Created by a 2012 MIT undergraduate student, SHINE for Girls is a new, innovative learning program that relies on dance to help teach math skills. SHINE for girls is geared toward young girls who either struggle with math or just need to boost their confidence in the occasionally daunting subject.
Which common physical activity led to a surge in middle school girls’ math scores?
Program turns to dance to bolster math performance.
During the instruction period, girls study a new section of math each week. Areas range from arithmetic, to Algebra, to statistics. Through the use of games, girls do a different movement exercise for each area of math. The program stresses that using physical movement and muscle-memory exercises will bolster a girl’s understanding of math. Its creator hopes that sparking a girl’s interest in math at a young age may one day lead to more women in science, engineering and math-based fields.
Instructors teach math through the use of kinesthetic learning, which is “using your body to learn new knowledge, and (it) gives the girls a better chance at remembering what they are taught,” Hansen said.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Using dance to educate
- Math through your feet – geometry with new perspective
- Program geared toward elementary school students
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