The Game Go in Elementary Classrooms: Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of Go's Benefits for Mathematics

• In Event: Division C Section 1C: Technology, Games, and Embodied Learning in Mathematics Education

Abstract

The study presented in the paper explores the connections between mathematics learning and Go - a strategy board game - in third-grade classrooms. It addressed three questions: 1) What natural opportunities for learning and using mathematics arise from playing Go? 2) How is Go helpful for students in meeting the mathematics learning standards? 3) What are the teachers’ and students’ perceptions of Go? The primary data collected were the teacher and student surveys, teacher interviews, and videos of students playing Go. Results indicated strong connections between Go and mathematics skills and concepts, and suggested that Go can be used to create low-anxiety and game-based learning environments within classrooms that promote students’ understanding of fundamental number concepts and fluency in operations.

Authors

• Xiuwen Wu, National Louis University

• Xinming Guo, Go and Math Academy