VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 4
align with students' areas of need. My assessments have consistently found gaping
holes in the students' direct experiences in real world areas of the ECC, especially
recreation and leisure, social skills, and independent living skills. Most students
have never built nor had any experience with catapults, so our journey starts there.
The challenge begins as the students research, build, and intricately model
the projectiles' motion graphically and algebraically. At the beginning, students
research and read about the history of catapults. (Yes, gore is included as we
practice braille and literacy.) I present the students with models for them to
explore, but we depart the classroom to delve into recreation and leisure activities.
Exiting the classroom is necessary since many of the students do not understand
the path the ball takes once it leaves their hands. We become scientists, and we test
our hypothesis. Our lab becomes the gym in which we shoot hoops and throw
baseballs. We practice on our form with the physical education teacher and work
on throwing the farthest distance. As we practice, we record our throws so we can
access the data later. When we return to the classroom, the sport connection fuels
their understanding of this abstract concept, and their sighs turn into glee as they
watch and tactually explore models of their expert launching skills.
Beyond the parabolic path, the physical action involving recreation and
leisure fosters growth in this math concept, but it also provides opportunities to
explore, fail, and persevere. In one particular class, the learning process was
