3 minute read
Engaging ākonga in maths through physical activity at Pāmapūria School
Hula hoops, gutter boards, pallet gardens and sport are helping ākonga at Pāmapūria School in the Far North see the relevance of maths in everyday life – and boosting their outcomes.
Hula hoops, gutter boards and pallet gardens, basketball, and rugby are unlocking maths for ākonga at Pāmapūria School in the Far North.
“Ākonga who were not interested in maths are now participating and finding maths more interesting and fun. They have made excellent progress, and this has shown through in their end of year results,” says Whaea Jo Saunders. Tamariki agree.
“I think that my maths has improved because we are doing fun activities to help us learn,” says one ākonga.
“I like learning about angles through building gutter boards and playing games,” says another.
Maths with meaning
Jo says she was motivated to integrate physical and practical activity into her lessons after noticing that students often struggled to see how maths connected to everyday life.
“I think about how best to get mathematical concepts across. What will they understand? Can we make it fun and engaging? I look around me for inspiration and then turn it into a practical lesson that links to the curriculum and inspires our ākonga,” she says.
“It’s about demonstrating that we use maths in all areas of our life, not just jobs but even in the sports that we love.”
As well as gutter boards, building a fence around the māra kai (vegetable garden) provided an opportunity to learn about perimeter. On the basketball court they used chalk to draw equations and angles.
Jo says that key to the approach is knowing her students and how they learn best.
“Hands-on learning experiences are accessible to all ages. You just need to think about how to tailor it to the needs, interests and ages of your tamariki,” she says.
A whole-school commitment
It’s not just maths. Physical activity is woven across the curriculum and the Healthy Active Learning team at Sport Northland has worked closely with the school to ensure more opportunities for students to be more physically active, in and out of class.
Every morning starts with a whole of school session in the gym followed by karakia, pepeha, and then a shared breakfast. Tumuaki Cheryl Bamber joins in when she can.
Funding through Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa has helped fund a senior playground, boxing equipment used as part of the gym fitness kaupapa in the mornings, and bikes, scooters and skateboards which are available through a class roster system during break and class times.
The school’s approach reflects national and international evidence, outlined in Sport NZ’s Active Bodies Active Minds, which shows that physical activity has a direct relationship with improved academic outcomes. This includes through learning integration, sport, physical education, play, brain breaks and Education Outside the Classroom.
For Jo, ensuring she and her colleagues are modelling positive behaviour is essential.
“If I am inspired and this comes through, I believe it helps inspire our ākonga,” she says.
