I have always thought that Math board
games are fun. They are a nice change from rote memorization and a
good way to increase interest of math as a fun and interesting
subject. Teaching a group of children right after school is a reason
why I use the board games very often and math board games as well
such as, monopoly, jenga, apples to apples, chess, uno cards etc,
I picked those since they have
mathematics involved in their structure, practical strategies or
analysis of the game results.
What I would like to point out in this
blog is that even though they are games we can bring our professional
knowledge by asking them to reason. Every time when they play the
games I am there only to ask them to explain their choices or open
discussions so they can verbalize their strategies or listen to
others' strategies that they might have never heard of before. After
that, a couple of children start to ask their friends about the
strategies as well but a day after they tend to forget. But we know
that practice and repetition strengthen their understanding. So, I
keep repeating the questions and sometime I stop them in the middle
of the game using “freeze” game and ask them what they think is
going to happen, is there a reason why Ben put nr. 9 down (Playing
cards), which way is shorter to climb up that ladder, how many
times are you going to throw the dice so you can reach the top of the
tree (Chutes and ladders), what are the options for Zack to
land on your property, why do you use large or small bills to change
a $ 25 bill (Monopoly)and so on.
The children love it because is fun,
they are socializing with friends, they have time to think, the
conversation and sometimes the debate is natural that makes them
reflect on their own thinking.
I know that there are cons about board
games such as, too competitive or I had a parent who said "playing
cards teaches them how to gamble" or “my kid doesn't learn anything
in school because all he does is play games” and I have my own
cons as I mentioned in the beginning about Monopoly game. However,
these cons and more are the reasons why those games should be played
at home and school more often, so, the parents and the teachers are
there to provide and create environments that make children think,
solve problems,increase their arithmetic skills,calculate, challenge
their understanding and have fun other than exposing them with the
negative sides of the board games.
Here I have this paragraph from Paul
Bryn Davies which I have it displayed on the wall all the time and
also, I keep extra copies so I can give it to the parents(if they
ask) to read about the benefits of the games.
Benefits of Using Games in
the Classroom
In the article “The Role of
Games in Mathematics” Bryn Davies summarizes the advantages of
using games in the math classroom. (Davies, 1995)
- Meaningful situations - The application of mathematical skills are created by games.
- Motivation - Children freely choose to participate in games and enjoy playing.
- Positive attitude - Games provide opportunities for building self-concept and developing positive attitudes towards mathematics, through reducing the fear of failure and error.
- Increased learning - In comparison to more formal activities, greater learning can occur through games due to the increased interaction between children, opportunities to test intuitive ideas and problem solving strategies.
- Different levels - Games can allow children to operate at different levels of thinking and to learn from each other. In a group of children playing a game, one child might be encountering a concept for the first time, another may be developing his/her understanding of the concept, a third consolidating previously learned concepts.
- Assessment - Children's thinking often becomes apparent through the actions and decisions they make during a game, so the teacher has the opportunity to carry out diagnosis and assessment of learning in a non-threatening situation.
- Home and school - Games provide 'hands-on' interactive tasks for both school and home.
- Independence - Children can work independently of the teacher. The rules of the game and the children's motivation usually keep them on task.
Few language barriers - an additional
benefit becomes evident when children from non-English-speaking
backgrounds are involved. The basic structures of some games are
common to many cultures, and the procedures of simple games can
be quickly learned through observation. Children who are
reluctant to participate in other mathematical activities
because of language barriers will often join in a game, and so
gain access to the mathematical learning as well as engage in
structured social interaction.
So, let's play because I love math board games, too!
Edlira:)
