Teacher Launches Unique Math Book, Fantasy Football and Mathematics"
Dan Flockhart announces the release of Fantasy Football and Mathematics," a teachers resource guide for grades 5-12. The guide aims to motivate students and close the achievement gap between white students and underrepresented students by capitalizing on the phenomenal growth of Fantasy Football, a game in which 30 million people participate.
(PRWEB) August 23, 2005 -- The author developed this book as part of a thesis project for a Masters degree at Humboldt State University by combining 20 years participation in Fantasy Football with 11 years experience teaching mathematics to students in grades 5–8. The book can be found at www.fantasyfootballmath.com and lists for $19.95.
The author used this resource in his classroom for several years and observed the positive impact it had on students attitudes toward mathematics. Fantasy Football and Mathematics" was the most successful curriculum I used in the classroom," Flockhart stated. Many students who were afraid of math began to gain confidence. I was initially concerned that the game would marginalize girls, but girls were as successful and had as much fun as boys. In fact, both boys and girls ran into my room every day wanting to play the game."
Fantasy Football and Mathematics" addresses the social and cognitive needs of students in several ways:
- Students are given the power and autonomy of managing their own team.
- Student interest is maximized because of the hands-on features (technology, graphing activities, and the use of newspapers).
- Students receive multiple (weekly) exposures to concepts in order to facilitate mastery learning.
- The game emphasizes the use of fractions, decimals, percentages, and algebraic equations - core concepts for middle school and high school students.
- The game emphasizes the use of visual aids, which facilitates learning for learning-disabled students.
According to Flockhart, Millions of students in the U.S. are not proficient in mathematics because the subject matter does not interest them, and they do not see the relationship between math at school and math in their personal lives. Fantasy Football and Mathematics" makes connections between math in the classroom and math in the real world. These connections are especially important for students in urban environments, because their life experience is often the farthest from the content found in traditional school textbooks."
Fantasy Sports and Mathematics develops and publishes math curriculum for middle school and high school teachers. Dan Flockhart launched the company in 2004 and is currently teaching at College of the Redwoods, in Eureka, California. Fantasy Sports and Mathematics can be located online at: www.fantasyfootballmath.com
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