Maths on Toast is happy to support the Bullseye Maths initiative from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Here’s why…
Darts and maths
A game of darts is the perfect example of how using numbers as part of fun activities, hobbies and sports is key to seeing that maths is everywhere and for everyone. Enjoying activities involving maths helps build that all-important positive and confident attitude.
Playing with maths and active learning
Learning through play – hands-on active learning; exploring and investigating; trying different ways out to see what works; making mistakes and trying again– is a crucial part of all learning. We sometimes forget this with maths but it’s very important to remember that active learning – using games, sport and puzzles as well as arts, crafts and construction – is vital to maths too!
Exploring at your own pace
In keeping with the ‘play’ idea is giving the time and space to explore maths in a non-pressured way. Speed is very often a focus in maths, but understanding is far more important – knowing how you got an answer, not how quickly you got it, will help you far more in the long term with maths learning. So, to start off with darts scoring, take away those time limits and instead take your time!
No right or wrong way to get to an answer
Some people say they like maths because there’s a clear right or wrong answer and they like that certainty. Vital to remember though is that there is no one right way to reach an answer! As in other parts of life, different methods and approaches can be used to solve a problem in maths. Darts is the perfect example again here: you need to get a certain score but there is no one right way to reach that score – you can make all sorts of different combinations of numbers (known as ‘checkouts’) to get there!
Number sense and multiple methods
In maths, understanding the deeper relationships between numbers – how numbers work together and can be combined in different ways – is known as ‘number sense’. Combine this with being happy and confident to explore ‘multiple methods’ – that is, try out different ways – to find your answer/reach your score and you’re on to a winner. In darts and maths!
Working things out in your own way and your own time – darts players’ inspiring testimonials
In a series of videos, the PDC darts players talk about how playing darts has helped not only their maths but their confidence in maths. This is the perfect example of how doing maths as part of an activity, hobby or interest you enjoy can be transformative in how you approach a maths challenge. One player talks of how he didn’t like maths, wasn’t confident and ‘hated the pressure’ but as he explored how to get the different score combinations ‘in his own way and own time’ his confidence and ability grew. Another talks of how his child sees working out the scores as a key part of the game and has this has helped build a confident and can-do attitude to numbers and maths.
For the Bullseye Maths initiative with plenty of darts activities and to watch the darts players videos, head here: https://www.pdc.tv/maths
For hands-on, family friendly Maths on Toast creative maths activities, head here: Activities and Resources