After addition, it would be fair to say that subtraction is the basic of arithmetic operations. Indeed, many students learn the two concepts of adding (addition) and “taking away” (subtraction) together. Of course, it’s usual for students to begin by learning how to do simple subtractions such 3 minus 2, 4 minus 3, 5 minus 2, etc., and then gradually progress towards being able to subtract numbers with multiple digits and carrying numbers between columns. High quality teaching is obviously one of the main foundation stones to this learning process, but regular practice is also very important.
While repetition and practice are of course important, it’s also certainly true that too much repetition can bore even the most diligent student. In the old days, many teachers weren’t too concerned about this issue – as long as the students were doing the work required of them, the teachers knew they were learning, and were therefore satisfied. Teaching has fortunately progressed considerably since those days. Nowadays teachers generally actively seek out interesting classroom activities for their students, because they know that such activities can be very effective in encouraging learning. One particular activity that many teachers are using in their classes, is bingo.
Bingo is ideally suited to use in math classes; it’s almost infinitely adaptable, it’s extremely easy to learn and play, and you don’t need expensive resources or materials. Educational variants of bingo are very similar to the traditional game of bingo, however bingo cards containing items relating to the subject of the lesson are used, instead of ordinary numbered bingo cards. Obviously in the case of subtraction, the items on the cards would be subtraction problems, and students would be required to write in their answers to these, rather than simply crossing items off the card.
The only thing that I haven’t yet explained is where teachers can obtain their subtraction bingo cards. The answer is a bit of a surprise for many teachers: they simply print them from your computer! With the help of some affordable and easy-to-use bingo card maker software, teachers can print unlimited bingo cards on any subject that they want.
By: Sunil Tanna
Aug 07
