Thursday, December 1, 2016

LACAL and NBA Partner to Make a Difference in Afterschool in Louisiana


The Louisiana Center for Afterschool Learning (LACAL), under the direction of Mr. Andrew Ganacheau and the LACAL Leadership Team, is pleased to announce an expansion of the Fun Math curriculum through a partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA).



Please see below the narrative from Mr. Ganacheau regarding the partnership.The curriculum was developed last spring as a way to enhance experiential learning opportunities within Louisiana's afterschool programs. Research indicates that experiential learning fosters an appreciation and understanding of math, with students becoming passionate and self-directed learners. These students will also have the capacity to control their personal and educational narratives, and have a better chance of graduating from high school and attending college. The curriculum features four fun learning concepts: 1) sense of fascination and discovery, 2) availability of choice, 3) appealing to multiple senses, and 4) appearance of effortless participation. The curriculum also includes four initial areas: Basketball Math, Football Math, Kitchen Math, and Math Art. However, LACAL is working on a expansion of the curriculum, with music math and soccer math as potential additions.  
The partnership with the NBA is the first expansion of the Fun Math curriculum. The NBA will providing trainings on their Math Hoops program, a fast-paced basketball board game and that allows students to learn fundamental math skills through direct engagement with the real statistics of their favorite NBA and WNBA players. The NBA Math Hoops curriculum is tied to Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Learning Skills, and it has been shown to improve students’ basic math skills and understanding of statistics, in addition to their interpersonal skills, driving them to collaborate more effectively with their peers. For more information on the Fun Math Curriculum, you can contact Mr. Andrew Ganacheau at ganawhat@gmail.com.
LACAL's mission, as noted on the webpage http://louisianaafterschool.org/ , is a network of afterschool leaders "with the mission to innovate learning in the out of school hours by ensuring a coordinated and uniform focus on high quality afterschool programs across Louisiana that improve outcomes for young people and support working families." The College of Education's SciTEC center serves as fiscal agent for LACAL. SciTEC Director Lindsey Keith-Vincent stated that "We the College of Education at SciTEC are grateful for the opportunity to partner with LACAL, Andrew, and the outstanding leadership team of LACAL to ensure that afterschool education is understood, valued, and effectively used to serve students across the state!"

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