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Fantasy sports are playing a significant role in math education. In 2009, the University of Mississippi surveyed 342 middle school and high school students who used fantasy sports in math class. The results are compelling and support prior research. To see the results, click here
In fall 2009, I (Fantasy Sports and Math author Dan Flockhart) taught fantasy football to 80 student athletes at Humboldt State University in Northern California. Thirty-eight percent of the students received A's on the pretest. That number increased to 83% on the post-test.
Additional empirical data collected by the University of Mississippi (located below) indicate that fantasy sports are helping students succeed. Teachers report that grades, enthusiasm, and test scores are all higher. The games are eliminating discipline problems, reducing absenteeism, helping teachers to be more effective, and changing student attitudes toward math.
Fantasy sports are being used in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and higher education. The games are changing lives, both academically and socially. Some of these stories are illustrated in the documentary film on YouTube (link is on the main menu to the left). Fantasy sports are also helping families to connect, as students get help selecting their teams from their fathers, brothers, and grandparents.
At some schools, everybody is playing: Students, teachers, administrators, staff, and parents. New friendships are being formed. School community is promoted. Fantasy sports are also helping to empower girls and break down the gender gap. Girls report that fantasy sports are “cool,” and that the games help them to relate to the boys as equals. Simply put, fantasy sports can help reduce math illiteracy in America.
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