Last week, students in Ms. Larson's 4th-grade classroom played the card game "war" with a mathematical twist. Each card was assigned as fractions, and students had to determine who held the higher card.
Ms. Larson's use of adaptive games created an interactive, immersive experience that turned math into exploration and play. These games support her conventional classroom instruction.
Game-based learning has been shown to strengthen individualized learning within the scaffolding of conventional instruction. Games can allow students to take a more active role in problem-solving and receive more immediate feedback. These activities also familiarize students with productive struggle, a beneficial academic and life skill, within a supportive environment.