Using Sports to Motivate Math Learners

Abstract

Motivating 21st century mathematics learners is becoming increasingly difficult. Most students will no longer sit still and learn using the methods that were utilized in classrooms 100 years ago. Today, many teachers struggle to find ways to excite their students while teaching them mathematics. This chapter will present ideas for mathematics learning using sports, a particular area of interest for students of all ages. The rich variety of numbers generated by all types of sports, as well as connections to popular culture extensions, naturally provides opportunities for exploration in numerical literacy. Using real sports data, students can perform operations and calculations, do statistical analyses, and create charts or graphs to enhance their learning of both basic and advanced operations. Nearly every concept taught in a K-12 mathematics curriculum can be adapted to include sports information.