(And What Actually Helps Students Learn)
Hey teacher friends… Mona here.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the problem with gamifying math… and I have a feeling it’s something many of you have been noticing too.
Because let’s be honest…
These platforms are everywhere right now.
They’re engaging.
Students love them.
They can feel like a win, especially when your day is already full.
And I get it. I really do.
My own child plays Prodigy. He literally asked for a membership for his birthday. It’s his go-to screen time.
So this isn’t coming from a place of being anti-technology.
But it is coming from a place of being intentional.
🎧 If this is resonating with you, but listening works better than reading right now, you can hear the full episode here.
Where the Problem With Gamifying Math Starts
When I think about the kind of math classrooms we’re trying to build, I picture students who are:
- Thinking
- Reasoning
- Talking
- Making sense of ideas
But when students are on a game-based platform, we have to pause and ask:
What is the goal from their perspective?
Most of the time, it’s this:
- Get the answer right
- Do it quickly
- Move on
- Get back to the game
And that’s where the problem with gamifying math starts to surface.
Because now, math becomes the thing you have to get through… not something you engage with.
The Message Students Start to Internalize
The concern isn’t just what happens during the game.
It’s what students begin to believe about math.
When success is tied to speed and correctness, students start to internalize messages like:
- Math is about being fast
- Math is about getting it right
- Mistakes slow you down
- Thinking deeply isn’t efficient
And if we’re being honest… those are the exact opposite messages we’re trying to build in our classrooms.
I saw this play out in my own home.
My second grader once brought a calculator to school… not to better understand math… but to answer questions faster so he could get back to the game.
And that moment really stuck with me.
Because it highlights the problem with gamifying math in such a clear way:
When the reward is the game, math becomes the obstacle.
But Isn’t It Personalized?
This is usually where the conversation goes next.
“These platforms are personalized.”
And yes… they do adapt.
They adjust difficulty.
They respond to correct and incorrect answers.
But here’s the important distinction:
They personalize the level…
not the thinking.
They don’t know:
- Why a student got something wrong
- What strategy they were using
- Where their understanding broke down
And in math, how a student is thinking matters far more than whether they got the right answer.
This is another layer of the problem with gamifying math—progress becomes tied to accuracy, not understanding.
What Actually Helps Students Grow
If the goal is real mathematical growth, we have to look at what actually supports it.
Not just what keeps students busy.
Not just what feels engaging.
But what builds understanding over time.
What we know works is:
- Rich, meaningful tasks
- Opportunities for discussion
- Strategy sharing
- Time to think
- Teacher insight and responsiveness
Because growth in math doesn’t come from exposure alone.
It comes from experience.
From making sense of ideas.
Hearing different perspectives.
Trying, adjusting, and refining thinking.
When Technology Does Make Sense
Now, this doesn’t mean we throw technology out completely.
There are absolutely times where it aligns well.
For example:
- Fact fluency
- Repetition-based skills
- Practice where speed and accuracy are the goal
In those cases, tech can be a helpful tool.
But when the goal is:
- Problem solving
- Reasoning
- Conceptual understanding
- Sense-making
We need something more.
Because you can’t rush understanding.
The Classrooms Where Growth Happens
The classrooms where students grow the most in math don’t revolve around speed.
They’re built around thinking.
You’ll see students:
- Talking through ideas
- Sharing strategies
- Listening to each other
- Making sense of problems
And you’ll see teachers:
- Noticing student thinking
- Asking intentional questions
- Guiding deeper understanding
That’s where confidence grows.
That’s where students actually begin to catch up.
A Simple Reflection to Take With You
So if you’re using tech in your classroom, this isn’t about eliminating it.
It’s about being intentional.
It’s about noticing the problem with gamifying math and asking:
What is this teaching my students about what it means to do math?
Because every tool we use sends a message.
If You’re Ready for a Shift
If you’re working toward building a classroom where students think, reason, and truly make sense of math… you don’t have to figure that out alone.
That’s exactly the work I do with teachers inside Word Problem Workshop Teacher Training.
Inside the book and the training, I walk you through the structures that help students:
- Start problems with confidence
- Stay engaged in the thinking
- Explain and justify their ideas
It’s not about adding more.
It’s about shifting what’s already happening in your math block.
If that’s something you’ve been wanting more of, you can explore it at MonaMath.com.
One Last Reflection
As you look at your math block this week, just notice this:
Where are students thinking… and where are they just answering?
That one shift will tell you a lot.
And it’s where the real work begins.
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