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Communicating about
Mathematics Using Games:
Reflecting on Practice
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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. The
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 this
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
Watch the video clip below, in which the teacher reflects on her own
mathematical learning that resulted from using activities like the Fraction Track game with her students. In what ways is the teacher's mathematical
understanding growing?
| QuickTime
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Running time—30 sec.
File size—6.0 Mb
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Video Transcript
(Click on and drag the text below
to scroll.)
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Discussion
Effective teaching involves observing students, listening carefully to
their ideas and explanations, and using the information to make instructional
decisions. Through their teaching, teachers can also continue to deepen
their understanding of the mathematics they teach, by learning with and
from their students and then reflecting on that learning. The ability
to reflect on and refine mathematical understanding as well as instructional
practice is essential to achieving the vision of school mathematics outlined
in Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Additional
discussion of these ideas can be found in the Teaching
Principle.
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Time to Reflect |
- How do pedagogical
decisions about the choice of tasks influence what a teacher can
learn with and from his or her students?
- How can teachers
support one another in continually strengthening their understanding
of the mathematical content they teach?
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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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