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Ramping Up Math Skills:

Miss. Sarah Ramp

3rd Grade Warner Elementary

Motivation through Friendly Competition

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Setting the Scene

• Third grade is when students start learning multiplication and division

• 3rd Grade Math GLCE N.FL.03.11:

Find products fluently up to 10 x 10…

• Class had “Times Club” already set up, but the majority of students were not passing and moving up “Clubs”

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The Problem• The students not knowing their multiplication

facts was causing math to take longer than it should have:– Spending more time on problems– Class time was being used to wait for them to

make calculations instead of focusing on the new processes and methods

– Students were get problems wrong because of calculation errors

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The Solution

Motivate them to learn their multiplication facts!

But how??Bribery? Punishment?

Rewards?

Candy? Trinkets?

Competition!4

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Research on Games and Competition• Competition has a negative affect:

– “A positive classroom environment of safety and security may be spoiled … Competition belongs on the athletic field, but not in the classroom.” (Self, N.)

– “Competition is a recipe for hostility.” (Kohn)

– “Competition is to self-esteem as sugar is to teeth” (Kohn)

– Competition encourages cheating and causes some students to give up before even trying because they feel hopeless at being able to win. (Self, N.)

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Research on Games and Competition

• More negative affects:– The best amount of competition for children is “none at

all, and the very phrase ‘healthy competition’ is actually a contradiction in terms.” (Kohn)

– “…some things are inherently destructive. Competition, which simply means that one person can succeed only if others fail, is one of those things. It's always unnecessary and inappropriate at school, at play, and at home.” (Kohn)

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Research on Competition and Games• Competition has positive effects:

– “the results suggesting that competitive games lead to negative outcomes might only be true in contexts characterized by already high levels of competition… First, competition and aggression are not synonymous… Second, cooperation is a prerequisite to competition—in other words, children need to cooperate in order to compete.” (Zan)

– “In the classroom, winning is not predicated on someone else losing. Students can achieve success without others failing, or students can fail regardless of how well [others do].” (Williamson)

– “Through toys, games, role plays, and imaginative use of equipment and materials, children develop physically, intellectually, linguistically, emotionally, and socially.” (Rivera)

– Games help children develop self-control and social skills as well as promote taking turns, strategic thinking, and problem solving. (Rivera)

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Research on Competition and Games• More positive effects:

– “Through games and activities, a skilled teacher can introduce something unknown to a hesitant learner and allow the student to practice until mastery is achieved. Structured classroom play can appeal to all styles of learners: visual, aural, and kinesthetic… Play can enliven that which seems uninteresting, add humor, and infuse creativity into rigid and dry topics.” (Rivera)

– “There is no doubt that one way to generate children’s interest in mathematics and science is through their favorite activities or games,” because “instinctively, kids crate games to help make sense of the world around them” (Williamson)

– “Research has shown that some group games are excellent vehicles for promoting intellectual reasoning, especially in the area of mathematics.” (Kamii)

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Research on Competition and Games• Instead of competition:

– Change the focus of the activity to validate “each students strengths as an individual and contributions as a team member”

– Alleviate fears of failure, ridicule, disappointment, and embarrassment

– Celebrations of all instead of winnings for only a few

– Guide students to individual goals– Have students compete against the clock—not

each other (Self, N.)

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Friendly Competition• Played 5 different games over 3 weeks• Created a bulletin board to visualize

progress• For every game:

– Emphasized positive encouragement– No tolerance policy of negativity– Everyone could be a winner

• Main goal to improve math facts speed and accuracy

– Predetermined time limit10

Bingo

Choices

0 1 4

9 1625

36 4964

81 10011

Bingo

Choices

0 1 4

9 16 25

36 49 64

81100

49 16 64

100 1 81

4 9 36

12

Fact Swat

24 90 6 28

4   20 72

15 9 5421

36 12 0 7

10 18 3213

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Around the World

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Times War

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Bus Stop

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“Going for Gold” Bulletin Board

