Game show mathematics: Specializing, conjecturing, generalizing, and convincing

This article describes the authors’ use of three game shows – Survivor, The Biggest Loser, and Deal or No Deal? – to determine to what degree students engaged in mathematical thinking: specializing, conjecturing, generalizing, and convincing ( Burton, 1984). Student responses to the task of creating winning strategies to these shows were collected and analyzed. The data showed that students generally did not engage in the process of mathematical thinking unless directed to do so and the effects this had on the students’ responses is discussed.

► We examined student written responses for evidence of mathematical thinking.
► Students did not naturally engage in the examination of cases before making conjectures.
► The more convinced students were of their responses they fewer affective statements were used.