Incarcerated Students Transformed by Creative Math Game

CEDARVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Equations like 1 + 1 = 2 and 2 x 2 = 4 have simple answers. But sometimes equations are more complex. For one Cedarville University graduate, 18 years of teaching + a class of incarcerated adult students = a new, award-winning number strategy game.

Since Carolyn Martin earned her elementary education degree in 1991 from Cedarville University, she has sought new ways to teach math to students. The Lancaster, Pennsylvania, teacher developed "RIVAL 5," a math strategy game that uses 12-sided dice and simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division equations to teach mathematics. Her creation has received multiple honors, including the Ben Franklin Big Idea award.

Martin began teaching at the State Correctional Institution in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 2000. For the past 18 years she has taught male, adult learners General Educational Development (GED) basic education classes.

One day she saw a student counting his fingers while doing algebra. Martin realized there had to be a better way to learn math that combined fun and learning. "I tossed several 12-sided dice and with an arrangement of numbers that were multiples, I created some basic rules for a simple game. My goal was to help my academically low-level students," Martin explained.

Martin tested RIVAL 5 with more than 100 people before pursuing the production of the game. She quickly learned that RIVAL 5 removed much of the fear and anxiety her students had mathematical problems. She noticed the students liked playing the game, while learning math in the process.

RIVAL 5 is STEM-aligned for the educational sector and is trademarked for international commerce. With rules written in 39 languages, it is positioned for sale in global markets.

Each game piece will soon be entirely American-made, from the dice to the packaging. The game pieces will be made by Coarc, a New York injection molding company that provides employment for mentally and physically challenged adults. The dice and chips are packaged by special needs adults in Lancaster, some of whom are visually impaired. RIVAL 5 is sold online and in several specialty stores in Lancaster.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study.

SOURCE Cedarville University