SCOTLAND’S top teacher has introduced the card game bridge to the classroom in an attempt to encourage those who struggle in maths.
Anne Hutchison, who was named Teacher Of The Year in 2015, recently introduced the centuries-old game to her Primary Six class in Glasgow.
Despite having to continually count cards and work out the complicated scoring, she said the children at Carmyle Primary are now obsessed with the game.
And it is so beneficial that those who struggle in maths have “come on leaps and bounds” since playing the game, and their confidence in the subject has soared.
Speaking in an education magazine, Ms Hutchison said the idea to teach her students the tricky card game came after she found out it was a firm favourite of Bill Gates.
She said: “I had been intrigued by an article about teaching mini-bridge to children, which suggested that it had been proven to improve pupil concentration and social interaction.”
She contacted the local bridge club, who arranged
for two experts to come in once a week to teach her class.
“There are many benefits.
I have found that the game has improved mental agility because the children continually have to count cards and work out the complicated scoring,” she said.
“Also, the strategic and logical thinking required helps them in maths and in social interactions.
“I have found, too, that children who struggle in maths have come on leaps and bounds through playing bridge; their confidence in the subject has soared.”
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