Click here to learn about Dave Moursund's free book on science and technology education for teaches and parents of K-8 children.

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I am pleased to announce the publication of a new book:

Moursund, Dave and Albrecht, Bob (2011). Using math games and word problems to increase the math maturity of K-8 students. Salem, OR: The Math Learning Center.

This book was created for preservice and inservice teachers with the goal of improving the informal and formal math education of preK-8 students. The authors emphasize using simple, inexpensive games to provide students with learning environments that help to increase their levels of math maturity.

The book includes both underlying math education “theory” and a variety of games. There is considerable emphasis on developing and testing strategies to help increase one’s effectiveness in dealing with recurring math-related problems and problem situations.

The book contains a large number of active links to resources useful to teachers and parents.

The book is 222 pages in length and is available via electronic download for $10. See ordering information and some sample content at http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/node/6948.

Some Key Ideas Stressed in the Book

Here are a half-dozen ideas emphasized throughout the book.

1. While math content knowledge and math maturity are related, there are substantial differences. One tends to quickly forget math content knowledge and skills that one is not using. However, progress in achieving a higher level of math maturity tends to last for many years.
2. Well-designed games capture and hold the attention of game players. If the game is educational and the educational goals are made explicit, the players can learn a lot.
3. In game playing, the players are involved in making decisions and solving problems. A good math-orient need game helps players to get better at making math-related decisions and solving math-related problems.
4. Such decisions making and problem solving frequently benefits through development and testing of strategies. The goal is to help students get better at developing and testing strategies. (Notice that this is quite different than a goal of teaching students strategies that they will memorize and—hopefully—use when they encounter a situation in which the strategy might be useful.
5. Many games involve an element of randomness. An understanding of probability is an important aspect of a modern education.
6. Game players often keep detailed records of their game playing. This allows them to analyze the decisions they made and the results from those decisions. This, in turn, contributes to self-assessment.

Links to Related IAE Documents

Critical Thinking

Detailed syllabus for a grades 1-8 teacher education course on math maturity. (Includes Chapter 2 from a preliminary edition of the Moursund and Albrecht book.)

Flow in games, education, and other areas.

Math Maturity.

Problem Solving.

Self-assessment Instruments.

Self Assessment

Self-formative assessment.

Teaching for improving critical thinking.

Video Games.