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Collected Data: Times Club  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Students                        3-1 3-3 3-5 3-8 3-10 3-12 3-16 3-18        A 10 20 30 40 40 40   50 50 60 70 70 70 70 80 90 90 100 D10 D20 D30 D40 D40B 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 60 70 80 80 80 80 80C 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 70 70  D   10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50E 10 10   10 20 20 20 20 30   30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30  F 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 60 60 60 60 60G 10 20 30 30 30 30   30 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 60 60 70 70   80 80H 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30   40 40 40 50 50 50 50 50   50 60   60 60I 10 20 30   30 30 30 40 50 50 60 60 70 80 80 80 90 90 90 90 100 100  J 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 60 60 60 60 70 70 70 70 70K 10 20 30 40 50 50 60 70 70 70 70 70 70 70   70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70L 10 20 30 30 40 50 50 60 60   60 70 70 70 80 90 100 100 D10 D20 D20 D30 D30M 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 60 70 70 70 70 70 80 90 90N 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 60 60 70 80 90 100 D10 D20O 10 20 30 30 30 30 40 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 90 90 100 D10P 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 80 80 90 90 100 100 D10 D20 D20 D30 D40 D50 D60   D70Q 10 20 20 30 30 30 30   30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 50 50 60 60 60 70 70R 10 20 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 60 70 80S 10 20 30   30 40   50   60 70   80 90 100 D10 D10 D20 D30 D40 D50 D60 D60T 10       20 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50U 10 20 30 30 30   40 50 50 60 70 80 90 100 D10 D10 D20 D30 D40 D50 D60 D70 D70V 10 20 30 30 40       50 50 60 60 70 70 70 70 80 80 80 80 80 80  W   10 20 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50  X 10 10 20 20 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30   40 50 60 60 60 70 80 80 80 80Y                   50 50 50 50 50   50 60 60 70 80 80 90 100

Passers 20 20 6 6 7 5 9 6 5 7 6 10 7 13 8 8 6 13 12 9 11 4 1418

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Overall  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Passers 20 20 6 6 7 5 9 6 5 7 6 10 7 13 8 8 6 13 12 9 11 4 14

    Before After

    Games Games

Overall Average 6.333333 9.583333

% Increase from Games 51.3%

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Overall  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Passers 20 20 6 6 7 5 9 6 5 7 6 10 7 13 8 8 6 13 12 9 11 4 14

    Before After

    Games Games

Overall Average 6.333333 9.583333

% Increase from Games 51.3%

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Individual                          3-1 3-3 3-5 3-8 3-103-123-163-18          

Student 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Slope 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Slope

C 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 50 3.17 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 70 70   1.91

K 10 20 30 40 50 50 60 70 70 70 70 5.17 70 70 70   70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 0.00

N 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 0.00 30 40 50 50 60 60 70 80 90 100D10 D20 7.21

Before Slope: 3.17After Slope: 1.91

Minor Decline

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Individual                          3-1 3-3 3-5 3-8 3-103-123-163-18          

Student 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Slope 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Slope

C 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 50 3.17 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 70 70   1.91

K 10 20 30 40 50 50 60 70 70 70 70 5.17 70 70 70   70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 0.00

N 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 0.00 30 40 50 50 60 60 70 80 90 100D10 D20 7.21

Before Slope: 5.17After Slope: 0.00

Huge Decline

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Individual                          3-1 3-3 3-5 3-8 3-103-123-163-18          

Student 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Slope 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Slope

C 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 40 50 50 50 3.17 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 60 70 70   1.91

K 10 20 30 40 50 50 60 70 70 70 70 5.17 70 70 70   70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 0.00

N 10 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 0.00 30 40 50 50 60 60 70 80 90 100D10 D20 7.21

Before Slope: 0.00After Slope: 7.21

Huge Improvement!

