Analysis of Logic and Strategy Games as a Tool for the Teaching and Approach to Mathematical Concepts

Abstract

The study presented in this paper shows an original and exhaustive analysis of some logic and strategy games. This kind of games represents a very useful tool for the teaching and a good approach to some mathematical concepts that must be treated in the different levels of the mathematical courses. This work is a personal view of the authors that allows the use of some games as a way to learn mathematics. It is the result of years of experience in gamification field performed in the Aula Taller Museo de las Matemáticas π-ensa (https://innovacioneducativa.upm.es/museomatematicas/). While working with students of all levels we have realized that this kind of games is a perfect instrument for the teaching and learning of mathematics. Our proposal involves strategy and logic games created by us as well as commercial ones. The main goal is to use the didactical value of them to introduce and consolidate some topics that the students must handle related to mathematical thinking. We want to offer students the opportunity of playing and overcoming challenges as a way to reinforce the acquired learning during the current classes as well as to train their capacity of reasoning. The analysis that we have done of each game, offers to professors the opportunity of using them as a motivating tool to introduce mathematical concepts.