Transformimg Maths From a Chore to a Challenge

A well proven fact states if you fire the imagination of children you also gain their attention – an essential ingredient towards efficient learning. A school in Nottingham in the UK has proven the point by adopting a central Harry Potter theme to lessons.

Maths has adopted a series of spells and codes to enthral and encourage. Science has included “Herbology” as a new theme, and teachers have been dressing up to set the scene. It proves that education can be fun, and fun can be highly educational. By turning lessons into games much of the resistance to learning is removed and the results prove the effort to be well rewarded. Pupils at the Robert Mellors school in Nottingham have moved from the bottom 25% to the top 25% of schools in England in just three years.

A clear case of “Learning in Disguise”; Dona Chambers, the Headteacher said “They don’t realise we are ticking boxes in the National Curriculum during the games. It has had a phenomenal impact on the whole school. Because learning is so much fun, pupils want to be engaged”.

Supporting this form of fun activity is a large range of educational games used in school. They are now available for use at home to turn that boring homework session into a fun entertaining and imaginative approach to learning. And as the saying goes Practice makes perfect, or more appropriately in learning - Practice make Permanent. Many parents ideally like to maintain a role in the schooling process but do not want to interfere in the teaching process. Developments in teaching techniques have benefited from advances in technology and the text book of yesterday has been supplemented by the interactive DVD.

A whole range of educational games and educational toys have emerged over the last decade. Designed to tie in with the school curriculum by educationalists and ex teachers, the key is the element of fun they induce to learning. Children look forward to the games and suddenly learning takes on a hidden dimension. But perhaps the real key is the opportunity for parents to join in.

Learning retention is a combination of different inputs. The classroom environment steers children through the lesson presentation, demonstration and discussion activity, a process proven by the National Training Laboratory (NTL) to achieve 50% retention in learning. The key activity derived by the NTL research is the practice function which a highest level in the retention in learning. This activity is sometime difficult to achieve in class due to lack of time or equipment or the spread of abilities in an average class. To overcome this gap in the learning process inevitably the practice function is transformed into homework exercises.

This single activity is seen to be dull, boring and regarded by children, parents and teachers alike as a necessary chore. But there is an alternative. The maths games referred to earlier are an ideal way for parents to play an interactive role with their child at home. Playing educational games as a form of homework generates the practice function which can be lacking in school and according to the NTL achieves a massive 75% retention in learning.