Teaching Educational Chess: Chess as a Tool for Learning, Focus, and Fun! (CANCELED)

Name: Teaching Educational Chess: Chess as a Tool for Learning, Focus, and Fun! (CANCELED)
Start: 2025-11-01T09:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-11-02T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 2200 S High St, Bloomington, IN

Schedule

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025 at 09:00 am to Sun, 02 Nov, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

2200 S High St, Bloomington, IN | Bloomington, IN

Thank you for RSVPing for our inaugural educational chess workshop, held over the weekend, November 1-2!
Chess is an educational tool you can use right now in your classrooms for instruction in mathematics, visual arts, social-emotional learning, literacy, and more. Not to mention, chess teaches students essential skills for life, such as multi-step thinking, pattern recognition, collaboration, communication, patience, impulse control, flexibility, creativity, and self-esteem. Kids need a vessel like the game of chess for growth and success in the 21st century.
SEE OUR FLYER FOR LOCATION AND TIME DETAILS! NOTE THERE IS ONLY SPACE FOR 20 ATTENDEES! RSVP QUICK!
This two-day workshop caters to many different students and professionals:
- Current PK-12 educators and paraprofessionals in public and private school settings
- Future educators at the IU School of Education, graduate and undergraduate
- Chess instructors and coaches in and around our community
- Youth programming leaders and staff at organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington, Banneker Center, etc.
- ANYONE with an interest in best practices for teaching educational chess to children
Participants may opt to attend one or both workshop days, but to reap the full rewards, coming to both is critical.
- On Saturday, November 1 (9am-3pm), we discuss how to introduce the game of chess to children step by step, utilizing a variety of instructional materials, digital technologies, and minigames.
- On Sunday, November 2 (3:45-6pm), we discuss the numerous transdisciplinary benefits of chess in the classroom, how to best demonstrate those curriculum links in one’s day-to-day practice, and look at success stories from New York City, Chicago, South Africa, and more.
- Topics covered on both days feed off one another. If you attend Saturday but miss Sunday, you’ll be asking WHY. If you attend Sunday but miss Saturday, you’ll be asking HOW. You’d miss major pieces of the puzzle if you attend just one day. That’s why we strongly encourage you to carve out time for both days.
Participating fully in this workshop rewards you in many ways:
- For a cost of €10, receive an official International Chess Federation (FIDE) certificate of participation to hang on the wall in your classroom!
- Add your participation to your resume
- IU students: Ask us for a reference or letter of recommendation!
- Free entry for you or your child(ren) to attend Hoosier Chess Academy Sunday programs till January 2026
(We are working to submit this workshop for eligibility for PGP points. Stay tuned, and ask your admin!)
About the workshop director:
Ben Foley is a FIDE-certified Lead School Instructor who has taught chess for ten years (and counting!). He strongly believes in the value of chess as a tool for learning and growth in classroom settings worldwide. Currently, he’s a substitute teacher at MCCSC and soon will be a full-time classroom educator.
About Hoosier Chess Academy:
Hoosier Chess Academy (HCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that runs chess programs, tournaments, and camps for people in the Bloomington region. In 2025-26, we serve approximately 150 students in chess enrichment programs across five school sites. We are a growing organization that is already a leader in chess enrichment in Southern Indiana.
Questions? Contact [email protected] or 812-318-2875. See you soon!