What are the chances of learning important math concepts while having fun? Fairly high if you're a student at Whitby School. Both Middle Elementary (ME) and Grade 6 students held Probability Carnivals in recent weeks in direct correlation to what they studied in the classroom.
Students created carnival-like games while keeping in mind concepts they learned during their respective units, such as expected outcomes and fair chance of winning. Additionally, they logged data as fellow students, faculty and staff played.
"The idea came from a conversation we had about having the students do an application based project to reinforce the concept of probability," said ME Teacher Michelle DiLegge. "We thought the kids would benefit from the opportunity to take their knowledge and create something to show what they learned."
While games needed to be fun to play, Grade 6 students started the hands on learning activity "owing the bank" a $50 loan. Using the expected value formula students were able to predict their profit and decide how much their game would cost to play. With that in mind, games were designed to make a profit while also appearing to have a good chance of winning to potential players. In the end they analyzed their data, comparing their actual results with their predictions.
"One of the most interesting aspects of the game design is watching students using the expected value formula to tinker with their game cost and game rewards," said Upper School Math Teacher Joe Budzelek. "The probability carnival not only provided students a challenging extension, but this partner activity provided students to negotiate ideas and share responsibility for decision making with each other. "