Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia 15223
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Students take part in World Math Day

March 4, 2009 | 150 views

Mr. Ivester helps sixth-grader Chris Edwards prepare for World Math Day.
Students in Mr. Ivester and Mrs. Butler’s Middle School math classes have found a new love for the subject thanks to the World Math Web site, which allows them to compete in 60-second math competitions with students from all over the world.

“This is a great way for our kids to practice their math skills in a really fun way,” said Kevin Ivester, who teaches sixth-grade math. “Any time they can get on the computer to do math, they are much more motivated and enjoy it more, and playing against students from other countries really brings out their competitive spirit.”

Math students in grades 6-8 logged onto the site to compete in World Math Day on March 4.

“We have been practicing for the past couple of weeks, and the students absolutely love it,” Ivester said. “The questions entail adding, subtracting and multiplying, and you see how many you can get right during the 60-second time period. The Web site shows you who you are playing against in real time as well as how many answers you have gotten right, so you can see how you are stacking up against the other kids. For example, a student in my class might be playing against a kid from Korea, one from India and one from Germany all at once.”

At the end of 60 seconds, the Web site tells the student how he or she placed in relation to the other players and awards points based on the number of correct answers. It also keeps track of the participants’ total scores and percentages so they can track how they are doing over time.

“So far, in a two-week time period, the sixth-grade class has answered over 31,000 questions correctly,” Ivester said. “Chris Edwards is the current class champ, answering 3,300 questions correctly, with a single game score of 58 correct answers in 60 seconds. Kyle Wagers is a close second, with 3,200 correct answers and single game score of 57.”

In Butler’s class, the top score belongs to Nicolas Burgess with 4,295.

“Most of my students’ participation has been at home to this point; however, their participation in World Math Day will be included as a portion of their exam grade,” she said.