Games and cognitive development in teaching mathematics in public primary school in Rivers State
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the help of games and cognitive in teaching of mathematics in primary school in Rivers states
- To evaluate the impact of Mathematics Game-Base Learning in primary school
- To ascertain whether pupil participation in mathematics games will increase quantitative cognitive abilities.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual framework
The concept of Game based learning
Aristotle (Gutek, 2005) stated that education was to enable humans to live socially, politically, and economically in the world. All people according to Aristotle have the power to reason and knowledge comes from one’s senses carrying information to the brain. The purpose of education is to cultivate human excellence by developing rationality and forming human character which game based learning can do.
Game Based Learning is an interactive activity that has as its foundation and tenet that games, by their very nature, increase learning through positive emotional experience. Games do not merely entertain; rather, they can deepen connections and allow for greater learning. According to Shaffer, Halverson, Squire and Gee (2005) game based learning is a type of play that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game based learning is designed to balance subject matter with game play and ability of the players to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world. It describes an approach of teaching where students explore relevant aspects of game in a learning context designed by teachers. Teachers and students collaborate in order to add depth and perspective to the experience of playing game. Good game based learning applications can draw us into virtual environment, we work towards a goal, choosing actions and experiencing the consequences of those actions along the way. We make mistakes in a risk free setting and through experimentation we actively learn and practice the right to do things. This keeps us highly engaged in practicing behavior and thought processes that we can easily transfer from the stimulation of environment to real life.
Game based learning can also be defined as lessons which are competitive, interactive and allow the learner to have fun while gaining knowledge. The best game based learning procedure has three main elements namely:
- Competition- the competitive elements help to provide motivation in conventional learning methods.
- Engagement- playing games is engaging and it springs out curiosity and imagination in the learners. They also learn a lot within a short period of time.
- Immediate feedbacks and rewards- this is vital to keep the learners interested and coming back for more as well as helping the learning process. These rewards might be as simple as letting them know they are correct, giving them points or even descriptive feedback expanding their knowledge.
Game based learning offer many advantages when done properly as it allows students to interact with multiple learning scenarios that are tailored to meet the pace at which they learn. Scoring on these games can be standardized to allow comparisons between students and feedback can be instantaneous.
According to Trybus (2009), game based learning has many positive aspects. It is cost effective, has low physical risk or liability to the learner, has standardized assessments for student-to-student comparisons, is highly engaging, has a learning pace tailored to the individual needs of the students, affords immediate feedback responses for students’ mistakes and can easily transfer learning to a real-world environment. With game based learning, our teaching and learning of mathematics structure may improve for good.
Game based learning can offer students the opportunity to enhance their current knowledge when teachers provide the right learning environment relevant to the curriculum being learned. It provides students with opportunities to reason through the use of their senses (touching, seeing, and hearing) as well as opportunities to develop rational thought and character through interactions with others, even in a virtual setting.
In the application of game based learning in the classroom, the teachers or educators should consider the following factors:
- Which game best integrates into the existing curriculum, Harris (2006).
- Which game meets the objectives of the topics being taught, MacKenty (2006).
Depending on the type of game that is played, there are clear benefits to supplementing games as active learning components in the classroom.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought Games and cognitive development in teaching mathematics in public primary school in Rivers State
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information Games and cognitive development in teaching mathematics in public primary school in Rivers State. 200 staff of selected primary schools in Portharcourt in Rivers statewas selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain Games and cognitive development in teaching mathematics in public primary school in Rivers State. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of Games and cognitive development in teaching mathematics in public primary school
Summary
This study was on Games and cognitive development in teaching mathematics in public primary school in Rivers State. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the help of games and cognitive in teaching of mathematics in primary school in Rivers states, to evaluate the impact of Mathematics Game-Base Learning in primary school and to ascertain whether pupil participation in mathematics games will increase quantitative cognitive abilities. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected primary schools in Rivers state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made headmasters, headmistresses, class teachers and junior officers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
This Mathematics Game-Based Learning Application it is an application aimed at helping primary-aged students to learn and improve their mathematical ability in addition and subtraction. To this end, the Mathematics Game-Based Learning Application has been created with the intention to bene-fit the children by developing and improving their abilities and skills, and to ease their learning experience.
Recommendation
- Game based learning approach should be incorporated in the mathematics curriculum teacher’s training schools.
- Teachers should be dynamic in the type of game they employ in the process of teaching depending on the topic and concept.
- Adequate supervision to ensure the use and understanding of game based learning approach should be ensured by the appropriate bodies concerned.
References
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