Contemporary Education

I played the Amazing Race with my students just the other day. It’s something I’ve been doing for a little while now. I didn’t realise how powerful it was until I had kids, who generally aren’t fond of Mathematics, absolutely loving it! It’s a great way to consolidate learning areas, or simply have fun. It also encourages team work amongst students and provides a platform for kids to teach each another. A great way to hook them in is by making a little movie trailor (iMovie is great for this) with photos of the kids, explaining they will be competing in a race.

How it works:

• kids work in teams (no more than 4)
• place clues around the school. Each team gets a set of clues that leads them to a new destination. The clue needs to direct them to where they need to go. Each destination has a Mathematical question with 2 options (1 right, 1 wrong). Each correct answer contains a letter and in the end, children should be able to crack a code/sentence. An example of one I use:

• once children/teams are finished, they need to assemble at a meeting point. It’s a great way to identify misconceptions. I generally make the wrong answer a common misconception. If kids are answering questions wrong, it’ll give you an insight into their understandings.
• the winning team generally has some sort of prize. This also encourages team work.

I’ve shared this with all levels in my school and it’s adaptable to all ages. With middle to senior levels, I provide them with a map of the school as well as their clues, and they’re required to find the co-ordinates of each destination. For junior levels this can be adapted.

There’s also a Christmas version I like to use. Check it out!

 Answers for Christmas challenge