I would like to suggest that play could be a critical feature of educative experiences in mathematics. Using the context of commercial board games that rely on logical thinking, we will explore through our own play the possibilities for students’ development of mathematical processes like reasoning, visualizing and reflecting. My research has invited me to think alongside students and teachers, from elementary to high school, as they imbue meaningfulness into their interactions and mathematical sense-making through game play. I found that returning to Dewey’s notion of educative experiences emphasizes the possibility of growth through a multiplicity of interactions and continuity from processes toward content. I will share my learning through several projects of how games occasion more than desired, singular curricular destinations but draw together learners, content and the materiality of learning. I will invite you to consider from our engagement in games and conversation opportunities to enliven students’ learning in math class through playfulness.

Bio:

Janelle McFeetors, PhD, janelle.mcfeetors@ualberta.ca, is an Associate Professor in Elementary Mathematics Education at the University of Alberta. Her research program has grown out of her early career as a high school teacher, fascinated with students’ experiences of learning mathematics. Currently, she is interested in students’ development of mathematical processes and how to incorporate games intentionally for meaningful learning in math class. Through her research and teaching, she seeks to contribute to mathematics education as a humanizing endeavor in schools through experiences that prompt moments of becoming.