Raj Shah – Leveling Up Children’s Math Skills with Video Game Principles
Founder of Math Plus Academy
Positive. Innovative. Curious.
People often experience flow when playing video games. They get in the zone as they try to tackle challenges within the game. Raj Shah has spent over a decade developing ways to bring these types of experiences to the math classroom. He believes that if kids are happy to play challenging video games for hours on end, then it proves they have the two things you need to be successful in math: problem solving skills and perseverance. Raj will share how teachers can use 5 simple video game design principles in the classroom to make math as exciting as video games.
Raj’s passion is making math irresistible for students. His love of math led him to earning his Ph.D. in Physics followed by a decade of research and development at Intel Corp. In 2008, he quit Intel and founded Math Plus Academy, an after-school STEM enrichment program for kids 5 – 14 years old. He has since dedicated his time to inspiring future mathematicians and sharing what he’s learned in the classroom with math teachers around the country. He routinely speaks at national math teacher conferences and consults with local school districts. He volunteers with the Columbus Math Teacher Circle, hosts a non-profit event called the Julia Robinson Math Festival, and is a founding member of the Global Math Project which is on a mission to help students experience joyful math in schools.
