Fitting Puzzles into Traditional Teacher-Centered Mathematics Classrooms: An initiative to bringing Logical thinking into classroom learning

Abstract

Mathematical games, puzzles and stories involving numbers are useful to enable children to make connections between the logical functioning of their everyday lives to that of mathematical thinking and to build upon their everyday understandings (NCERT,2006). Mathematical puzzles can engage students in rich mathematical explorations and logical reasoning in the classroom (Evered, 2001).This poster aims to showcase the extensions and variations of the famous Japanese puzzle known as 'KenKen.' Inspired by this puzzle, a new set of puzzles called 'Harbans Puzzles' has been developed. The poster will provide a visual representation of these puzzles and their unique features. Furthermore, it will highlight the responses and experiences of students who participated in an outreach program called 'Har ghar Har Gali bujho Paheli,' organized by SCERT, Haryana, for government school students at all levels. Through this poster, we claim that the power of this kind of puzzles showcase the students' engagement and enthusiasm in tackling these mind-bending challenges as well as provide the alternate to boring exercises and practice of Mathematical procedures in an open and fun loving ways