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Overall

t-Test

Before Slope Mean = 2.489489028

After Slope Mean= 3.617198376

P(T<=t) one-tail = 0.041739231

Since 0.0417 is less than 0.05,

we can be confident that the difference

was not due to chance

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Student Survey “Going for Gold” Bulletin Board

1. I enjoyed having the “Going for GOLD”

bulletin board in the classroom. 19 3 3

2. The “Going for GOLD” bulletin board motivated me to want to learn my multiplication facts.

16 3 6

3. The “Going for GOLD” bulletin board motivated me to practice my multiplication facts at home.

12 5 8

Favorite Games:

#1. Bus Stop #4. Times War #2. Around the World #5. Bingo#3. Fact Swat 25

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Student Survey

BUS STOP

1. I enjoyed playing Bus Stop. 24 1 0

2. Bus Stop helped me learn my multiplication facts. 19 5 1

3. Bus Stop helped me get faster at my multiplication facts. 19 2 4

4. Bus Stop motivated me to want to learn my multiplication facts. 16 5 4

5. Bus Stop motivated me to practice my multiplication facts at home. 13 3 9

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Student Survey

AROUND THE WORLD

1. I enjoyed playing Around the World. 21 4 0

2. Around the World helped me learn my multiplication facts. 18 6 1

3. Around the World helped me get faster at my multiplication facts. 18 4 3

4. Around the World motivated me to want to learn my multiplication facts. 15 5 5

5. Around the World motivated me to practice my multiplication facts at home. 11 7 7

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Student Survey

FACT SWAT

1. I enjoyed playing Fact Swat. 21 1 3

2. Fact Swat helped me learn my multiplication facts. 12 9 4

3. Fact Swat helped me get faster at my multiplication facts. 14 8 3

4. Fact Swat motivated me to want to learn my multiplication facts. 13 7 5

5. Fact Swat motivated me to practice my multiplication facts at home. 12 4 9

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Student Survey

TIMES WAR

1. I enjoyed playing Times War. 13 6 6

2. Times War helped me learn my multiplication facts. 12 7 6

3. Times War helped me get faster at my multiplication facts. 13 8 4

4. Times War motivated me to want to learn my multiplication facts. 11 6 8

5. Times War motivated me to practice my multiplication facts at home. 10 3 12

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Student Survey

BINGO

1. I enjoyed playing Bingo. 10 8 6

2. Bingo helped me learn my multiplication facts. 11 6 7

3. Bingo helped me get faster at my multiplication facts. 8 8 8

4. Bingo motivated me to want to learn my multiplication facts. 10 7 5

5. Bingo motivated me to practice my multiplication facts at home. 9 7 8

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ConclusionFriendly competition in the classroom did help the class with multiplication facts, in

terms of both motivation and mastery.

However, a few students were not positively effected by the competition, so more investigating still needs to be done

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Action Plan

• Continue to use all games except Bingo

• Play games less frequently– Use as rewards– Use after disappointing Times Club tests

• Continue updating “Going for Gold” bulletin board

• Continue to monitor student progress

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Sources• Self, Nancy S. “Build a Positive Classroom Environment: Avoid Competition!”

Childhood Education 85.5 (2009): 306-I(4). General OneFile. Web. 23 Feb. 2010

• Kohn, Alfie. “The Case Against Competition.” Alfie Kohn. Web. 25 Feb. 2010<http://www.alfiekohn.org/parenting/tcac.htm>.

• Coleman, James S. “Academic Games and Learning.” John Hopkins University. FirstSearch. Web. 23 Feb. 2010

• Rivera, Miquela. “The Powerful Effects of Play in a Child’s Education.” The Education Digest 75 no2 (2009). FirstSearch. Web 23 Feb. 2010 <http://0-firstsearch.oclc.org.library.albion.edu/WebZ/DARead?format=HTML:dbname=WilsonSelectPlus_FT:wildSici=0013-127X+200910+75+2+50+%3F%3F%3F:sici=0013-127X%28200910%2975%3A2%3C50%3ATPEOPIACE%3E::sessionid=fsapp1-34884-g61bc6ix-juvbyp:entitypagenum=1:0>.

• Williamson, Keith M. and Lee Land, Beverly Butler, Hassan Ndahi. “A Structured Framework for Using Games to Teach Mathematics and Science in K012 Classrooms.” The Technology Teacher 64 no3 (2004): 15-18 N. FirstSearch. Web 23 Feb. 2010

• Zan, Betty and Carolyn Hildebrandt. “Cooperative and Competitive Games in Constructivist Classrooms.” The Constructivist. Vol. 16, No. 1. University of Northern Iowa. Web. 23 Feb. 2010 < http://www.odu.edu/educ/act/journal/vol16no1/zan.pdf>.

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