Educators Target 1,000 Pupils for Accelium Online Olympics

Educators Target 1,000 Pupils for Accelium Online Olympics

Uchechukwu Nnaike

The partnership between two organisations, Simply Un4gettable and the Intentional Teachers Network is set to transform the Nigerian educational space, as they plan to enrol 1,000 pupils for the Accelium Edu Olympics coming up next month.

The Accelium Edu Olympics is an online worldwide smart game competition between schools, a strictly educational tournament that brings together children from all over the world. “Our objective is to introduce at least 1,000 Nigerian students to ‘Strategic Thinking Skills’ in 2020 via the Accelium International Olympics.”

Briefing journalists in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer of Simply Un4gettable, Mrs. Adeidunu Uba said Accelium Edu provides engaging, research-proven tools that will fascinate students and develop their thinking skills, adding that the platform harnesses the power of strategy games to teach practical methods, effectively preparing students for the real challenges of the 21st century.

She said registration is currently ongoing and will close on April 15, while the Olympics will commence on April 27, 2020, adding that during the tournament, students will individually solve challenges and earn points for each challenge they solve. “The points will be added to the total school points and ratings.”

On the benefits of Accelium Edu to students, Uba said it teaches core skills like problem-solving, logical thinking, systematic vision, tactical calculation, resource management and task switching; as well as soft skills like creative problem-solving, decision making, performance under pressure, collaboration, persistence and adaptive to change.

Restating the the objective of enrolling 1,000 students for the Accelium Edu Olympics, she said: “Enrolling students into this competition is a great step towards developing their thinking
skills (core skills and soft skills) from an early age. And preparing them for the future of work in the 21st century.”
According to her, “Chess masters use the game as a mentoring tool that helps their students develop both cognitively and emotionally, taking away useful strategies that can be applied in various problems and domains.

“In 1994, a team of game experts decided to extend the chess-mentoring experience to a variety of strategy games, creating a powerful learning tool that is universally accessible. The innovative methodology born out of this venture is now taught in 12 languages and over 30 countries around the world. More than 5,000,000 learners and 10,000 teachers have embraced the Accelium method to date.”

Also speaking, the Director of The Intentional Teachers Network, Mrs. Adeiye Oluwaseun-Sobo said the innovative game-based training and assessment tools were inspired by combined personal coaching, team workshops and mobile learning to develop strategic thinking and resilience.
She described it as a unique game, which intensively promotes the learning process in a comprehensive manner covering the cognitive, emotional and social aspects of the students. “Using strategy games to captivate students’ imagination, evaluate their skills and develop strategic thinking, self-awareness, focus and persistence.”

She added that the Accelium Edu system creates a safe environment where teachers and students interact freely, creates an exciting and stirring environment, promotes engagement and stimulates discussions on skills development.

On the modalities for the Olympics, she said the tournament is for students in primary schools and junior secondary schools, adding that the first stage is an open tournament, with four tournaments that will hold simultaneously for pupils in primary one to junior secondary school.
The stage two ‘all-stars finales’, she said will involve 10 schools of every age group, that received the highest ratings in the first stage of the tournament (40 schools in total). “These schools will compete for the title, ‘Accelium World Champion.”

Also, teachers who accompany the students and also play an important role in the preparation and engagement of the school and the students will be invited to an online webinar, free access to the Accelium Campus and enrichment materials. “No special skills are required for the teachers, they just need to be comfortable around technology and willing to learn new methods of teaching.”

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