Teach Primary Issue 18.7

couple of ‘teacher vs class’ rounds under the visualiser? On your turn, voice your inner monologue out loud. Why are you making each choice? What will you say if they beat you? What will your body language be like? What about if you win? Gain insight Observing and talking to children during games also highlights how they’re thinking, what skills and knowledge they already have, common errors and misconceptions, and what might need further teaching. Pupils also develop fluency when playing maths games. For instance, when calculating scores, or as in the game below, the T o the untrained eye, gaming in the maths classroom may present as time away from delivering the curriculum, or missed learning time. But when planned and executed well, this couldn’t be further from the truth. For one thing, you can’t underestimate the impact of fun when it comes to learning. Taking in the classroom environment, buzzing with excitement as children try to outwit their opponents in games; the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ you hear when they hit on something brilliant, or realise they’ve been trumped by a friend are a joy to behold. There’s no threat, or rush to get the right answer, and no pressure. And in plenty of games (such as the idea listed at the end of this article) there is both an element of luck, and an element of skill that will develop the more pupils play. Play nice When children play games, over time, they develop social skills. Those experienced with tabletop games may have already developed the ability to take turns, listen, and react appropriately when they win or lose. Some may not be so experienced; that’s where you come in. When modelling a game, why not play a difference between card values, children will rehearse key maths skills. Observe them as they do this; it can be hugely enlightening. For instance, can you see your pupils making jottings or using formal written calculations? Are they counting on their fingers to add or take away? Are they counting in other ways, such as nodding their heads or tapping their legs under the table? When you talk to the children, are they talking about base facts? For example – using the game below as a model – can players explain that when calculating 13−4 they are moving through 13−3−1? Or even better, that they simply know that 13−4 = 9? You can also check A WINNER Everyone’s Playing games in maths lessons means all pupils come out on top, even when they lose, explains Nicola Adams ... if pupils use rebalancing when taking away, such as calculating that the difference between 235−98 and 237−100 is the same? This is a great chance to help children move from inefficient counting strategies and towards efficient calculation. Provoke reasoning Once children have played a few rounds of a game, we can often see that through repeated turns they have made generalisations and understood ‘rules’. Talking to the children hopefully shows that their thinking has deepened, and that they’ve developed a strategy for gameplay. For example, if the game requires calculating 52 | www.teachwire.net T EACH PR I MARY MATHS SPEC I A L I N AS SOC I A T I ON W I TH