Lesson Planning with Lure of the Labyrinth
Once teachers have created a class account, assigned teams for their students so they can collaborate online, and provided students with their login information, they are ready to use the game as part of a learning activity and resource for their various math lessons.
Perhaps the greatest resources that this well-thought out MIT project have provided teachers with are its lesson plans for each of the nine puzzles in Lure of the Labyrinth. Each lesson is linked to its various American standards, objectives, and indicators. Not teaching in the United States? Don’t worry, because even though the lessons are linked to American standards, they tie into many of the learning outcomes outlined by other education systems’ curriculum.
To watch a video on how some teachers are using the game as a learning tool in their math lessons click here and play the Teaching the Math video.
Like I mentioned in the introduction, I have used the game as learning tool in my lessons numerous times. I found it useful to use the lesson plans that Lure of the Labyrinth have provided on their website as an outline, and then modify them to accommodate the individual learning styles and needs of my current classroom. Below is one of my modified lessons for Lure of the Labyrinth’s lesson plan on equivalent ratios, which is based upon the Employees Cafeteria Puzzle. Be aware that this is just an example of how you can use Lure of the Labyrinth in your lessons. Personally, I like to have students play the game and its puzzles first so that they had chances to explore the various concepts that I will highlight later. The game, therefore, not only allows them opportunities to develop their own unique problem-solving skills, but provides a common context that the teacher can use as an example to help explain the concept that is to be featured in their lesson.
Perhaps the greatest resources that this well-thought out MIT project have provided teachers with are its lesson plans for each of the nine puzzles in Lure of the Labyrinth. Each lesson is linked to its various American standards, objectives, and indicators. Not teaching in the United States? Don’t worry, because even though the lessons are linked to American standards, they tie into many of the learning outcomes outlined by other education systems’ curriculum.
To watch a video on how some teachers are using the game as a learning tool in their math lessons click here and play the Teaching the Math video.
Like I mentioned in the introduction, I have used the game as learning tool in my lessons numerous times. I found it useful to use the lesson plans that Lure of the Labyrinth have provided on their website as an outline, and then modify them to accommodate the individual learning styles and needs of my current classroom. Below is one of my modified lessons for Lure of the Labyrinth’s lesson plan on equivalent ratios, which is based upon the Employees Cafeteria Puzzle. Be aware that this is just an example of how you can use Lure of the Labyrinth in your lessons. Personally, I like to have students play the game and its puzzles first so that they had chances to explore the various concepts that I will highlight later. The game, therefore, not only allows them opportunities to develop their own unique problem-solving skills, but provides a common context that the teacher can use as an example to help explain the concept that is to be featured in their lesson.