Technolandy

Day 59 (of 2024/25) wait – distractions we are more comfortable with are being leveraged for learning? Thanks @edutopia 

Board games. Admittedly sometimes bored games if they go on too long (looking at you monopoly – admitting that if we actually read and followed the rules the games would not have  been marathons. Like many things – can be fun. Can be distracting. Can lead to fights. Can lead to bad social networking moments but we don’t ban them to only be played and used outside of school…but I’m glad Edutopia reshared a share on board games!

I love it when entertainments can be used as/of/for/with learning. Books are the og disruptor that became mainstream, movies and tv options have now longish standing traditions, and someday we will look at cell phone bans much as we did with calculator bans…

Board and card games are a great way to help students practice foundational math skills without them even noticing, writes longtime math educator Nell McAnelly. So maybe there are good reasons to play battleship in class

“A recent study found that playing board games improves number recognition, counting, basic operations & number comprehension among children as young as 3,” McAnelly explains.

Students can learn any number of skills ranging from “basics such as identifying numbers and counting ‘how many’ to complex ideas for strategizing how to achieve certain outcomes,”⁠ she says.

Board games are also highly motivating and can boost student curiosity, lead to increased time on task, and encourage collaboration between peers.⁠ hmm perhaps a free play club time for board games (cough  https://globalschoolplayday.com  first Wednesday in February cough)

Or In an already packed school day, finding time for games can feel daunting. Try looking for hidden moments—like indoor recess on rainy/snowy days or when assigned work is completed. Make them available during lunch or before everyone settles down during homeroom.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/board-games-that-teach-elementary-math/

Where to start:

Qwirkle (or Set for upper grades): A matching game in which students have to match colors or shapes. Players practice spatial reasoning and identifying and classifying characteristics (color and shapes).

Blokus: A game in which players put shapes on a board according to color. It’s great for developing logic skills and spatial perception.

Yahtzee: The object of the game is to roll five dice in order to score combinations and get the highest total score. This is an excellent game for grades three and up to practice fluency with number combinations and to explore deeper understanding of basic operations. 

Battleship: Players have to guess the positions of an opponent’s ships on a grid. Students can work on the coordinate plane, spatial relationships, and logic skills.

The Game of Life: A classic board game that offers lessons on money and budgeting and creates opportunities to practice basic math operations.

Uno: A matching card game that can help with number recognition.

Dominoes: This is also great for practicing number recognition and counting. 

Hmmm what will things be like when we take a look at how we can leverage personal devices…