Robot Wrestling
(MathPickle, 2023)
Wrestling Robots I (above) is best as a platform to explore new puzzle or game ideas. Brainstorm ideas with your students. Here are some suggestions:
– Instead of choosing numbers, everyone rolls five dice.
– Students can only choose prime numbers instead of any number.
– Instead of competing, we should work together to try to find different robots that tie.
– We should choose three numbers adding up to seven.
The last suggestion is the basis of Wrestling Robots II (below). When brainstorming ideas in the classroom, it is best not to be judgemental upfront. You probably won’t have time to try all the variations. If you have time, choose one that seems feasible. It might not be a success, but students will respond well to a math class that is so creative that their brainstormed ideas are taken seriously and occasionally acted upon.
The next idea is to distribute the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6 onto two wrestlers so that they tie! Wrestling Robots III explores ties found by distributing the integers 1-n between two robots.
Teaching is an experimental science. Don’t expect to be a great teacher your first year standing in front of a class.
Standards for Mathematical Practice
MathPickle puzzle and game designs engage a wide spectrum of student abilities while targeting the following Standards for Mathematical Practice:
MP1 Toughen up!
Students develop grit and resiliency in the face of nasty, thorny problems. It is the most sought after skill for our students.
MP2 Think abstractly!
Students take problems and reformat them mathematically. This is helpful because mathematics lets them use powerful operations like addition.
MP3 Work together!
Students discuss their strategies to collaboratively solve a problem and identify missteps in a failed solution. MathPickle recommends pairing up students for all its puzzles.
MP4 Model reality!
Students create a model that mimics the real world. Discoveries made by manipulating the model often hint at something in the real world.
MP5 Use the right tools!
Students should use the right tools: 0-99 wall charts, graph paper, mathigon.org. etc.
MP6 Be precise!
Students learn to communicate using precise terminology. MathPickle encourages students not only to use the precise terms of others, but to invent and rigorously define their own terms.
MP7 Be observant!
Students learn to identify patterns. This is one of the things that the human brain does very well. We sometimes even identify patterns that don't really exist 😉
MP8 Be lazy!?!
Students learn to seek for shortcuts. Why would you want to add the numbers one through a hundred if you can find an easier way to do it?
Please use MathPickle in your classrooms. If you have improvements to make, please contact me. I'll give you credit and kudos 😉 For a free poster of MathPickle's ideas on elementary math education go here.
Gordon Hamilton
(MMath, PhD)
