Supporting Teaching and Learning in Mathematics through Games

SUPPORTING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MATHEMATICS
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Introduction
Games in academic and home settings create a background for developing pupils' mathematical understanding and reasoning. Students can acquire computational fluency by playing and analysing games, assessing the efficient approaches, and discussing how the numbers relate. The best way for pupils to reflect on their thinking and guess or make predictions mathematically is by developing prompt questions. Similarly, modifying the game to consider the learner's needs promotes their ability to apply the underlying principles for mathematical practice. Therefore, this work aims to develop a game that will facilitate students' use and application of mathematics. Similarly, this work will critically analyse the use of the game within the pupil's setting.
Game Name and Description (DaMath Checker Board Game)
The goal of this game is to have the most points at the end of the game. A chessboard can be used for this game. Two players and 12 bottle caps are needed for each player. The 24 bottle caps will be numbered, and the board will be marked by plus (+) and minus (-) signs where the bottle caps will be placed. The 12 bottle caps of one player will be placed facing down while the other 12 (that of the opponent) will be facing up. It is just the same as playing the Dama board game. The only difference is that the bottle caps are numbered. Suppose the taker uses his bottle cap numbered 5 to take the opponent's bottle cap numbered 6 and lands on the board tile with an addition sign; the taker will add five and six, and then his score will become eleven. If the opponent with a bottle cap numbered 12 then takes his bottle cap numbered 10 and lands on the board tile with the subtraction (-) sign, his score will be only 2, and the game will be finished when the one of the players has no more bottle caps. The one with the highest score will be the winner.
The Years that the Game Aims and Why
The game aims at grade 3 students to ensure that they attain a high level of competence in mathematics before they proceed to middle school. Thus, the pupils stand a chance of acquiring fundamental concepts and facts in numerical skills concerning their stage of learning. In other words, the students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject rather than memorise critical methods to solve problems in the subject. The game requires a high level of attention and concentration, a skill that can help keep focus when they attend the advanced stage of learning. The game involves complex procedures as the player needs to concentrate and have a strategy to take a bottle cap with a high number and land on the board tile with a plus (+) sign.
The game also targets grade 3 pupils as its engaging capability will build their confidence to solve arithmetic as fast as possible. According to Kankia (2008), mathematics classes experience is full of talking and writing, contributing to poor attitude and low-performance outcomes. On the same note, most pupils have developed hatred and fear for the subject, particularly when they can't understand the symbols, formulae, and signs used in class (Orim ...