ICT for Everyday Learning: a Teacher's Toolkit

Games, simulations and modelling provide situations in which students essentially undertake mathematical activity for some other purpose.

In games there is often some competitive element around reaching a goal of some kind. Simulation involves using mathematical means to replicate some phenomenon in order to reach an appreciation of that phenomenon (eg simulating payment strategies for a loan and investigating interest paid).

Modelling is the process of using a mathematical formulation of a real world situation to reach some conclusions about the situation (eg to determine the size of a rainwater tank to effectively capture the runoff from a roof). Teachers use games, simulation and modelling to motivate and engage students and, in the case of the last two, to establish the usefulness of mathematics for students.

Teachers use open-ended tasks - sometimes called ‘investigations’ - with their students in order to stimulate a range of positive mathematical behaviours. These include students drawing on their existing mathematical understandings, knowledge and skills in novel settings, analysing the appropriateness of their approaches, checking results and asking 'what if …' questions to extend their learning.