I have been using Freecell for many years both for pleasure and for a more
important purpose.
I've been using Freecell for both diagnosing and correcting a variety of
learning difficulties, for several years. Unlike regular solitaire, where
chance plays such a high role, in Freecell all cards are dealt out and the
challenge is pure strategy. Weaknesses in planning ahead will become
immediately evident, and continued playing will actually increase one's
ability to plan ahead, a skill not taught in conventional schools. Many
other executive level skills such as organizing, thinking, and goal
orientation are also detected & improved. While some benefit is derived by
simply playing the game often, many more including the transfer of
cognitive skills to other areas of life require a more structured approach.
As you may have guessed by now, this subject is a passion for me.
I've been analyzing people's cognitive styles for years, using a wide
variety of games, and intend to make their use more beneficial. For two
years I have been teaching Math and computers to learning disabled
high-schoolers, and have some success stories, where games worked and other
approaches did not, if your interested.
I often differ, in playing Freecell, from traditional motives such as:
1. Solve it
2. Solve it quickly (shortest possible solution).
3. Flag it as unsolvable, so one can abandon it and move on to a new game.
I am looking at the players learning & decision making styles.
My goal is to not just identify weaknesses but to improve these skills by
such pleasurable activities as playing Freecell....
I am identifying some moves by cognitive intent, such as:
Build up a sequence
Reverse a sequence
Free up a cell
Free up a column
Make it easier to think about...
etc.
If any of you are interested in turning your pleasure & passion into
significant results for our youth, let me know.
We can make a difference....
Bob
"To create New Answers; you must ask New Questions."
- Bob Gorman
http://www.kncell.org
Received on Tue Nov 20 2001 - 12:50:28 IST