The use of mathematics games is often cited as an effective strategy for teaching mathematics. However, the researchers were unsure whether games are being used as supplementary activities for children who finish their ‘real’ work early, as busy work, or used with a real purpose. Although children may be having ‘fun’, the belief is that this is not sufficient reason for their inclusion in a mathematics program.
While it may be assumed that the use of games in the teaching of mathematics has been researched, a brief literature review revealed that surprisingly little empirical research into the use of games has been carried out. Often teachers assume that the use of games is an effective teaching tool. This may not be the case (Bragg, 2006).
Many authors have presented the use of games as a beneficial tool in the mathematics classroom (Bragg, 2006; Booker, 2000; Gough, 1999; Ainly, 1990). Also numerous authors assert that games should not just be restricted to practice and that they can be an effective vehicle for teaching new concepts to children (Bright, Harvey & Wheeler, 1985, Kamii & De Clark, 1985; Thomas & Grows, 1984; Burnett, 1992; Booker, 2000) Clearly, what is important is the structure of the games used (Ainley, 1990; Badham, 1997) and the literature does highlight that if this structure is not provided learning does not always take place
(Onslow, 1990; Burnett, 1992).
Games are used worldwide as a means of developing mathematics concepts. Often parents purchase educational games as a means of supporting learning in the home. There is a large educational games industry referred to as “Edutainment” that is designed to tap into the parent market. The games used in this research tended to be more ‘classroom games’, although games such as Battleships that cross over the school/home market were explored. There are many games of educational value played in the classroom that help make some topics less onerous; however, children would not choose to play at home. If a game has proven educational value and children choose to play them out of school, then the children would be spending more time on task and it could be assumed become better at the task or in this case the embedded mathematics. The fact that Asplin (2003) noted in her study that simply playing Numero as a time-filler or casually was not
sufficient to improve mental computation skills. The authors argue that if a game is deemed worthy of playing then it should be elevated from the status of a time filler or activity for early finishers but rather be an integral part of a teaching sequence. Asplin went on to note that in the class where the teacher encouraged students to describe orally their moves, and where the children were grouped according to ability, gains in mental computation ability were much higher. However, Bragg (2006) who studied the use of two games in the teaching of mathematics, raised questions about grouping children according to ability when playing games. In this research the children within classes were not grouped according to ability but, in at least one case, the class had been formed because the children were less able. The larger research project explored, in some depth, the use of games in the teaching of mathematics, in particular number, and aimed to develop guidelines for maximising the effectiveness of games in the teaching of mathematics.
Criteria for Assessing Games
Classroom management issues
The most common criteria for selecting games as reported by teachers in the study were concerned with classroom management issues. Some of the comments related to trivial issues about pieces going missing or taking too long to set up and pack away. However, the authors do not wish to trivialise the impact on the smooth running of a lesson and the associated loss of teaching time. There were conflicting comments about number of players. In two cases the teachers preferred to play whole class games, while three teachers preferred playing games in small groups because it maximized the time children were thinking about the concepts embedded in the game. Short games appeared to be favoured over longer ones. This allowed for more flexibility as to when and how games were used in the classroom. Simple rules were favoured as less time was spent introducing the game and sorting out conflicts based on misinterpretation of rules.
Clear links to skills and concepts
While the teachers liked the idea of using games from a motivational point of view, they preferred the game to be linked to a specific skill or concept. Several factors appear to affect this concern. Teachers feel pressured to ‘cover’ a great deal of content and felt that devoting too much time to games without there being a direct link to specific content would erode their teaching time. The need to justify the use of games in terms of concept or skill learning was apparent. The teachers reported pressure from parents for their children to be seen to be completing some rigorous mathematics. In some cases, this translated to completing sets of algorithms on a page as evidence of having ‘worked hard’ in the lesson. The extreme case is the reported pressure to complete all the pages in a textbook before the end of the year.
Motivation and Engagement
Most teachers would choose to use games as motivators for engaging in mathematics. Games are often employed to make practice more pleasant. Difficult concepts such as fractions may be embedded in a game format to encourage deeper thinking about the concept. Bragg (2006) noted in her research that once the challenge of a game is lost, motivation wanes. Children are less inclined to engage with the game. For example, once you know how not to lose in Noughts and Crosses (Tic Tac Toe), it seems pointless to even begin a game.
Globally education authorities are placing increasing emphasis on the development of literacy and numeracy in primary schools. This article reports on research designed to assist teachers to improve the numeracy of their students by making the use of mathematics games a more focused aspect of the teaching and learning experience in mathematics. Classroom experience and anecdotal evidence suggest that games are often used without really focusing on the mathematics involved in playing the game, and are justified simply on the basis of children having ‘fun’.
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