How This Teacher-Gamer Became a Game Teacher
- Helaina Cappel
- Aug 20, 2014
- 3 min read
When I was a student, “turn to page 34 in your math text and do questions 1 to 16” was how I learned math. So, when I actually began teaching math, I used a textbook and taught in just the same way. I found that concepts were being learned—for the most part—but deep down in my gut, this felt wrong (I mean, really wrong). Something important was missing, and that something was the connection between math and the real world; that connection would be the spark that would ignite a fire in my students.
I slowly began to use the textbook less and less, as I became more comfortable with the mathematical concepts I was teaching. Eventually, real-world applications of mathematical concepts became the core of my teaching, and I found greater success with my students. This, though, was not enough to engage kids the way I wanted them to be engaged in their learning.
While I was transforming as a math teacher, I was also transforming outside of the math class. I was introduced to the game The Settlers of Catan, and my life changed profoundly. This game, my “gateway” game, became an obsession for me. Not only did I crave to play it day-in and day-out, I talked about it a lot. I talked strategy, I talked mechanics, I talked about how I could not stop talking about this game; it was obviously changing the way I was seeing the world. Then it hit me; this was exactly what I needed to light that fire in my students.
So, I analyzed what it is about Catan (and about other games that would eventually make their way into my classroom) that was responsible for that connection. First and foremost, there is the math that is neatly hidden within the games. Games like these rely heavily on mathematical concepts; they would not be possible without probability and number manipulation, not to mention theoretical probabilities, computation, counting using one-to-one taging, estimation, prediction – I could go on forever. I also looked at the social engagement that comes as a by-product of game play. With the exception of solo games, kids playing board games are always engaged in discussion, analysis, negotiation, and fair play.
Over the years I have utilized many board games such as: Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Scrabble, Zooloretto, RISK, The Amazing Labyrinth, and many others. I choose these games specifically for the mathematical concepts that I want my students to learn, but also because they become gateway games for my students to engage in gaming outside of school. I believe that the games we use need to be accessible for students (to buy at their local game stores), so that they will go home and say, “Hey mom, I played this game Forbidden Island at school and I think that we should play it together.”
Overall, I don’t believe that I can reach every student with a textbook. I don’t think I affect every student by contriving real-world applications of mathematics. But it is certainly hard to deny that every kid loves to play games. In doing so, they forget that they are learning math, because they are having fun. The best part about it is that if they aren’t in love with one game, they will find another that will work for them. You can’t do that with a textbook. As long as I am teaching mathematics, I plan on continuing my use of board games. The way in which they combine social interaction with mathematical concepts makes teaching math a great deal easier, and certainly a lot more fun.
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