Sharpening Minds with Backgammon
May 2007
by Linda Jump
Dedicated teacher Donna Jansen wanted to increase her students' math and strategy skills — and she discovered the perfect solution: backgammon.
Donna, a computer lab teacher at Columbia Elementry School in Palm Bay, Fla., hit on the idea when she recalled growing up in Massachuetts, playing backgammon with her family.
So the enterprising teacher began Game Club last year — a voluntary after school- school group for elemntary students to learn to play challenging games like backgammon.
"A lot of kids try chess, but that's more difficult. Backgammon is much simplier and easier to grasp, "Donna told "Double" magazine.
She's certain the game sharpens their addition and subtraction skills. "You have to add up scores in your head with the different combinations of dice rolls," she said. Students also use math skills keeping track of their pips (units of distance on a backgammon board).
The kids became so enthralled with the game that they taught a nath teacher at the school how to play, says Donna. "His students stayed to watch, too, and they were very interested." JAckie Rodriguez, 12 says, "I like backgammon better than the other games we play because you can get people out and feel good."
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