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KEN KEN
How would you like to learn something simple with the potential to challenge your students? In our world of Web 2.0 collaboration, it's amazing to me how much fun it is to share. I wrote about this 3 years ago and actually forgot about it until I stared receiving email updates. After revisiting it today, I am just amazed at what is available - just when you need it. This time of the year is particularly antsy in the classroom as we come into the holidays, so finding something challenging and fun to take the edge off was what I was hoping to bring you this week. I found it! It's KENKEN revisited. This "tuesdays" is a revisit of KEN KEN because I watch the power of puzzles for perseverance and patience in my granbabies. It's got to be a good use of time when we are in between lessons in the classroom.
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KENKEN puzzles were invented by a Japanese math teacher, Tetsuya Miyamoto, who wanted to test his students' puzzle acumen and improve their math skills at the same time. The New York Times is exclusively featuring 6 new puzzles daily. In fact, the best way to understand KENKEN is to watch a short video by Will Shortz, the crossword editor for the New York Times. He describes KENKEN as logic puzzles that make you smarter. The puzzles are perfectly named KENKEN after the Japanese word "ken" or wisdom. The academic value of KENKEN puzzles range from increasing numeracy skills and logical thinking to developing concentration, perseverance and stamina. The real appeal is its ageless application from grade school teachers to Harvard professors. It's just a question of puzzle difficulty and taking the challenge. The never-ending number of mathematical combinations creates an endless volume of puzzles. |
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When we get to this point of the school year, the "familiarity breeds contempt" syndrome tends to sets in. I would like to encourage you to consider using these KENKEN puzzles as warm-ups, competitions or for those few minutes at the end of the period when you finish your lesson early. These simple yet engaging puzzles can be simple enough for just a few minutes or complicated enough that they become addicted to them and have to finish them at home. The key to keep the interest up will be a little sense of competition. It's the gaming theory in a low-tech version. Kids always choose the harder path when they play games. Hopefully, we can transfer that desire to rise to the next level to the classroom.
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How do you get started with KENKEN? I would begin with the New York Times site first where they offer six new KENKEN puzzles daily. You can introduce them with a projector on a screen and play as a class or if you are fortunate enough to have an interactive board, you could have the students do the puzzles hands-on. The site has all the rules and is very interactive. If you have computers in your classroom, students could do the puzzles individually or in teams. The KENKEN site even offers FREE puzzles that you can print out by sending them your email. KENKEN is WIN-WIN because it is engaging, educational, exciting, and an exceptional way to trick the students into learning.
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| What is "tuesdays with Karen"?
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"tuesdays with Karen" is a weekly newsletter/blog designed to encourage, equip and empower teachers to be creative with educational technology. Please add your technology comments to my "tuesdays with Karen" blog. |
