In modern educational theories is highlighted necessity of pupils’ activity during lessons. There is also demand for development of not only pupils’ knowledge but all key competencies. So we need teaching methods able to fulfill these needs. Very promising seems to be the method of teaching by didactical games. As didactical game we consider activity of pupils which realize some educational goals and bring to pupils happiness and pleasure. This is very nice and comprehensive definition of didactical game (Průcha, Walterová and Mareš, 1998, p. 48, translated by author):
Didactical game: Analogy of spontaneous children’s activity, which realize (for children not every time evidently) educational goals. Can take place in classroom, sport-hall, playground, or in the nature. Each game has its rules, needs continuous management and final assessment. It is suitable for single child either for group of children. Teacher has various roles: from main coordinator to an onlooker. Its advantage is motivational factor: it raises interest, makes higher children’s involvement
in teaching activities, and encourages children’s creativity, spontaneity, co-operation and also competitiveness. Children can use their knowledge, abilities and experience. Some didactical games approach to model situations from real life.
There are researches on efficacy of the using of didactical games in mathematics education (see chapter Didactical Games). According to their results the games seem to be asset in the area of pupils attitudes towards mathematics and process of its teaching and some games are also useful tool for better construction
of mathematical knowledge. Therefore there is need to find new games for realization of various educational goals and inquire their efficacy and influences on teaching process.
In this article we present results of our researches on influences of some didactical games on pupils’ attitudes towards mathematics and its teaching and on their mathematical knowledge. Then we discuss on the basis of these results question if games based learning (GBL) increase quality of mathematics education at lower secondary school. In the appendix 1 we also introduce for better illustration of discussed topic one didactical game that we used in our researches and our observation from its using at mathematics lessons and also pupils’ reactions.
Using of didactical games in pupils education has long tradition throughout the history (see Vankúš, 2005a). So it came also in focus of researches in the theory of mathematics education. Randel, Morris, Wetzel and Whitehill (1992) referred that using of didactical games during mathematics’ teaching can support pupils’ motivation and performance during lessons. The active children’s participation during the games is the need for better understanding and memorizing of taught mathematical knowledge.
Pulos and Sneider (1994) found out that properly chosen didactical game helps children to learn new mathematical notions and skills. These researchers recommended putting games into mathematics’ curriculum as an auxiliary activity. They found out that experience gained trough proper didactical game used after mathematics lessons, dealing with the same mathematical notions and skills as the lessons, leaded to better understanding and more durable memorizing of taught knowledge.
E. Krejčová and M. Volfová in their work (1994) highlighted big value of game as a vital part of education. Putting didactical game into education enlarge, in accordance with authors, pupils interest in active work during mathematics’ lessons and overall interest in mathematics. It improves whole process of mathematics
lessons. As a positive feature of didactical game they referred about necessary integration of knowledge from different parts of mathematics curriculum and also from different subjects.
Positive influences of games on development of primary school children described in her work J. Cejpeková (1996). She has seen potential of didactical game in these areas:
Didactical game:
• makes pupils active,
• develops their memory, imagination, concentration, thinking and speech,
• refines pupils’ feelings area, supports learning by experience,
• improves self-confidence and self-cognition,
• makes possible social learning, prepares for various social situations,
• motivates, develops interests, satisfies needs, leads to creativity and selfreliance,
• has important influence as relax.
M. Zelinová made precise analysis of functions of game in children’s development. According to author game has important role in development of these areas of personality (1999):
Noncognitive areas:
• feelings and positive experience, improvement of self-confidence,
• bigger activity and motivation,
• social behaviour, better social skills,
• boost of creativity, pleasure of creative activities.
Cognitive areas:
• sensory and motoric functions,
• memory,
• abilities to evaluate,
• creative thinking.
G. Booker, Australian pedagogue, has used games in education at primary schools. He described the experience and observation from using of didactical games in his work The Maths Games (2000). Let us mention some of them:
Game is for children funny activity that brings motivation and full interest of pupils what is essential for constructive teaching. Children that are not willing learn to pleasure their parents or teacher or because the reason that mathematics will be necessary for their future life often learn by their own will in the frame of the social interaction with otherpupils. Game gives context real for children…
From these reasons game have important place in mathematics education. It offers conditions in which is possible to construct and develop mathematical concepts. Game improves pupils’ ability to solve problems by the need to explore and to use new strategies and refines other skills by the means of using these skills in the frame of game. It supports social interactions those lead to learning.
In the article published in Quaderni Di Ricerca In Didattica (Vankúš, 2005b) we also discussed structure of didactical games according Brousseau’s Theory of didactical situations (Brousseau, 1997). On analyzing these four main parts of didactical game:
• Milieu of the game
• Goals of game
• Activities of teacher and pupils, which are determine with rules of game
• Final evaluation
Interactions between pupils and milieu of didactical game should motivate pupils to the work. This work leads to the realisation of goals of game. The goals of game are dedicated to educational goals, which have to be realised by the game. The goals of game determine form of game. Usage of didactical games has
value only if it enables to reach educational goals.
Activities of teacher and pupils, which are determined with rules of game, should be for pupils attractive and motivational. These activities have to be suitable for age of pupils and their abilities. The rules of game determine the form and organisation of pupils’ work. The rules include gamesome elements (e.g. competitiveness between teams of pupils).
Final evaluation verifies realization of game’s goals and have to reward pupils and motivate them for the next activities. Very important for the using of didactical games in mathematics education is for teachers the methodology how to work with this teaching method. In our article (Vankúš 2006) we identified three important phases of this methodology:
1. Selection of proper game suitable for the use at mathematics lesson. The game should be able to fulfil educational goals of the lesson. Moreover, the game should be proper for the age, knowledge level and interests of the pupils. Also practical realization of the game should be easy in the terms of teacher’s preparation for the lesson, necessary material tools needed for realization of the game and also the process of the game.
2. Realization of the game at the mathematics lesson. The presentation of the game we begin with its name. This name should be attractive for pupils and also should characterize content of the game. Then we present rules of the game – the best is to illustrate rules on some examples of the game process. Next come playing the game by the pupils. It can have form of a team competition. Teacher controls process of the game and keeping of the game rules during this activity.
3. Assessment of the pupils’ work during the game. As every human activity also pupils’ activity during didactical game should be assessed. Because the character of the game we use only positive assessment, for example winner acquires some number of positive points, the second player acquires also some positive points, but less than the winner. This way of the assessing of the didactical games motivates pupils for really great effort during game process.
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