Have Nintendo, Learn maths?
A Learning and Teaching Scotland report has shown regular use of Nintendo brain-training games improves test scores.
This is, of course, great news for Nintendo, exciting news for primary school kids everywhere, and good news for us, too.
Scottish students with their daily dose of brain-training
The BBC and the Daily Telegraph have picked up on the story, showing how the positive impact of brain-training software on P5/P6 students at one Dundee school has been replicated with a much larger trial involving 32 schools and 600 students.
It seems the study, managed by Learning and Teaching Scotland, showed improvements in standard test results, and improved behaviour and motivation. The games might even have helped reduce absence and truancy in some classes, and they particularly benefited the weaker students, both in actual ability and confidence. Improving confidence is, as we know too well, a crucial first step in boosting a child’s actual maths ability.
We’ve been looking into new ways to get our Maths-Whizz lessons in front of students, and whilst our award-winning Teachers’ Resource is great for classes, it’s less good for so-called ‘casual learning’.
This is where the brand-new Maths-Whizz Challenge comes in. We think it’s a great way to improve basic maths and increase confidence, with a bit of healthy competition thrown in for good measure, and we’ll be looking at new and interesting platforms for Maths-Whizz exercises in the future.