Teaching Go Rules
Keywords: Rules
This topic is a sub-topic of Teaching Go To Newcomers, which is itself a sub-topic of Teaching Methods
There is no generally valid method for teaching go rules. Your used method must consider
- the teacher's teaching style
- the teacher's preferred scoring method
- the pupil's preferred learning style
- the pupil's prior knowledge
- a suitable amount of taught knowledge
- a suitable structure for taught knowledge
- a consistent terminology used for teaching
In practice this means in particular:
- Which rules does one teach? Alternation, removal, scoring or also removal of own stones, recreation, compensation points, etc.?
- Has the teacher understood the difference between definition of the scoring method and mechanical counting procedure for determining the score of a particular game?
- Which terminology shall be used? "surrounded"? "string", "empty region", "liberty", "wihout liberty"? "adjacent", "connected", "region"? Or another terminology?
- Is the structure clear enough to separate 1) rules, 2) rules terminology, 3) environmental rules (like time, nigiri, handicap), 4) environmental rules' terminology, 5) strategy, 6) strategic terminology (like strategic connection, strategic eye, strategic eye space, strategic coexistence), 7) cultural context (like traditional politeness rules)?