Games

August 21, 2023Games, Learning, Mathematicsby Math for All

Mathematics Outside the Math Classroom

While playing Monopoly with my 5-year-old, I gave him a $100 bill to pay $12 in rent. He wasn’t exactly happy, but he figured out that he owed me $88 and then figured out how to make that amount with the available bills. Several years later, while walking through the forest, my 7-year-old daughter looked down at her feet and said, “I wonder how many steps I’ve taken in my life.” After a few silent shouts of joy upon hearing her curiosity, I replied, “What a great question. How would you figure that out?” Fast forward to a few days ago, my 10-year-old son was grocery shopping with me. “Can we buy this bag of pistachios?” “We don’t need pistachios,” was my reply. “Ple-e-e-ease?” accompanied by puppy dog eyes. “Okay, but get the small bag.” “The big bag is a better buy,” he replied, “because, look, this one is 8 ounces for $6, but the bigger one is twice as big for only $9, which is less than twice the price.” We went home with a big bag of pistachios.

June 8, 2022Games, Learning Environment, Summerby Math for All

Summer—A time to find the Joy, Beauty, and Utility of Mathematics (and get better at it, too!)

Summer can be a time for students and teachers alike to take a break from the intense lockstep schedule and pressures of the school year and take a breath. We might be outdoors more often, engage in sports or the arts, and generally do things we don't have time for during the school year. It can also be a time to find joy in the life of the mind, without the usual structures, stresses, and constraints that come with days divided into time slots, subjects, and pacing charts. There may be time to discover what thoughts and theories one is curious about, what one likes to learn about, and what ideas are fun to play with. When children play with math, without expectations of demonstrating achievement or competence, they too may find the fun and the beauty in math, as well as a sense of empowerment in doing so. Developing a positive disposition toward math is likely to lead to learning, both in the summer and in the school year to come.

February 10, 2022Games, Learning, Neurodevelopmental Functionsby Math for All

Would You Like to Play a Game?

Games are fun. Games are also challenging. Developing a strategy, improving skills, the ups and downs of winning and learning—these all are important components of games. When students engage in mathematical games, many don’t necessarily realize they are doing or learning mathematics but when students practice or apply something they already know or understand, there is growth.

Mathematics Outside the Math Classroom

Summer—A time to find the Joy, Beauty, and Utility of Mathematics (and get better at it, too!)

Would You Like to Play a Game?

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