Like the rest of Arizona football fans, children are catching Super Bowl fever, as one professor uses sports in the classroom to teach and reach kids.
Barbara Veltri, assistant professor in the College of Education, developed her Power Hitter program 15 years ago to use the motivating aspects of sports to engage elementary and middle school students in hands-on, “real-life” activities.
Power Hitter uses baseball, football and basketball to teach literacy, numeracy and technology skills. The program also teaches students critical thinking skills and to work in small groups.
Veltri came up with the idea of Power Hitter as a former teacher at an all-boys school in Connecticut, when she had to find a way to motivate and engage her students.
“My students instigated this program,” Veltri said. “Boys learn differently, and they need movement and reinforcement focused on particular areas, so I developed my sports program and started with baseball.”
Veltri now teaches her curriculum to NAU education majors and hopes to offer the course to other universities. She says her college students love the program, and it provides a model for them to come up with their own engaging content for kids.
Using sports to teach children incorporates a variety of activities. For example, last semester Veltri used the baseball program in a social studies class during the World Series to incorporate geography. The students looked up the weather for game day and located the teams’ cities on the map.
In November, middle-schoolers from the Navajo and Hopi reservation visited NAU for a football game and the Power Hitter program. They completed football-related activities incorporating math, literacy, technology, nutrition and geography at NAU’s Walkup Stadium, the pre-season training site of the Arizona Cardinals.
“They had fun while they were learning, and it was even on a Saturday.” Veltri said. “It was a great way to connect kids to real life.”
Kama mashabiki wengine wa mpira wa miguu wa Arizona, watoto wanakabiliwa na homa ya Super Bowl, kama profesa mmoja anatumia michezo darasani kufundisha na kufikia watoto. Barbara Veltri, profesa msaidizi katika Chuo cha Elimu, aliendeleza programu yake ya PowerHitter miaka 15 iliyopita kutumia mambo ya kuhamasisha ya michezo ili kujihusisha na wanafunzi wa shule ya msingi na ya kati katika shughuli za mikono, maisha halisi. Power Hitter hutumia baseball, mpira wa miguu na mpira wa kikapu kufundisha kusoma na kuandika, hesabu na ujuzi wa teknolojia. Programu hiyo pia huwafundisha wanafunzi ustadi wa kufikiri kwa njia ya kukosoa na kufanya kazi katika vikundi vidogo. Veltri alianzisha Power Hitter akiwa mwalimu wa zamani katika shule ya wavulana huko Connecticut, wakati alipohitaji kutafuta njia ya kuhamasisha na kuwahusisha wanafunzi wake. "Wanafunzi wangu walianzisha programu hii", Veltri alisema. """Wavulana hujifunza tofauti, na wanahitaji harakati na kuimarisha kuzingatia maeneo fulani, kwa hiyo niliendeleza programu yangu ya michezo na kuanza na baseball.""Veltri sasa anafundisha mtaala wake kwa vyuo vikuu vya elimu vya NAU na anatarajia kutoa kozi hiyo kwa vyuo vikuu vingine." Alisema wanafunzi wake wanapenda programu hiyo na kuwapa mfano wa kuunda maudhui yao wenyewe ya kuvutia kwa watoto. Kutumia michezo kuwafundisha watoto kunatia ndani shughuli mbalimbali. Kwa mfano, muhula uliopita Veltri alitumia programu ya besiboli katika darasa la masomo ya kijamii wakati wa World Series kuingiza jiografia. Wanafunzi walichunguza hali ya hewa siku ya mchezo na kugundua miji ya timu kwenye ramani. Wanafunzi wa shule ya sekondari kutoka maeneo ya Navajo na Hopi walitembelea Chuo Kikuu cha Marekani cha Marekani kwa ajili ya mchezo wa mpira wa miguu na programu ya Power Hitter. Mashindano hayo yalihusisha masomo ya hisabati, elimu, teknolojia, lishe na jiografia katika uwanja wa Walkup wa Chuo Kikuu cha Arizona, uwanja wa mazoezi ya kabla ya msimu wa Arizona Cardinals. "Walikuwa na furaha wakati walikuwa wakijifunza, na ilikuwa hata Jumamosi". Veltri alisema. <unk>Ilikuwa njia nzuri ya kuunganisha watoto na maisha halisi.<unk>