11/16/17

Wanted to share my lesson for today and tomorrow. I love doing this lesson, especially this time of the year when students, and teachers, are already mentally on vacation.

Today we are investigating the popular children's game Tic-Tac-Toe. There are many strategies found online, or perhaps you think you have the perfect strategy. Most people already know that the game in unwinnable, but can you guarantee you will never lose. Remember, never losing means you will either win or you will tie. 

I always show the clip form the old move "War Games" where the computer is trying to launch Nuclear Weapons in a simulated World War. The solution to the problem is teaching the computer that some games are unwinnable. They do this (SPOILER ALERT!) by having the computer play itself in Tic-Tac-Toe. The computer then realizes that the game cannot be won and is there a point to playing.

I see the math, the patterns, the rule. This is real math to me. Identifying structure and seeing patterns in systems. Can you utilize this information to empower your own thinking? That us the goal. We aim to 'educate' ourselves in the process of identification and efficiency. And lets be honest, kids love playing game sin school because they think they are getting away from doing any work. I have felt for years that the key to a successful reformation in education starts with the inclusion of gaming in school (a topic for another time).

What is really interesting in the process of teaching this topic is the inclusion of purposeful failure. The only way to truly find the solution is to test your conjecture (hypothesis) which necessitates being wrong. I love when this happens. It is hard to get students to take risks and be wrong. But when you add a little competition to the mix, I have found most students enjoy it and have fun, even if they lose. You also open the door for great classroom conversations about self-esteem and self fulfilling prophecy. So many students will say they are not good at math, therefore there is no need to try harder because they already believe they can't do it. However, when playing a game that little children play, everyone thinks they can do it. There is complete and total access (for all my education friends) and each student can invest in the learning process. Of course, as with all lessons, there are some that will enjoy it more and others that will do the bare minimum. I still have not found a way to have 100% engagement and excitement in my lessons (I must not be a very good teacher).

So I encourage you to have some fun with this. See if you can figure out the strategy and then how to teach it. let your students have fun with it and be okay with being wrong. 


If you have any other ideas or games that you use and are willing to share please do so. As mentioned in the initial post I wrote, I am trying to create a true and transparent collaboration. I love education, and mathematics, and want to see it be what it needs to be. Right now we are falling short, but with all the amazing teachers that are out there I know we can create the best opportunities for our students to learn and thrive as problem solvers and creative thinkers.

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