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Teaching modeling skills using a massively multiplayer online mathematics game

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Abstract

One important challenge in mathematics education is teaching modeling skills. We analyze the logs from a game-based learning system used in a massively multiplayer online tournament. Students had to detect an input–output pattern across 20 rounds. For each round, they received an input and had 2 minutes to predict the output by selecting a binary option (2 points if correct, −1 otherwise), or writing a model (4 points if model prediction was correct, −4 otherwise), or refraining (1 point). Thousands of 3rd to 10th grade students from hundreds of schools simultaneously played together on the web. We identified different types of players using cluster analysis. From 5th grade onwards, we found a cluster of students that wrote models with correct predictions. Half of the 7th to 10th grade students that detected patterns were able to express them with models. The analysis also shows diffusion within the teams of modeling strategies for simple patterns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación Avanzada en Educación, Universidad de Chile, Periodista José Carrasco Tapia 75, Santiago, Chile

    Roberto Araya, Abelino Jiménez, Manuel Bahamondez, Patricio Calfucura, Pablo Dartnell & Jorge Soto-Andrade

  2. Centro de Modelamiento Matemático, Universidad de Chile, Blanco Encalada 2120, 7º Piso, Santiago, Chile

    Abelino Jiménez & Pablo Dartnell

  3. Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile

    Jorge Soto-Andrade

Authors
  1. Roberto Araya
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  2. Abelino Jiménez
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  3. Manuel Bahamondez
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  4. Patricio Calfucura
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  5. Pablo Dartnell
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  6. Jorge Soto-Andrade
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Correspondence to Roberto Araya.

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Araya, R., Jiménez, A., Bahamondez, M. et al. Teaching modeling skills using a massively multiplayer online mathematics game. World Wide Web 17, 213–227 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11280-012-0173-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11280-012-0173-5

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