Exercise is essential for mastering mathematics, but it faces two major hurdles. First, students are often not motivated to do their homework. Second, checking traditional homework is a manual and labor-intensive process that becomes harder to support as the number of students increases. We argue that computer games could alleviate both problems.…

Students are typically introduced to probability through calculating simple events like flipping a coin. While these calculations can be done by hand, more complex probabilistic events, both in class and in the real world, require the use of computers. In this paper, we introduce a new tool--an R shiny web app and associated CRAN package based on…

As mathematical patterns become more complex, students' conditional reasoning skills need to be nurtured so that students continue to critique, construct, and persevere in making sense of these complexities. This article describes a mathematical task designed around the online version of the game Mastermind to safely foster conditional reasoning.

Game-based learning has received more focus as a way to engage students and increase interest in mathematics. Game-based learning should be integrated with effective practices for teaching mathematics, though these is a need for further research on effective implementation models. The purpose of this article is to describe two modes of game-based…

Minecraft is an open world survival computer game that was originally created in Sweden in 2011 and later purchased by Microsoft® in 2014. It is among the most popular computer games with students of all ages because it gives players a sense of ownership and opportunities for creative exploration. The game has three unique features: (1) no clear…

In this proposal, I share a synthesized framework that incorporates mathematics education with game design principles. This framework was used to design a videogame that supported mathematical play with fractions, and I share excerpts of middle school students playing the game to validate the synthesized framework.

Understanding spatial reasoning is important to success in mathematics. This article shows how the proficiency strands in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics" provide the tools needed for effective teaching and learning of spatial thinking.

In this article, the authors discuss the potential of the icon-based mathematical games, emoji math and mobile math, to promote student engagement with and understanding of algebra. They describe how these games serve as accessible entry points for algebraic thinking and that, in contrast to traditional symbolic algebra, the use of these…

Students' experiences with statistics and data analysis in middle school are often limited to little more than making and interpreting graphs. Although students may develop fluency in statistical procedures and vocabulary, they frequently lack the skills necessary to apply statistical reasoning in situations other than clear-cut textbook examples.…

This executive summary highlights findings from a larger study that is part of an interrelated series of studies included in the Ready To Learn summative evaluation being conducted by the Education Development Center, Inc.'s (EDC's) Center for Children and Technology and SRI Education's Center for Technology in Learning (EDC/SRI). The purpose of…

John Lamb, a professor of mathematics education and a teacher of high school precalculus, describes how he developed a way to use the elements of the game Angry Birds® as a platform to engage his students with the concepts of parabolas and vectors. The game could be categorized as a type of microworld game in which students interact with the…

In this article, the CLICK ("C"omputer Games and "L"iteracy "I"ntegrated with "C"ontent "K"nowledge) design model for high school education is proposed and developed as an instructional response to concerns about content coverage versus deeper content knowledge, learners' inability to grasp the meanings embedded in complex text, and disregard for…

The assessment of knowledge and learning progress in the context of game-based learning requires novel, noninvasive, and embedded approaches. In the present paper, we introduce a mathematical framework which relates the (problem solution) behavior of a learner in the game context to the learner's available and lacking competencies. We argue that a…

Computer games are no longer just for entertainment; they have also become a useful instructional strategy for acquiring knowledge. When games are used for purposes other than strict entertainment they become serious games. The goal of serious games is to enable the player to learn a task, master a strategy or develop a skill. Serious games can be…

This collection of case studies of classroom experiences in middle and secondary schools throughout the European Community describes the use of computers in mathematics education. The 16 studies are organized in four main groups: (1) experience in geometry using educational software and Logo in grades 5-10; (2) arithmetic number concepts,…