Geometry Learning Study and Field Trials, Mizoram

Students of Std 10 are playing ‘Police Quad’, working in small groups. Some debate and discuss different solutions and strategies before zeroing in on one that works well, while others continue to try somewhat random ones – but still thoroughly engaged in the game.

That is a scene from the field trials in Mizoram by the CLIx Maths team, which visited the state to troubleshoot any state-specific issues related to the Maths module before going into the final phase of its development.

Playing a police detective requires some serious thinking indeed!

The week-long visit was meant to continue an ongoing diagnostic study on geometric reasoning, as well as to conduct trials for the first chapter of Police Quad, a game developed by CLIx Maths team for its geometric reasoning module.

The team carried out a detailed case study in two CLIx schools. At one Govt High School on the outskirts of Aizawl city, and another in rural Sairang, we administered a geometry diagnostic tool, and a student attitude questionnaire,followed by small group interviews. Interactions with teachers helped us understand their pedagogical perspectives and beliefs better.

Students who played Police Quad enjoyed the game and participated in a fruitful post-game discussion. This was the game’s first trial with target group students in an authentic setting,and we received important inputs about its implementation and about game-based learning.

A post-game discussion with members of the CLIx Maths team

At the Mizoram Board of School Education we met Dr David Fanai, who will support CLIx Maths in an advisory role. The CLIx Mizoram team provided on-the-ground support to us throughout – without them, packing in so much would not have been possible!

Besides providing us with insights about opportunities and challenges specific to Mizoram, the visit helped us learn a bit about Mizo people and their culture, and laid foundations for a strong relationship with all CLIx stakeholders in the state.