How do you help students learn those pesky multiplication tables? At Alcova Elementary in Dacula, you literally put them in front of students' feet.
The idea began with the help of math education consultant Greg Tang, who has been visiting the Gwinnett County school for the past three years to provide teacher instruction and parent workshops. Tang believes "teaching and learning should be clever and fun," and math should be accessible to students everywhere, all the time.
Principal Todd Langley agrees. But instead of putting up posters down the hallways, Alcova has installed strips with multiplication tables on two sets of stairs inside the school. Students travel up and down these stairs multiple times a day, so they can't help but learn by repetition.
"Me and my friends look at them, and when we get to the top of the stairs, we quiz each other," says 9-year-old Aubrey Wilbanks.
For this fourth-grader, the math stairs are fun. They also help him remember his multiplication tables and offer an extra study boost right before a test.
Thanks to comedian D. L. Hughley, Alcova's math stairs have even gone viral. One of Alcova's teachers loaded a photo of the newly installed math stairs onto Facebook. Hughley spotted the image and shared it, along with the comment, "This school gets it." By Tuesday evening, Hughley's post had been shared more than 103,000 times.
Assistant Principal Kia Henley appreciates Hughley's efforts in "giving us a platform for sharing our efforts and for understanding the importance of math awareness for our students."
The images for two stairways cost the school $986 to install. Technology support technician Henry Hitchcock took the idea to a nearby UPS store, where Chris Davies helped him determine the best method for adding the images to each step.
It was important the images not protrude in a way that might be a hazard and be durable enough to withstand regular cleaning. Davies recommended thin, but strong, PVC board with vinyl lettering. The boards are attached with adhesive to each step.
To keep math facts in front of students, the school has also stenciled multiplication tables to sidewalks leading to the school's recess area. Coming or going, students have a few more reminders of those basic math facts.
Alcova is planning to add math vocabulary to the next stairway. Langley and his staff hope that by seeing the words regularly, students will become familiar with their spelling and make connections in the classroom. The school will then incorporate one math word and concept at a time into morning announcements to help students build their academic knowledge and skills.
For Wilbanks, Alcova's math stairs are just a fun way to remember those challenging nines.
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