From hoops to homework: Teacher taps into NCAA tourney for lesson in math

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Students in one Milwaukee school are using the NCAA tournament to learn math. The teacher leading the charge says she got the idea from filling out a bracket every year with her family.

Michelle Hucke teaches eight grade at Victory School on Milwaukee's south side. She started using the tournament as a teaching tool just last year.

"You really can connect it with a lot of the math stuff we're doing. We talk a lot about probability; what are the chances of getting a perfect bracket. We're working through tree diagrams and things like that," said Hucke.

Hucke says from percentages and ratios, the bracket contains a number of concepts the students can see -- and apply.

The students ended up making their own eight-team brackets. But instead of using teams, they used healthier breakfast choices. Each round, the class would vote on the winners.

There were no upsets in the students' bracket, but Hucke says the real victory is finding a way to get students a little more interested in math.

"I'm finding more resources about it and the kids really like it and it's a way to relate to them. So it's a really cool thing and I would recommend it to anybody who would like to try it," said Hucke.

Hucke says when she started using the tournament for class last year, some of the seventh graders noticed the brackets in the halls and remembered that going into this year. She says if it's a memorable lesson, that means there's a greater chance it was also effective.