FAQs
Learn more about The Math Gym from commonly asked questions / topics. If you still need more information, feel free to contact us.
Q : Is there any evidence that children actually learn from playing the MathGym-1D game?
A : Yes, we have both quantitative and qualitative evidence discussed at the Our Experience page. The statistics mentioned below came from the pretests and posttests given for the board game at the five math camps we ran before manufacturing and later, the Elgin, Oklahoma Middle School study funded by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.
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Q : It's been a while since I had a refresher course in math. Will I be able to understand the math well enough to help my children?
A : You bet. The Parents & Teachers page has an ebook of methods "How Much Does the Number One Weigh" that covers the math used by the game, and additionally our innovative methods for teaching kids how to solve equations. In addition, all the workout problems have answers and worked solutions provided.
We have taught adult students many times and understand much of the math you once knew well has disappeared in the sands of time.
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Q : I have several children of different ages. Will they all be able to play the game together?
A : Absolutely. The unique thing about The Math Gym is that children of all levels of math proficiency can play the game together. Each student plays using a set of cards suitable for their knowledge level, so anyone can win! In one camp a fourth grader played at the same table with an eleventh grader.
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Q : Will my children really enjoy playing the game?
A : 96% of the children in camp said they enjoyed playing the game. Some of the Elgin Middle School students even volunteered that the game was more fun than Monopoly!
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Q : Will they really play this at home?
A : 74% of the children in camp said they definitely would play it at home with friends and 4% said maybe.
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Q : Will my children learn to work word problems?
A : The scores on the word problem section at our math camps tests averaged 40% on the pre-test and 60% on the post-test.
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Q : Does the game have a different impact on children of different math ability?
A : Apparently not. The camp students who had made a C or less in their last math class improved their test scores by 16%. Those who had made a B or better in their last math class improved their test scores by 15%.
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Q : Don't young children have a hard time working with negative numbers?
A : The students know intuitively that negative numbers move you back. It took them a little longer to understand that negation reverses direction so that -(-2)= 2. They didn't have any problem seeing that 3x(-2) is -6, but seeing why (-3)x(-2)= +6 was harder.
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Q : Don't young children have a hard time using variables?
A : This was the least difficult part of the game to learn. Because variables are used as wild cards, they became good things to have in your hand. One of the students at camp was a special ed 6th grader working at a 3rd or 4th grade level. The last day of camp she played x + a, chose x to be 4 and a to be 2 and moved her token 6 spaces to land on a workout square!
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Q : Do children prefer to play computer games or board games?
A : 30% of the children at camp preferred board games, 33% preferred computer games, and 37% liked them both equally.
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Q : Can this be used in after school programs?
A : Sure. Using multiple level workout cards lets children of different abilities to play in the same game. The poorer students learn from watching the higher level students solve their workout problems. They can move up to higher levels at their own pace.
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Q : Can this be used for Adult Education?
A : Absolutely! Write to Carter at
cwaid@themathgym.com to get information on his experiences with adult education in Louisiana.
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