Maths Madness

Games, Games and More Games

The focus during a recent ELT session was about maths - maths games to be more precise.  Games that required the players to race each other to get to 100;  Now that I have been here at OrmPS for over a year now, I am developing a greater awareness of the importance of games in education.   Language can be a barrier to learning, but this can be overcome through games.

"PLAYING SHOULD BE FUN! In our great eagerness to teach our children we studiously look for "educational" toys, games with built-in lessons, books with a "message." Often these "tools" are less interesting and stimulating than the child's natural curiosity and playfulness. Play is by its very nature educational. And it should be pleasurable. When the fun goes out of play, most often so does the learning."

- Joanne E. Oppenheim (Kids and Play, ch. 1, 1984)

Ideas to Follow Up

These are some notes that I made during the session.   Now, looking back over my draft some months later, I am wrestling with why I jotted down this short list.  This is where a portal would be great :)

Multiplication - How Close to 100?

This game will encourage the learners to get an understanding of arrays - which is important.

DATs what has made a difference?

In 2017, our Spiral of Inquiry was around our maths programme and learning in the habitats.  Every week we were required to reflect and use this reflection to guide our design for the following week.  I feel that providing time to reflect more deeply on the learning that took place (by both the learners and LCs), and discuss the highs and lows with my team did make a difference.  We frequently had 'aha' moments when what we thought would happen, took a different path, which in turn lead to a completely different journey to that which we had anticipated.

Notice... Think... Wonder...

To borrow thinking from Science and apply it to Maths.  Such a great way to pause, reflect and move forward with our design for learning.  I'll have to remember this.   As always, so many good thoughts and reflections are recorded in personal blogs.  We need to make sure that we provide time to reread posts from the past as they often contain gems to use in the future.