ABSTRACT
Teachers recognize the instilling of routines and setting of expectations that must precede such behavior. Thoughtful orchestration of mathematical games and puzzles goes well beyond offering opportunities to play and solve. Many teachers provide a game or puzzle station as a component of a three-rotation lesson structure. Students cannot be responsible without a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Working with students to create game and/or puzzle protocols, rules, or norms they should all follow when playing or solving helps establish and clarify expectations. Teachers, coaches, and administrators spend a great deal of time reviewing data and establishing learning goals. When games and puzzles are just for practice, teachers often group students homogeneously and have one student compete against another or have students complete a puzzle alone.
