Kitty Rutherford, a Mathematics Consultant in North Carolina, emphasizes that math puzzles and games shouldn’t be based solely on mental math skills, but on “conceptual understanding” that builds fluency over time. Instead, use them to reinforce the concepts they’ve already learned. While fun math puzzles are a great way to engage your students in developing critical thinking skills, they’re not a tool for teaching important math concepts. However, if the problems are too difficult to solve, there’s a good chance they’ll get frustrated and give up early. If the problems are too easy, students will get bored and disengage from the lesson. Here are some suggestions for making the most of your lesson time: Make sure the puzzles are the right level for your class
#Free logic puzzles with grids printable how to#
Now that you’ve got some great math puzzles, it might be tricky to figure out how to best incorporate them into your classroom. Math games can help students build a basic understanding of essential math concepts, and as another study shows, can also help them retain concepts longer.
Puzzles challenge students to understand structure and apply logical thinking skills to new problems.Ī study from the Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Educationfound that puzzles “develop logical thinking, combinatorial abilities, strengthen the capacity of abstract thinking and operating with spatial images, instill critical thinking and develop mathematical memory.”Īll these skills allow young students to build a foundation of skills they’ll draw on for the rest of their lives, no matter what kind of post-secondary route they pursue. Why use math puzzles to teach? Math puzzles encourage critical thinkingĬritical thinking and logic skills are important for all careers, not just STEM-related ones. With older students, use mobius bands to talk about geometry and surface area. Have them model the problem with strips of paper and see for themselves how it works in real life. Is it magic? Is it geometry? Your students will be so amazed they might have a hard time figuring it out.
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