Many find it hard to associate fun with mathematics. Perhaps they see maths as an austere discipline that one needs to master to some extent for some purpose or another. An element of helplessness is also common. The famous British mathematician G. H. Hardy said, “Most people are so frightened of the name of mathematics that they are ready, quite unaffectedly, to exaggerate their own mathematical stupidity.”

What if an effort is made to enrich mathematics classes with fun challenges? The main article on this page offers two examples of how fun activities could accompany the delivery of technical material.

Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College was ranked as the top graduate school of education in the US during the 2009-2013 editions of the US News & World Report graduate school rankings. Peabody professors Lisa Fazio (psychology), Melissa Gresalfi and Ilana Horn (maths education) are strong proponents of learning maths through play, and study how this can be achieved. They design maths-based activities and games, and analyse the students’ response and the effect on the students’ performance. Lazio developed a game called ‘Catch the Monster With Fractions’ and found that students who played it had a significant improvement in their understanding of fractions compared to those who did not.

“They said they didn’t want to stop playing it because it didn’t feel like homework,” she says. “It was just fun.” “Every day doesn’t have to be a playground,” Horn says, “but throughout the school year, kids do need spaces to have positive experiences while learning mathematical problem-solving”.

Albert Einstein said: “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Which subject offers more opportunity for this than maths?

Reference: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/peabody-reflector/2017/01/math-myths-researchers-debunk-common-misconceptions