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Communicating about
Mathematics Using Games:
Communication among Students
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Mathematical
games can foster mathematical communication as students explain and
justify their moves to one another. In addition, games can motivate
students and engage them in thinking about and applying concepts and
skills. The first part of this example, Playing Fraction Track, contains
an interactive version of a game (based
on the work of Akers,
Tierney, Evans, and Murray [1998])
that can be used in the
grades 3–5 classroom to support students' learning about fractions.
By working on this activity, students have opportunities to think about
how fractions are related to a unit whole, compare fractional parts
of a whole, and find equivalent fractions, as discussed in the Number and Operations Standard.
In the second part, The Role of the Teacher, two video clips illustrate
communication about mathematics among a teacher and her students. This
third part, Communication among Students, shows how activities like
this allow students to use communication as a tool to deepen their understanding
of mathematics, as described in the Communication Standard. In the
fourth part, Reflecting on Practice, the teacher reflects on her own
mathematical learning that occurs as a result of using activities like
this game with her fifth-grade students.
Video Segment
The video clip below shows a pair of students working together to determine
the next move in the Fraction Track game. Watch this clip and find instances
in which the students seem to be exploring a mathematical idea. Does the
communication between the students seem to play a role in their mathematics
learning?
| QuickTime
4.0 is required for viewing this video clip
Running time—45 sec.
File size—8.9 Mb
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Video Transcript
(Click on and drag the text below
to scroll.)
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Discussion
In grades 3–5 students' abilities to learn from, and work with,
others should expand. They should become more skilled in speaking to one
another and in convincing or question their peers. The discourse should
focus on making sense of mathematical ideas and on using mathematical
ideas effectively in modeling and solving problems. When thinking is discussed
regularly in the classroom, students feel comfortable describing their
thinking, even if their ideas are different from the ideas of their peers.
Discourse is not a goal in itself; rather, the value of mathematical discussions
should be judged by whether students are learning important mathematics
as they participate in them.
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Time to Reflect |
- What is the
quality of the interactions between the students in this video
clip? Is their communication effective?
- Is there evidence
that the students are listening to each other?
- What are the
main mathematical ideas?
- How can a
teacher encourage students in grades 3–5 to speak and write
about their mathematical conjectures, questions, and solutions?
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Video Credit
WGBH, Boston. "Fraction
Tracks." In Teaching Math: A Video Library, 5–8. Funded and distributed
by the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Project, P.O. Box 2345, S. Burlington,
VT 05407-2345, 1-800-LEARNER.
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