Dan's following is quite substantial and the stream of replies to his posting about "tiny math games" is an terrific resource for a mathematics classroom. I added a few of my own - look for the Norma Gordon comments on the blog page.
Here was his prompt for tiny math game suggestions:
- The point of the game should be concise and intuitive. You can summarize the point of these games in a few seconds or a couple of sentences. It may be complicated to continue playing the game or to win it, but it isn't hard to start.
- They require few materials. That's part and parcel of being "tiny." These games don't require a laptop or iPhone.
- They're social, or at least they're better when people play together.
- They offer quick, useful feedback. With the multiplication game, you know you don't have the highest product because someone else hollers out one that's higher than yours. With Fizz-Buzz, your fellow players give you feedback when you blow it.
- They benefit from repetition. You may access some kind of mathematical insight on individual turns but you access even greater insight over the course of the game. With Fizz-Buzz, for instance, players might count five turns and then say "Buzz," but over time they may realize that you'll always say "Buzz" on numbers that end in 5 or 0. That extra understanding (what we could call the "strategy" of these tiny math games) is important.
- The math should only be incidental to the larger, more fun purpose of the game. I think this may be setting the bar higher than we need to, but Jason Dyer points out that people play Fizz-Buzz as a drinking game. [Jason Dyer]