Bringing Physical Activity into the Math class

Last Wednesday night I was a student in a peer lesson that focused on teaching grade 9 using a variety of teaching styles and resources. As a Physical Education major I have spent the majority of my time in schools in the gymnasium and have not observed many mathematics classrooms. In saying this, I was intrigued by my peers’ ability to incorporate a wide range of resources and technologies into their lessons, most of which I had never seen before. 

        Specifically, there was one lesson that focused on rate of change and graphing these relationships. The lesson was presented using an instrument called a CBR. This attached to a graphing calculator and allowed us to track our movement within the classroom. We were told to get up and attempt to make each of the graphs that we were given on the sheet. This not only forced us to get out of our seats, but also brought physical activity into the mathematics setting. This cross-curriculum activity increased the opportunity for student engagement while creating a student-centred lesson. 

      During the activity I completely lost track of time. I was engaged in what I was doing and was focused on completing each and every given graph. I learned what slowing down, speeding up and standing still all looked like on a graph, while being physically active. As a physical education teacher it was awesome to experience movement in a setting that would typically not include activity. I was impressed by the CBR’s and their ability to track speed and location of a student in the class. Not only did this activity improve my interest in the lesson, but physical activity has also been proven to increase blood flow to the brain. This would then allow me to process information and solve problems more quickly after being active.

           In the future, I would love to include activities like this in my classroom. They allow students to get up and move around, refresh their state of mind and learn in a less formal setting. This may also create a more inclusive environment for students who feel the need to move in order to focus, as they will no longer feel like the center of attention.

Mr. Moore