This week my colleagues in class were presenting grade 12 math lessons in advanced functions and data management. Both of them were influential in bringing gamification elements into the classroom environment, which created a very engaging lesson. I have discussed the benefits of gamification elements in the math classroom earlier on in this blog, so please scroll down if you would like a breakdown as to how gamification is beneficial to the classroom dynamic!
The first activity we did as a class was dominos with logarithms. This activity is best used as a consolidation to refine and work on student skills since students need to have prior knowledge of logarithm laws. Students are given a dominoes like the one displayed on the right. Each domino has two values on either side. The students as a table group get seven dominos each and have to play a game of dominos with the cards they get. The mathematical aspect here is the fact that students need to figure out what the numerical value of each tile on the domino is. This is due to the fact that the traditional rules of dominoes state that you can only put down a domino if the tiles have the same value as the one it is connected to. Students need to build off the dominoes in play in order to finish their hand and win the game. The first person to place down all their dominos wins!
Keeping up with the theme of gamification and making the math class fun, the next activity we did with the class was surrounding the famous game show "Deal or No Deal" hosted by Howie Mandel. This was in relation to Data Management, and was extremely engaging because it showcases how math can be used anywhere and everywhere, and sometimes it can even allow you to make more money! This activity follows the same rules as the game show, where contestants have to pick a case for themselves and are not allowed to look at it. Inside each case is a different amount of money ranging from one cent to a million dollars. The idea behind the show is to walk away with the most money while the banker, a third party person, will offer you money after each round of opening cases. This can be used in the math classroom by making the students figure out the probability of picking a case higher than the bank offer. For instance, if the banker offers you $100 000, and there are 15 cases left to open, the student has to figure out the probability of opening cases lower than 100000 so that the bank offer goes up, or if they themselves have the case that is higher than the offer. This activity is a great way to incorporate probabilities in the math classroom and consolidate thier learning while keeping the students engaged.
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