Poker in school – problem solving or problem making?
It has been reported that some schools have been using card games and poker hands to teach problem solving in mathematics classes. The idea is that children have to use their analytical skills to be able to understand the hand rankings and predict what hands will beat the others. The more realistic and fun the activity; the more likely children are to learn.
But is this acceptable?
Of course, it is important that children have a high standard of mathematical ability and can reason in an analytical manner - but is using poker hands more likely to cause a problem? There is an increase in underage gambling on an annual basis and more measures put in place each year to try and combat the problem - gambling awareness has even been introduced in some countries to help protect children from potential risk.
It’s true that many children’s games are gambling based (just think of snap, old maid and marbles for instance) and some may argue that if children are interested in poker they’re going to have a go anyway. They may at home anyway, with their families. But what if that wasn’t the case and a child was introduced to poker through their education?
Is using reference to poker in classrooms going too far in an attempt to achieve realism in the classroom - especially when underage gambling is such a problem?
