69ý

Mathematics Video

Teachers, Try This: Gamify Instruction to Reduce Math Anxiety and Improve Test Scores

By Kaylee Domzalski — February 1, 2024 4:31
Gamification TTT vThumbnail 01 BS
Email Copy URL

“I’m not a math person.”

It’s something this middle school math teacher heard often.

But Gerilyn Williams was determined to change that. So the math teacher at Pinelands Regional Junior High School in Little Egg Harbor, N.J., set out to “gamify” her instruction.

She did things like changing the language she uses to mimic gaming—lessons are “quests,” chapters are “levels,” each unit is a themed world, and quizzes are “boss battles” where rematches are allowed. She saw students’ feelings and mindsets about math start to change.

And the results speak for themselves. In the seven years since she began, she’s seen grades go from the standard C bell curve to a class average of a B.

Here, she explains what this looks like in practice and offers tips for teachers looking to try something similar.

See Also

Gerilyn Williams, a middle school math teacher in New Jersey, stands in her classroom.
Gerilyn Williams, a middle school math teacher in New Jersey, says students now look forward to math class as a result of the gamification of her instruction.
Photo courtesy of Gerilyn Williams

Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week.

Video

School & District Management Video Everything You Need to Know About Electric School Buses
While electric school bus usage is growing nationally, it's not without its challenges. Here's a look at the state of transportation.
Zum electric buses are parked before a news conference announcing the Oakland Unified School District as being the first major school district in the country to use 100% electric school buses at the Zum/OUSD bus yard in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Zum electric buses are parked before a news conference announcing the Oakland Unified School District as being the first major school district in the country to use 100% electric school buses at the Zum/OUSD bus yard in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Jeff Chiu/AP
69ý & Literacy Video Teaching Content and Supporting 69ý Through Disciplinary Literacy
Get up to speed on what disciplinary literacy is and how teachers can start thinking about it—no matter their subject.
School & District Management Video How This Principal Manages Student Behavior—Without Too Many Rules
Principal Tracie Anderson Swilley brought students on board to make big changes to her school’s culture.
Recruitment & Retention Video Recruiting and Retaining STEM Teachers: A Former White House Adviser's Take
A retired teacher and former White House policy adviser has some ideas for schools leaders looking to recruit and retain in STEM.
Teacher Nathalie Roy, left, talks to her Glasgow Middle School students about using papyrus and learning about writing with smelly squid ink on the papyrus in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 23, 2019. This unlikely elective course open to students at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge connects traditional classical studies with STEM.
Teacher Nathalie Roy, left, talks to her Glasgow Middle School students about using papyrus and learning about writing with smelly squid ink on the papyrus in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 23, 2019. This unlikely elective course open to students at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge connects traditional classical studies with STEM.
Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP