My Vision
Mathletes Program
I envision a program where Math and PE are offered in a linear system at a BC Secondary School (i.e. students take the course throughout the whole year). Ideally, the same teacher(s) would teach the same group of students for the following academic combinations:
- Math 9/PE 9
- Math 10/PE 10
Courses would be offered every other day with an emphasis on promoting cross-curricular understanding.
Example Schedule - Grade 9
Day 1 - Physical Education
By the end of this lesson, the students will be able to perform a successful overhead smash in badminton. The teachers will teach tactical understanding and skill development just as they would with a regular PE class. However, students will use iPads in the gymnasium to record student performance of overhead smash.
Day 2 - Mathematics
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to understand trigonometric processes and how to solve for an unknown side/angle. The teacher will use video examples from the PE class the day before to teach these mathematical concepts. Using interactive tools such as the SmartBoard (where students are able to draw on the board) will be extremely useful to complement this lesson.
Day 3 - Physical Education
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to improve their overhead smash and apply their mathematical understanding to how a fronthand and backhand serve can be successful. With reference to the mathematics class, students will explore how changing racquet angle will change the product of their overhead smash.
Conclusion
This brief 3 day schedule emphasizes how Math and PE can work in conjunction with each other to promote understanding and make math meaningful through cross-curricular teaching.
Dance and Math - Experiential Learning
Inquiry
When people learn that I am a Physical Education AND Mathematics teacher, they are initially surprised. The typical response comes in the form of, "Wow, PE and Math...but they are so different?" This almost consistent reaction has inspired me to ask myself the following question that will guide this inquiry page:
"Can PE and Math complement each other as subject areas?"
As of late, my answer is YES. On this page, I hope to give insight into how these two subjects can complement each other in a modern and novel way that promotes cross-curricular learning.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, I would love to hear from you. My contact information is located on my home page here.
Experiential Learning
Rationale
The following points delineate the extraordinary benefits of the Mathletes Program:
#1. Promoting Physical Activity for a Lifetime
For some students, Physical Education class at school is their only form of physical activity. If students are enrolled in a semester-long PE 9 or PE 10, then they are only being active for four months of the year, at best. A linear system of PE will ensure that students are engaged in physical activity for a majority of the year and meeting provincial standards of involvement.
#2. Making Mathematics Meaningful
On an almost daily basis, math teachers hear the question: "Why do we have to know this?" from their students. Relating mathematical concepts to their lives and offering real-world context gives students the tools to be successful in an otherwise unrelatable subject. This is the key to motivating students and keeping students interested in math. Physical activity and sport is something that mostly everybody can relate too. Through a guided-discovery process, teachers will explore how a student's involvement in physical activity can relate to various mathematical concepts and learning outcomes prescribed by the BC Ministry of Education.
#3. Fostering Experiential Learning
The Mathletes Program gives students an opportunity to explore course content in an experiential and meaningful way. Based on their concrete experience in a physical education setting, they can then use their experiences to reflectively observe and make abstract generalizations about the world around them in time and space. This will give the students the tools necessary to actively experiment with their newfound knowledge and critically think about and solve mathematical problems.
#4. Involving Students in 21st Century Learning Processes Through the Use of Technology
The Mathletes Program will provide an opportunity for students to use a wide variety of technology in modern, novel, and meaningful ways. The use of iPads and SmartBoards for video analysis creates the critical link between the PE and Math classrooms necessary for the program to be successful. For example, students will use the iPad to document their performance in PE. The next day, in math class, students will analyze their performance/video and learn mathematical concepts based on the video. Technology is the way of the future and with relation to the new BC Education Plan, this is a unique way to implement the use of multimedia into PE and Math classes.
#5. Exploring Subject Matter through Cross-Curricular/Interdisciplinary Teaching
Cross-curricular/Interdisciplinary teaching is often seen as a way to address some of the recurring problems in education, such as fragmentation and isolated skill instruction. It is seen as a way to support goals such as transfer of learning, teaching students to think and reason, and providing a curriculum more relevant to students. The Mathletes Program does just this through the guidance of an expert teacher in both subject areas. Making the critical link between the subject matters is no easy task and requires a lot of preparation time. However, the benefits of creating such a connection for students are endless.