New Video Game Builds Real-World Math Skills

Could an interactive computer video game be the key to helping today’s tech-savvy students from falling behind other countries in the math race? That’s the pursuit of a new University of Cincinnati faculty member with a $400,000, two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Janet Mannheimer Zydney is developing the game to offer customized instruction to students. Zydney, assistant professor of educational technology for the University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, is creating software called Math Pursuits that – through digital video clips – takes students on a math adventure with video scenarios acted out by students of a similar age. The program is in development to offer customized instruction to students from third to twelfth grades.

Recent reports suggest the state of American student math skills has reached crisis levels. A current “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)” reports the United States ranks at the bottom 50 percent in math among industrialized nations. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving math education, recently recommended a more focused approach to improving student math skills. In Washington, Congress recently created the Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to improve education from kindergarten to the college level.

Zydney says Math Pursuits is an individualized approach to today’s classroom of diverse learning levels. The computer program can be adjusted to the student’s level of ability, by allowing them to move at their own pace. It provides additional challenges for the high-achievers and provides additional support for students who are behind. Improvement is promising as well for students who range in the middle, challenging them to reach above average. “In today’s classroom settings of diverse learners, Math Pursuits can change the dynamics of the classroom,” Zydney says.

For example, one of the videos in development features siblings planning a family vacation, using MapQuest to explore how to use mileage and time to find a destination that fits the number of hours their dad is willing to drive. “Students this age know about MapQuest, they know how to use it, so this computer program uses MapQuest to make math familiar to them,” Zydney explains. “A common complaint that parents and teachers might hear as students learn math is, ‘When am I ever going to use this?’ Math Pursuits shows them how they’re using math every day in real-life situations.”

Zydney adds that the program helps students develop fluency in mathematical problem-solving. “Through this video vignette, they get to practice their math skills over and over again, but because of the variety of the scenarios, they won’t even be aware that they’re doing it.”

Phase one of the project involves the development of three different components of the software. Each of the components covers a different math topic, such as fractions, integers, decimals and percents. The software will be evaluated through actual testing by elementary, middle and high-school students.

Zydney is collaborating on the project with educational software pioneer Ted Hasselbring of Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Once the working prototype of Math Pursuits is completed, the researchers plan to work with a software company for further development and distribution.