Beginning in the late 1990s, major primetime television networks found themselves in a race to see who could develop the most iconic medical drama. Between the brilliance of Dr. House (House, MD), Dr. Grey (Grey’s Anatomy), and the entire staff of ER, the average viewer had no shortage of expert medical opinions to seek out for a diagnosis.
Fast forward to 2023, and members of the Connally community can put their faith in a new set of medical professionals who have their offices located at 300 Cadet Way.
Well…we might not go quite that far. These kiddos aren’t really doctors, they just play one in math class.
Students at Connally Elementary School got to trade worksheets and lectures during math class for medical gowns and gloves as they participated in the hands-on lesson OPERATION PEMDAS. The activity was held on November 9 in the elementary cafeteria.
“The kids always like when we can do hands-on activities,” fifth grade math teacher Donna Kingsley said. “Having the chance to get up, put on personal protective equipment, and pretend to be a doctor got everyone excited to participate. Even the students that might struggle with the order of operations were eager to do the activity.”
PEMDAS is the acronym used to help students understand the order of operations in a mathematical problem. It reminds students to first deal with integers in parenthesis, then move on to solve exponents, multiply, divide, add, and subtract (in that order). Gaining a mastery of these concepts is considered one of the essential skills for elementary-aged students.
“Brain research consistently points to novel experiences printing themselves more permanently in memory,” CISD Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Dr. Sandra Hancock said. “For any skill or concept that we want to make sure students have a strong recall of, it becomes very effective to use creative and unusual activities.”
Throughout the activity, students traced full body outlines of their peers and worked through various problems to learn how to navigate multi-step mathematical equations. During this process, students could spread out throughout the cafeteria as they buzzed back and forth one another as if they were in a real surgery suite.
“Doing hands-on activities really helps students make connections between the classroom concepts and the real world,” elementary instructional coach Joy Cook said. “The best thing about it is that it helps them make memories. From now on, the moment that those students hear about the order of operations, they’ll remember dressing up like doctors.”
As the students gained confidence in their newly acquired skillset, they began to ask purposeful questions and make bolder decisions. These behaviors indicate a degree of mastery in the subject area that shows promise for future mathematical concepts.
“PEMDAS has traditionally been a big challenge for our students,” CES Principal Katie Redden said. “It’s a really foundational set of skills that we have to make sure that they understand, so taking a creative and interactive approach is an excellent tool for us to utilize. As silly as it sounds, being able to have fun and do something unorthodox helps the knowledge stick faster and longer.”
Most importantly, the activity gave each of the participants the opportunity to have fun while challenging themselves to learn something new. That excitement has left the students eager for more.
“It was a lot of fun to dress up and get out of the classroom,” fifth grade student Josiah Stevens said. “I hope that we can do more activities like this. It’s great to work with partners and I think it helps make math easier.”