Keystone Magazine Learning the Keystone Way 2015-2016 EN | Page 12

Learning is Fun
Is There
A Formula to
Understanding
Math Better ?
in less than one minute each
student was crunching algebra
problems in under 30 seconds,
and most impor tantly they
were enjoying it even more. In a
pall of silence, they solved each
problem as fast as Ms. Heaton
counted down, and crossed out
answers on their Bingo sheets.
Soon, one student stood up
shouting, “Bingo!” Another fol-
lowed, and then another.
M
iddle and
high school
Math teach-
e r, P r i s a n a
Heaton an-
nounced
to her grade 6 students that
they would start the day’s les-
son with Algebra Bingo. The
whole class whined in chorus.
But then the game began, and
10
“ When I taught in Australia,
students would cringe when
they heard the word “algebra.”
It took time to convince them
that algebra is fun, when they
had no idea what it involved,”
explained Ms. Heaton. “By us-
ing Math games, Math relay
and hands-on games, students
understand and practice the
concepts successfully without
even realizing it. This approach
is also a good break from por-
ing over a textbook, and yet it is
the same material delivered in a
different form. So, here too I did
not want my grade 6 students
to cringe, and I wanted them to
enjoy learning the concepts in
an easier way,” she added.