Using Hockey For Learning Math
One of the most common complaints I hear from kids about school is their dislike for math. They often say that the subject is boring and the bane of their school existence. Equally, they find it difficult to feel motivated to engage in the lessons.
Yet, I frequently see many of these same kids become enthusiastic when talking about sports, and they discuss their sports using mathematical concepts.
In this post, I will explore various ways to use one of the most popular sports in Canada, hockey, as an example to make math contextual, meaningful, and relatable to a student’s interests.
Disclaimer: The information provided is designed to offer additional information and potential insights to complement your child's learning experience and enhance engagement in learning.
Importance of Contextualization and Real-World Learning
Learning involves establishing a connection between the material and the learner. One of the best ways to foster learning is to find out what interests the student and pair new concepts with their existing knowledge and personal experiences (Boaler, 2022; Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014). This process can be seen as adding a context that relates lessons directly to real-life examples in a student’s life. Contextualizing learning attempts to bridge the gap between symbolic and abstract concepts (i.e., numbers, equations, and ideas) and links them to relatable representations students can better understand. Additionally, contextualization makes learning more accessible, engaging, and encourages important reflection for deeper learning.
What is Mathematical about Hockey?
The act of speaking about hockey inherently involves mathematical concepts. How do we know who’s winning the game or who is projected to make the playoffs? Just think about the many children who can recite a professional hockey player’s points per game, total goals for the year, and the probability of their team scoring on a power play (PP%). What is impressive is that these mathematical concepts they are speaking about can be quite complex. Below, I have compiled a non-exhaustive list of potential math concepts that can be derived from hockey, going from kindergarten level to high school.
Early Elementary - Kindergarten to Grade 2
Number Identification
At the youngest of ages, number recognition becomes the primary goal. Hockey is filled with numbers that children can recognize, from reading the scoreboard to the jersey numbers.
Counting
One of the foundational skills that starts a child on understanding numbers is counting. Examples of counting are numerous, such as the total shots on net or the number of minutes left in the game. Counting also leads to the understanding of another math concept: “more and less than.”
Time
Time is an integral aspect of sports. A sixty-minute game consists of three twenty-minute periods. It shows the urgency of the last minutes of the game and how to organize oneself in relation to the time limit.
Elementary Years - Grade 2 to Grade 5
Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication
One of the fundamentals of early elementary learning in math is how to add, subtract, and later multiply numbers. For many children, they are taught specific procedures for how to figure these skills out, such as how to carry and borrow in addition and subtraction. However, it is equally important for them to grasp the meaning of the concepts. Below are a couple of examples that can be used:
"Leon Draisaitl had 10 points. He got 2 points in the first game, 3 in the second. How many points did he get in the third game?"
"If Connor McDavid scores 2 goals per game and plays 5 games, how many goals will he score in total?"
Ratios
Another important concept that reveals insights into the game is the use of ratios. Ratios add a comparison between two numbers that provide important metrics for the game. For example, knowing how many shots on goal is important, but equally important is knowing how many goals compared to shots on net as a ratio. Below are a couple of examples that use ratios:
"If a player takes 10 shots and scores 2 goals, what is the ratio of goals to shots?"
"The Oilers won 5 games and lost 3 games. What is their win-loss ratio?"
Simple Graphs and Charts
Visualizing numbers is an important aspect of mathematics. One tool can be creating a simple bar graph to show the number of goals scored by each team. For example, you can make a fun assignment to show how many goals each team scored over the past 30 games.
Middle School (Junior High School) - Grades 6 to 8
Averages
One of the important concepts in math that is learned during this period is averages. To make this concept more engaging and relatable, consider the following example within a hockey context:
"What is the average number of goals scored by Sidney Crosby if he scored the following in the past four games: First Game: 2 goals, Second Game: 4 goals, Third Game: 1 goal, Fourth Game: 1 goal.
Percentages
Another key concept in middle school math is percentages. This can be contextualized using hockey statistics, such as faceoff win percentages.
“If a player took 50 faceoffs in a game and won 30 of them, what is their faceoff win percentage?”
High School & Beyond
At this point, it may be important to involve your child’s teacher to provide examples from what they are learning at school as math concepts become quite elaborate at this stage. However, below are some of the common concepts taught at this level.
Mean, Median, and Mode
Moving on from the concept of averages, students can learn the meaning of what a mean, median, and mode is as well as how to calculate these terms. An example would be to calculate the mean, median, and mode of the number of shots on net for the past 30 games. By engaging in this task, students may be able to better understand how these concepts make sense in the real world.
Statistics and Probability
At this stage of math, we are looking at concepts of combining various factors that can use models to make predictions. Below are a few concepts that you can look further into as they may relate to what you are learning in math class:
Expected Goals per game: This concept involves using statistical models to predict the number of goals a team or player is likely to score in a game based on past performance and other variables.
Probability of Winning the Cup: Regression analysis in mathematics can be used to estimate the probability of a team winning the cup. The independent variables could include a range of performance metrics and relevant factors.
References
Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Harvard University Press.
Boaler, J. (2022). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. Jossey-Bass.
Gresalfi, M., Barnes, J., & Cross, D. (2012). When Does an Opportunity Become an Opportunity? Unpacking Classroom Practice through the Lens of Ecological Psychology. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 80(1-2), 249-267.
Nasir, N. S., & Hand, V. (2008). From the Court to the Classroom: Opportunities for Engagement, Learning, and Identity in Basketball and Classroom Mathematics. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 17(2), 143-179.
