Michigan League of Academic Games

Ask Rod

Assistant Executive Director Rod Beard answers your academic games questions.

This month's feature: Tips on getting a new program started

Every year, there are plenty of new schools that join the MLAG and begin a new program. For new coaches, it’s a daunting task – partly because there are so many experienced players from schools who have been playing for several years and because there’s so much information that needs to be processed in order to coach effectively.

 It’s not easy to coach an established team – not to mention starting a new team at a new school. I started my program at University Prep in 2000 with a group of sixth-graders – most of whom never had heard of Equations or Academic Games. This year, that same group of sixth-graders are seniors and help out with the juniors and even with my middle-school and elementary programs. On some days, I let my students run practices while I work with a specific group of students or do other coaching tasks.

 What helps in starting a program is creating an atmosphere where students aren’t afraid to take the reins and lead things themselves. Even in situations where all of the players are inexperienced or shy, there’s usually one who will step up and be the team leader. This is usually the one who makes sure that all the games have the right cubes, that everything is ready for a Saturday tournament and reminds the others that permission slips are due. Some kids are the captains of sports teams, some are great at organizing things – try to find the student at your school who is a little of both.

 Another key is to make Academic Games more than just a class or an after-school activity. Many coaches have practices during their lunch times or on weekends. When students think of Academic Games as a “team” instead of a “class” then they can feel more like a part of the social aspect rather than just the academic. Our students have so many other classes and other outside activities that we as coaches have to make sure that we can keep them interested. After Saturday tournaments, I try to take my team to Pizza Hut, go bowling or play Laser Tag to help them build camaraderie outside of playing Academic Games. Sometimes, it’s just the little things that the kids care about and helps to keep their minds off all the hard work they do throughout the year.

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