Review of Well Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles

A couple of days ago I tweeted that I thought I was going to like this resource and some folks asked me to let them know my thoughts. Well, as I thought, this book did not disappoint!

Authors Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland, and Jayne Bamford Lynch share some engaging new number games and puzzles and twists on old favourites like "Go Fish Numbers" (e.g., students search for "packs" of three matching representations of a given number). They also share a few free online games for each conceptual area. Although I really liked the games/puzzles in the book, what impressed me the most were the points they raised around the teaching of games/puzzles; these were highly insightful! Some of my take aways from the book include:

• Dacey et al. suggest that typically number games and puzzles are used in classrooms solely for practicing skills (e.g., during choice or centre time). They believe this is a missed opportunity. They share how when taught with intentionality, number games and puzzles can be used to teach deep conceptual understanding.
• They emphasize the importance of how games/puzzles are taught, including being explicit about our purposes and expectations with our students. They suggest using a gradual release approach where students are exposed to games/puzzles as a whole group and note five stages (Introduction, Exploration, Variation, Practice, and Recreation) that will lead children to construct their own understandings.
• They encourage teachers to collaborate with their students to build, protocols, brainstorm responsibilities (e.g., I need to help my partner if they make a mistake), and role play game and puzzle manners.
• Games can be differentiated to meet the needs of the students. I think many teachers already do this but I liked how they placed emphasis on this aspect by having a "Variations" section for each game, where they share specific ideas for how to differentiate a game.
• Games and puzzles can be used for assessment. They provide guiding questions ("What to Look For") which can assist teachers in knowing what a student understands and any misconceptions they may have.
• They highlight the need to build time in for reflections. This point really impressed me as it is something we know is so important! This is our opportunity to foster Math Talk which encourages and build cross-curricular and curricular competencies (aka Mathematical Habits of Mind). The authors remind us that through sharing, students are able to communicate and explain their strategies, ask questions, listen to the ideas of others, and use evidence to justify their thoughts. This is the heart of socio-contructivist learning! Through reflection students can build their repertoire of strategies, see mistakes as learning opportunities, and develop a better understanding of who they are as a learners. Dacey et al., also suggest and provide exit slip questions that can be used to gather information.
• The authors suggest that students should play together in teams! This took me by surprise but their rationale makes sense. Rather than have students play alone against a partner, they suggest that this approach leads to more communication and further deepens students conceptual understanding as they are required to communicate, making their thinking visible to their team.
• Lastly, Dacey et al., provided small snip-its of research to support their ideas. This validates and strengthens their convictions.

My only suggestion (and this is for the editor) - is that I wish there was an online url link where I could go and print out the blackline masters in the standard 8.5 x 11 size. It is just a minor detail but one that would save me time and as teacher, that is something we could all use more of.

I highly recommend this resource and intend to use it this coming year!

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