Math is Fun: Ten Ways to
Engage Students in an Interactive Classroom
Mark Colgan
Taylor University
Upland, IN 46989
mrcolgan@taylor.edu
How Students Learn
The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony with your Brain
—Terry Doyle and Todd Zakrajsek (2013)
“As challenging as it is to learn when you are excited to learn and enjoy the material, you know that it is even more
difficult to learn when you either don’t want to learn or are a passive listener rather than an active participant.”
“The more ways you engage with something that you are learning—such as listening, talking, reading, writing,
reviewing, or thinking about the material or skill—the stronger the connections in your brain become and the more
likely the new learning will become a more permanent memory.”
Ten Ways to Engage Students
1. First Day of Class Activities
 Send e-mail before class
 Introductions
 Every Number is Interesting Math Puzzle
 Learn their Names
 Group résumé activity: 1 unique thing about each person and 3 things you have in
common—prize for the most creative list
2. Group Syllabus Quiz
 Assign reading the syllabus for the second day of class.
 Give them a few minutes in class to reread it.
 See which group can get the most correct out of 20 questions.
 Go over the answers, which is a fun way to cover the syllabus.
 Candy prizes for the winning group.
3. Videos for Real Life
 Short video clips bring life to class!
 Khan Academy: You Can Learn Anything: http://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy
 Exponential growth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JCm5FY-dEY
 Vi Hart Fibonacci Spirals and many others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahXIMUkSXX0
 Dave Ramsey on finance:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIOUGZcmauo
 60 Minutes—Slot Machines: The Big Gamble:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLD17r0U2D0
 Fourth Dimension: Dr. Quantam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWyTxCsIXE4
4. Interactive Websites
 Display a website for students to look at when they arrive at class.
 http://www.usdebtclock.org/
 http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
 http://www2.stetson.edu/~efriedma/numbers.html
 http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/jobs-rated-2014-ranking-200-jobs-best-worst
 http://www.wolframalpha.com/
5. Use Think-Pair-Share
 Take time for students to Think individually
 Pair up with a partner
 Share with the whole group
Questions: What are some ways that you try to engage students in your classroom?
What are some videos or websites that you use?
6. Have students get up and move around (receive graded papers in alphabetical order)
 “Being in motion, by walking, for example, when thinking about how to solve a
problem…or performing many other learning tasks is an optimal way to learn.”
—Terry Doyle and Todd Zakrajsek (2013)
7. Start or end with a Math Life Lesson
 If Vanessa deposited $1 per day every day for 45 years in an account paying 8%
compounded daily, guess how much money she would have after 45 years?
 If a newly married couple decides they would like to have 3 children, what is the
probability they will have all girls?
 Do you think 0.999999…. = 1? How should we respond to new ideas?
 Do there exist 2 non-bald people on the planet who have exactly the same number of
hairs on their bodies? --from The Heart of Mathematics by Burger and Starbird
8. Group Guessing Games
 If Vanessa deposited $1 per day every day for 45 years in an account paying 8%
compounded daily, guess how much money she would have after 45 years?
 Each group guesses and we see which group can come the closest to the answer.
9. Handout Booklet
 Daily handouts have the main ideas of each lesson, directions for activities,
and the homework assignments.
 Students can think about the ideas instead of writing a lot of notes.
10. Focus on the Big Ideas (not just content)—What are some of your Big Ideas?
 Big Idea #1: Issues to explore—Explore life lessons, including ways to be good stewards
of our resources and how to use math to make wise decisions.
 Big Idea #2: Do Math—Actively investigate and do mathematics individually and
cooperatively.
 Big Idea #3: Enjoy your experience and develop an appreciation for the beauty and nature
of mathematics.
 Big Idea #4: Apply—Learn problem-solving strategies used in mathematics
and how to apply them to issues in your everyday life.
 Big Idea #5: Stretch your mind and explore the consequences of Surprising
ideas.
What is one idea you would like to try to make your classes more engaging?