The problem / intent

The teacher selects and deploys a mini-game to address a math topic in an engaging playful way. Students play the game in the classroom, are involved and like it. But they avoid or just miss the math that was intented by the teacher to focus on.

The context

This deployment pattern can be observed when an existing (mini-)game is added to a math lesson or course. Intentionally, the teacher tries to 'enrich' the lesson by adding a meaningful game that is closely related to the content of the lesson.


The problem that comes up in this approach is that the mini-games are played by the students, but that the student simply misses the intended mathematical exercise/idea during playtime.


The pattern describes how the teacher can solve this problem by adding explicit instructions.

Use this table as appropriate:

mathematical content	content domain can be any but preferable related to a curriculum topic
Learning and Instruction	implicit math is embedded in the game, but relationship is implicit; Educational objectives are mathematical and to address math through gameplay; Role of the teacher the teacher sets up the tasks and observes gameplay; Role of pupils they participate, play the game; Direct employment; user centred; Rationale game as motivating, meaningful context for learning math.
Educational Context	play students play mini-game in math class (individual or in pairs) with a math teacher there; type of learning activity game and subject elements are integrated, but math content is conveyed implicitly and the link between game elements and math elements may be too weak.
Games	Intended use the intended use of the mini-game is as educational activity; games as genres can be any but  it is a mathematical game used in class, most likely a minigame is a puzzle, strategy, simulation or programming game;
Interface and interaction	feedback is most likely not explicitly focused on the math
Software Design	N/A

The pattern

• Teacher selects mini-game that addresses specific math concept/topic to have students do math in a motivating playful way.
• students play game are motivated and engaged.
• they think they succeeded in the game.
• But they 'missed' the math.
• For the next time teacher decides to:

• design and use a wrapper focussing more on the math
• start of with a plenary discussion/starter addressing the math
• after playing discuss what students did; how they could have used math; have them play again

Related patterns

Leads to: Starter Wrapper
Follows: Deployment scenario
Elaborates: The unpredictable
Elaborated by: -

Notes

This approach of 'adding mini-games' can be observed in the Netherlands a lot, where math teachers have the opportunity to add mini-games from www.thinklets.nl (or the dutch version www.rekenweb.nl ) to their lessons.

Examples

This pattern was found to occur with for example with the following games:

• The minigame pie has students decorate a cake. They are supposed to use a clock (or degrees) to make repeating and symmetric (rotational symmetry) decorations. Instead they decorate the cake by drawing for example a face on it or a house.
  
• The 'cutting Cheese game' in Dutch afsnijden : students cut of a piece of cheese with a specified weight; they can use ratio, proportion and fractional reasoning to do this (for instance by first halving, then cuttinhg each half in three parts etc.), instead they just use trial and error and cut of very irregular shaped pieces.

Link to case studies.