Gaming Your Mathematics Course: The Theory and Practice of Games for Learning

Learning through play is fundamental to humans and to many other animals. Game Based Learning is an interactive pedagogy that has as its foundation the tenet that games, by their very nature, increase learning through positive emotional experience. This article introduces readers to what games in mathematics classes have the potential to do, including to decrease anxiety, increase motivation, and deepen learning through immersive gaming. The article then connects this theory to practice, providing examples of both computer and non-computer games in introductory middle school, high school and college mathematics. The article analyses how these games work, and makes the distinction between intrinsic games, in which the concept being taught is an integral part of the game, and extrinsic games which can be used for a variety of classes and topics, and tend to be more about review than about learning new concepts