishment
4. (Psychology) any aversive stimulus administered to an organism as part of training
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aversive
Causing avoidance of a thing, situation, or behavior by using an unpleasant or punishing stimulus.
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Not even a sentence:
Sentence
2. The penalty imposed by a law court or other authority upon someone found guilty of a crime or other offense.
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Penalty
1. A punishment imposed for a violation of law.
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I guess it's mandatory reeducation.

I guess the question is why chess should be more effective than other forms of reeducation.

Is it that it's both a game and a serious one, requiring players to focus on every move to reach the objective, to develop their pieces, to learn the tactical and strategic value of the different moves, to differentiate the values of the pieces themselves and their different values at different moments of the game. This may provide a convenient blueprint for conducting your own life, something the kids just lacked until then.
EB
 
gmbteach said:
We do have programs at school where our challenging darlings are given bikes to restore. It teaches them about cooperation etc.

Seems to be working.
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Not surprising. Chess is too cerebral. Restoring bikes provides external sensory confirmation of success.
As games go, chess isn't a very good analog to real-life problems anyway. I think backgammon would be a better teacher.
 
Elixir said:
gmbteach said:
We do have programs at school where our challenging darlings are given bikes to restore. It teaches them about cooperation etc.

Seems to be working.
Click to expand...

Not surprising. Chess is too cerebral. Restoring bikes provides external sensory confirmation of success.
As games go, chess isn't a very good analog to real-life problems anyway. I think backgammon would be a better teacher.
Click to expand...

Dodge ball, if played with soft nerf like balls, is also good for pent up energy, excess anger and kids being able to overlay the faces of the other team with people they're pissed off at. Just sayin', playin' it as a kid was quite cathartic enough I never wanted to use anything else on an actual person I was pissed at, especially if my team won leading t not even needing to rub it in cuz the numbers wouldn't lie, only people do.
 
So far, we have observed that the youth, for the most part, like to come to instructional sessions. They say they really like how quiet the room is and that for the couple of hours they’re in the classroom, things slow down and it’s just chess.

They can leave the distractions, challenges, hurt and pain of their day at the door.

We’ve also noticed the youth have become more thoughtful. They ask good questions about moments in the game — questions that demonstrate they are developing problem-solving and planning skills.

They now know why the four middle squares of the board are important; we all need a strong centre. Before they move a player, we hear them plan their moves by working through the consequences of moving a piece in a particular way.

Perhaps the most revealing comment one youth has shared — reflecting the positive influence of the program — is that he wishes he had “learned to play chess a lot earlier.”
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“If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.”

Students can tell when a teacher genuinely believes in their ability, and it inspires self-belief and a desire to try.

While the idea of teaching chess is interesting, I suspect the precise nature of the activity is not nearly as important as the presence of inspiring teachers.
 
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