Written By: Katherine J. Igoe At Cambridge Math Circle, faculty and alumni share puzzles, riddles, and joy. On Saturdays, the Science Center comes alive with nearly 150 excited kids playing with LEGO bricks, setting up dominoes, and laying out tape on the floor. They’re participating in math enrichment—on the weekend, no less—but it’s neither rote memorization nor intense competition. Instead, it’s an activity called Math Circle. The younger kids, from first to third grade, m

Written by: Elaine M. Murtagh , Jamil Sawalma & Rosemarie Martin   Abstract This study explores the relationship between play-based learning and achievement in mathematics in Palestinian elementary school children. Forty teachers from eight schools received training in play-based pedagogies and follow-up support visits from programme staff (intervention group); four matched schools served as the control group. Grade-appropriate tests were administered to all students in two

Written by Edith Debrenti Abstract Using game-based learning (GBL), especially digital game-based learning (DGBL), as a teaching and learning environment can be a pedagogical resource and a good strategy in the classroom to support mathematical learning. Effective manipulatives and games play a crucial role in promoting mathematical understanding. They support students in building, reinforcing and connecting varied representations of mathematical concepts. High-quality games

Written by Clifton B. Parker Professor Jo Boaler says students most effectively learn 'math facts' working on problems they enjoy, rather than through exercises and drills they fear. Timed testing and blind memorization damage children's experience of math, she says. Students learn math best when they approach the subject as something they enjoy, according to a Stanford education expert. Speed pressure, timed testing and blind memorization pose high hurdles in the youthful pu

Written by Catlin Tucker In my last blog post, Using the Station Rotation Model in Math , I wrote about the benefits of shifting from a whole group, teacher-led lesson design to small-group differentiated instructional sessions. I make the case that the whole group, teacher-led approach to instruction limits opportunities for individual exploration and deep engagement with mathematical concepts. It restricts students’ ability to learn at their own pace, explore topics in-dept

By reflecting on their math work in writing and drawings, students see what they’ve learned and find areas where they need to improve. By Nell McAnelly I love math journals for my students. Many parents and teachers are familiar with these tools in other subjects. You might be surprised, however, to see how effective they can be in a classroom where numbers rule. You may recall learning logs in English and humanities or lab notebooks in science. Math journals (or logs—you can