The Hands-on Learner

What does geometry have to do with baseball? I’ll discuss this further on, but for now let us consider the hands-on learner. Many students have a difficult time applying what they read in a book or see written on the board. Even though we carefully explain lessons to the class and spend countless hours one-on-one, it appears futile with some learners. It seems some just don’t get it so we move on, losing valuable opportunities to teach important concepts. I’ve heard teachers say it before, “sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but time is of the essence and evaluations are looming so we need to move on.”  But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Many students are hands-on learners and in order to communicate lessons properly we must use concrete examples. Mind you, I am not saying that oral lessons and worksheets are not valuable but if supplemented with hands-on activities you will see marked improvement.

Now on to baseball! It’s a game of angles, take the diamond for example. Four right angles lie within. The perfect word problem exists. If we know the measurement from the pitcher’s mound to home base and the distance from home base to first base, we can figure out the distance from the mound to first base.

Picture this:

1. The batter hits the ball 60ft to the glove of the pitcher       
2. The runner is trying to get 90 feet to first base 
3. How far  does the pitcher need to throw the ball to get the runner out at first base? 

Now, you may have a little trouble picturing this or sorting it out in your mind. But if you bring your students outside, have them measure the distances, figure out the problem in groups, and then measure the final distance to check their answer, the class will have fun while learning. Meanwhile the concept becomes firmly embedded in the kinesthetic learners’ memory. Of course, those numbers are for a major league baseball diamond so your playground diamond will be much more manageable. You can use this example to figure out arcs, circles, ratios, and the list goes on. The same goes for soccer fields, basketball courts, hopscotch areas, etc. I think you will find that a trip to the playground or gym will also help those sleepy after-lunch students. If you lack the time or are unable to take the students outside, these methods may be used around the classroom or even at table time. If funds are the issue with manipulatives all you need is some cardboard and a few rulers. It’s that simple. 

Another trick you can use is flashcards. I made my own fraction and decimal flashcards from index cards and created a game with them.

1. Separate the students into groups and set a timer 
2. Line them up in front of the board 
3. Give each team five random flash cards
4. When you say “go” one person from each team had to go up to the board and put the mixed-up cards in order (each student has a turn)

Note: Since classroom volume is an issue, those that exceeded a certain noise level had to start over. I can’t tell you how well this worked during the timed event! I always made sure all teams contained students with mixed abilities being careful that each pair who went up to the board were evenly matched (write this out before class so no lesson time is wasted). This insured that none of the students were singled out.

  

Even though I used sports as example it is important to know your class and what is meaningful to them. Know your students and just remember the name of the game is movement and touch. I guarantee you will see a difference in everyone’s grades and attitudes, not only with math lessons but all subjects you adapt to these methods.