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FANTASY SPORTS and MATH EDUCATION: Real Fun, Remarkable Results |
There’s Never Been a Film Like This! |
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click here to watch a segment online
It’s finally here - our documentary film that tells compelling stories of teachers throughout the country who are using fantasy sports to increase academic achievement and give their students opportunities to acquire a love for mathematics.
Fantasy sports represent our best hope to reduce math illiteracy in the U.S. The games are making a significant impact on students, teachers, families, and school community. It’s all in the film.
If there was ever a time for a revolution in math education, that time is now. Consider these statistics on student achievement:
76% (!) of eighth-grade students in public schools in the U.S. are not proficient in math. The following represents the percent of students in eighth grade who are not proficient in math:
Cleveland 93%
Washington D.C. 92%
Atlanta 89%
Chicago 87%
Los Angeles 86%
*More than 50% of the students in the cities listed above are also below the basic level.
Here are a few highlights from the film:
Draft night – watch as students, siblings, parents, and grandparents spend quality time together to select their fantasy teams within the confines of a budget. If you are looking for a way to launch your fantasy season with maximum excitement and success, then you won’t want to miss this.
A high school special education teacher in Oregon who uses fantasy basketball to teach algebra to students who are severely disabled and students who have autism. Fantasy sports are changing their lives, both academically and socially. The comments from her students will touch your heart. Moreover, administrators discuss how fantasy sports are enabling teachers, how fantasy sports have eliminated behavior problems, and how fantasy sports have motivated students who previously were bored to tears with their math textbooks.
A teacher at a school for the deaf who used fantasy football to engage her students in a project in which they created an instructional video.
A 7th grade, inner-city, all-girls class in New England who use fantasy football to blow the doors off of traditional gender roles. Several girls discuss how they used to hate fractions and decimals, but now they like them because fantasy sports made it interesting. Can you guess which NFL player made almost every girl’s roster?
A high school teacher in Sacramento who uses fantasy football with small groups for several years. She pairs the boys who have the football knowledge with the girls who have the math skills. Watch as “Kool-Aid” and friends discuss the merits of fantasy football versus other fantasy sports and learn why they want every minute of math class to be filled with fantasy sports.
A middle school teacher in Oregon who has been playing fantasy football for several years. His student won our national fantasy football contest, and the winning student is interviewed along with his parents. In addition, the teacher talks about how football is ingrained in our culture and how fantasy football will help with test scores on fractions and decimals. Most telling though, are comments from several girls in his class, as they discuss how fantasy football has helped them to relate to the boys as equals, and why they think that fantasy sports are “so cool.”
There is much more, as the film is packed with interviews from students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Their comments are enlightening, surprising, and emotional. Enjoy!