The Counting to 10 Game

1.
2, 3, 4.
5, 6.
7, 8.
9.
...10.

...followed by a mesh of groans, laughter, and shuffling as the circle grows one person smaller.

The "Counting to 10 Game" has shown itself to be very popular in the middle school classrooms I have subbed in. Last week, I saw it played in two different classrooms, grades 6 and 7. The game reminded me instantly of the "Gold Coin Game" highlighted in my math textbook. There are two players in the "Gold Coin Game." There are 15 coins placed in a pile. On each play, a player can remove one, two, or three coins from this pile. The player who takes the last coin wins the game.

The "Counting to 10 Game" utilizes similar problem solving skills, but it isn't quite the same. Any number of students can play, and when I subbed, the whole class played. Counting student by student, the group has to count up to 10. Each player can say one, two, or three numbers in a row. The student that says the number 10 is out and is eliminated from the game. You can find a lesson plan for several variations of this game here.

The 6th grade students utilized no strategies in this game. This was apparent through the quickness of their responses. Watching the students play, I was discouraged. This could have been an awesome moment for students to practice their mathematical reasoning skills, I thought. Besides providing a nice break for students, the 10 minutes spent playing felt like wasted time.

As the game proceeded, I kept thinking to myself: I don't even know how I would strategize in this game, especially with so many players and so little time to formulate a response. I was discouraged yet again, this time by my own self-perceived incompetence. I thought back to a class reading from that week, from which I here present an excerpt:

"Too many students preparing for elementary teaching have been less than successful mathematics students, and even those with good grades often doubt their competence. Understandably, readers of this document may feel dismay at the prospect of working with such math-anxious, if not math-phobic, undergraduates. However, those who work with them can testify that, once these prospective teachers experience their own capacities for mathematical thought, their anxiety is transformed into energy for learning."

When I reached to this paragraph, I felt inspired. Learning to engage in mathematical thought will not be easy, but I am hopeful that my struggles will help me better understand my students who will someday experience similar difficulties. Math problems such as the "Gold Coin Game" and "Counting to 10 Game" are new territory to me, and it's nice to know that I will be able to someday help my students navigate this same scary world of mathematical thought.

The next period I taught - 7th grade - was inspiring. The students were using reasoning to formulate game strategies. They would pause before they spoke, trying to predict what amount of numbers would ensure they not be eliminated their next turn. During this pause, I could all but see the gears in their brains turning. Super cool.

I found some pretty awesome math videos, and I am excited to share one with you all next blog post!