TEACHERS & EDUCATORS

NEWS

THE VISION: By 2035, Australian Scrabble will be a thriving, nationally celebrated mind sport. 

We envision a future where:

-  -  Scrabble is recognised and respected as a mind sport with pathways to the Australian and World Youth Scrabble Championships.

-  -  Juniors compete locally and globally, with pathways to the Australian and World Youth Scrabble Championships.

-   - Live-streamed tournaments - attract sponsors and spectators, with expert commentary.

-   - Paid coaching roles and leadership opportunities keep talent in the game long-term.

-   - Australia leads globally, hosting world-class events and innovating with apps and new and exciting tournament formats.

With the support of YASPA and the existing organised Scrabble community in Australia, we invite teachers to join us in working towards this vision.

Be a part of a scene that’s exciting and growing and working towards addressing literacy and numeracy outcomes. A 2024 study revealed that 1 in 3 students are not meeting basic literacy and numeracy expectations. We do a lot to encourage physical sports in Australia - and what a great thing that is - but shouldn’t we be doing more to encourage sports of the mind? We believe so.

HAVE YOU IDENTIFIED STUDENTS AS HIGH POTENTIAL OR “GIFTED AND TALENTED”?

Seriously consider competitive Scrabble as a curriculum extension activity for children who have been identified as High Potential in the Intellectual and Creative domains. An obstacle to inclusion of competitive Scrabble as part of school curricula has been the lack of suitably qualified teachers to lead the instruction. Some of us on the YASPA committee are experienced teachers who are working to develop programs to assist you to achieve success with your students.

To a large extent, we will be learning and growing together, building community and leadership skills in your students and your broader learning community.

HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Scrabble is a complex game. That’s the beauty of it. And children who are intellectually gifted love the complexity. It’s a learning journey as they first understand the rules and learn the high frequency words. Then , as they progress, they will come to enjoy the thrill and challenge of a close endgame, as well as other complexities of the game . To help you get started, we can offer suggestions regarding equipment and set up, and provide suggested scope and sequence for effective learning. We’ve been doing it successfully for a while now. We would love to have more educators on board who are passionate about providing a rich learning experience for your children.

We’re here to help. Contact us today.