Games
This resource describes how games promote great thinking while being fun and motivating.
About this resource
Students need time to develop or consolidate their understanding of key concepts or strategies. Independent activities can be used to reinforce the directed learning that takes place during ALiM group time. This resource describes how games promote great thinking while being fun and motivating.
Games
Good games promote great thinking. They can also be fun and motivating. Students are often less concerned about making mistakes when playing a game, and a teacher can gain useful information on students’ thinking by observing their actions and decisions.
Group games encourage students to interact, allowing them to observe and learn from the strategies used by their peers. Games can also help English language learners to interact more easily because language comprehension is usually less of a barrier once the rules of a game are clear.
Strategy games require students to apply logic, make predictions, and adapt their decisions in response to new circumstances or information. All of these are important mathematical processes. See the video of Gordon Hamilton discussing the benefits of using board games on the South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics' YouTube channel.
Back to resource 8: Creating purposeful independent activities.
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