Math Games: Can They Really Help

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Math GamesCan They Really Help?

• By
• Emily Rice

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Past Research

• -Hy Ruchlis
• -Who is he? He wrote about science and
  mathematics for young readers
• - gathered twenty disadvantaged students and
  asked them to create some games
• - these students did benefit from the
  development on the games because it gave them the
  motivation to learn the material

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E-GEMS

• Created in 1992
• Created games for students in grades four through
  eight
• Counting on Frank
• Phoenix Quest
• Students enjoyed playing the games
• Students learned the skills the games were
  teaching
• For more information check them out online at
• http//www.cs.ubc.ca/labs/egems/reports/titles.htm
  l

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• Counting on Frank
• Players collect clues to help the character
  correctly guess the number of jelly beans in a
  jar.
• Clues are only given when the player solve math
  problems correctly.
• Phoenix Quest
• Players help the character find a feather by
  solving math equations.
• More appealing to girls because the main
  character is a girl.

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Siegler and Ramani

• Conducted two experiments to determine whether or
  not board games could help students with math.
• Experiment One Students were tested in a
  laboratory setting.
• Students math skills did improve.
• Experiment Two Students were tested in a home
  environment.
• Students who play these games at home did better
  in math.

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DreamBox

• More advanced software.
• Learns what the player knows and creates a
  personalized game for each player.
• Based on what problems the students can solve
  already.
• Players are able to choose a theme for the game.
• Company wants to make the software available to
  parents from low-income families.
• Researchers have shown that DreamBox is a great
  way to educate students, while keeping them
  interested and focused.

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Other Popular Games

• War
• Go Fish
• Chutes and Ladders
• The Game of Life
• Monopoly

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Benefits

• Practice- students are able to practice the
  material for as long as the play the game
• Motivation- playing games fun which motivates
  the students to play the games
• Less Anxiety- students can see that they are not
  the only one who has problems with math. They
  help each other with what they know
• Understanding- when you are able to practice the
  material and learn how to use it, you understand
  it easier

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My Plan

• My plan is to
• -summarize research findings on what makes an
  effective game
• - design game using knowledge gathered
• - create game using basic tools
• - test game out in classroom
• - evaluate results

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• Lets turn this
• Into this

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Thank you

• Questions?
• Comments?
• Suggestions?