Mathematics gamification in mobile app software for personalized learning at scale

Abstract

The essence of science and engineering lies in the abstract thinking and logical reasoning skills. Advanced mathematical topics such as probability theory and modular arithmetic can be introduced to students at middle or pre-college schools to cultivate their capacity for logical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as gaining mathematical competency required in fields of science and engineering. In this paper, we introduce the idea of mathematics gamification and its application to a mobile app educational software development. We define mathematics gamification as the process of embedding mathematical concepts and their logical manipulations in a puzzle game-like setting aided by computing technologies. This is a form of personalized learning technologies that facilitate learning with peers in a social environment. In particular, we first present PolyMath, a meticulously designed mobile app software with many varieties of bite-sized games. The key idea in mathematics gamification is to motivate the users to level up from easy to more challenging gameplay. Then we describe several mathematics gamification instances in PolyMath, and report its use in the annual Julia Robinson Mathematics Festivals in Hong Kong. The efficacy of mobile app software in a math circle environment opens up new pedagogical ways to teach and learn advanced mathematics.