Interactive Mathematical Stories (IMS) are interactive storybooks that provide children with the combination of an enjoyable story and a guidance on strategy and concepts to solve mathematical problems (Ginsburg, 2016). There seems to be great potential to learn more about the design, use and effect of IMS as existing research on the topic is limited (Ginsburg, 2018).
Information is processed through two channels in the brain — visual and auditory. If both channels are used when presenting new information, the working memory of the brain can make use of more new information (Lynch, 2017). Not only could an Interactive Math Story (IMS) be used to process more information at the same time, it can also help remember it better. On one hand this is because the brain is wired to prioritze anything presented in the form of a story over just a list of facts. On the other hand, clinical tests have shown that interactivety and features of gameplay can activate the hippocampus, which controls memory recall (Growth Engeneering, 2016). Therefore methods such as IMS should not only feature an engaging story and well developed problems but also well designed visual and auditory stimuli. Research suggests that students are also more likely to return for example to an educational game if it includes dynamic graphics (Garris,Ahlers, Driskell, 2002).
Sources:
Garris, Rosemary; Ahlers, Robert; Driskell, James E.(2002). Games, motivation, and learning: A research and practice model, in: SIMULATION & GAMING, Vol. 33 No. 4
Ginsburg, H. P. (2016). INTERACTIVE MATHEMATICS BOOKS AND THEIR FRIENDS. In 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education Hamburg, 24-31 July 2016.
Ginsburg, H. P. (2018). Helping Teacher Educators in Institutions of Higher Learning to Prepare Prospective and Practicing Teachers to Teach Mathematics to Young Children. 135–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72170-5_9
Growth Engeneering (2016). THE NEUROSCIENCE OF GAMIFICATION IN ONLINE LEARNING, http://www.growthengineering.co.uk/the-neuroscience-of-gamification-in-online-learning/
Lynch, Matthew (2017). HOW DOES GAMIFICATION EFFECT THE LEARNING PROCESS?, https://www.theedadvocate.org/how-does-gamification-effect-the-learning-process
