How to Make Math Lectures More Fun

In high school math classes, play often disappears from the learning process. However, Kathy Sun is finding new ways to make math playful in high school.

According to Sun, students usually focus on mastering procedures in math, rather than understanding math’s broader contributions and community aspects. Sun, who is a researcher and professor at Santa Clara University, believes that making math playful is not just a fun teaching method but also helps students deeply understand math and make connections.

Dan Finkel, a math curriculum writer and former teacher, sees play in math as rigorous, even at advanced levels. He says that the best mathematicians are those who can play with complex ideas.

Math Concepts

When high school students play with math concepts, they move beyond memorization. Sun highlights three elements of play in math classes: exploration, creativity, and collaboration. When math activities involve these elements, even quiet students tend to participate more, feeling validated and belonging, which improves their persistence in learning math.

Exploration in math means teachers help students take ownership of the material. Sun suggests increasing cognitive demand by moving away from memorization and procedural tasks. Instead, students can make creative connections and understand why things work, leading to deeper understanding over time.

Creativity in Math

Creativity in math allows students to discover rules in unconventional ways. Sun gives an example of a teacher who asked students to find various percentage points of a number without using a formula, leading them to discover mathematical principles through their creativity.

Collaboration is key in math learning. Sun recommends activities like card sorting and group problem-solving to deepen students’ understanding and encourage creative engagement with math concepts.

To incorporate play in math classes, Sun advises starting with small bursts of play and gradually increasing them. Online resources like Math Equals Love and YouCubed offer creative activity ideas for math teachers looking to make their classes more playful.

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