Playing for Practice (Games that Teach)

As classroom practitioners, we may at times be reluctant to use games as part of the learning process. There exists a perception of games as being somewhat ‘frivolous’ and having no place where ‘real math’ is being done.

But a well constructed math game can offer a powerful learning (and teaching) tool and enhance the mathematical experience at any grade level.

How can you tell the difference? Here are some key questions to ask yourself as you construct your own math games or filter through the plethora of games that already exist:

• Is it engaging? Would I want to do it? Try to measure the interest level from the eyes of your students.

• What specific concept or skill am I targeting? (If you don’t know what you are looking for, how will you recognize it when it happens?)

• Are the steps and materials simple enough to make it something that can happen easily? Could my students take it home and play it without my instruction?

• What questions can I ask my students as they are playing this game, to pull out the concept I am targeting? What might my students be saying as they play?

• Is the win dependent upon chance and not ability? This is a very important idea; if only the best win, what happens to everybody else?

• How can I simplify or extend this game to meet the needs of individual students?

Games can be powerful motivators and build positive ‘mathitudes’.

Who says math can’t be fun!

Although this game has been constructed to provide practice multiplying by 10 and 100, it could be scaled back to accommodate multiplying by 10 only, or extended to include other powers of 10.