Every March, millions of people come down with a very strange illness…Bracket Fever. I know people who haven’t seen a college basketball game in 10 years who still religiously fill out a bracket and sweat out the scores and results. It has become larger than just a basketball tournament; it has become a cultural phenomenon.
So what is it that is so engaging about participating in this science of “bracketology” and how can we repurpose it for our classrooms? Here are some random thoughts, many only partially formed, for your consideration.
Perhaps first and foremost, we are drawn in by the human drama. To quote the intro to The Wide World of Sports, we are captivated by “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” (I can’t say that line without picturing that skier wiping out in my head!)
There is something inherently alluring about the idea that once it starts, everyone is equal and will advance based on performance rather than resume or tradition. We love the Cinderella stories; the rarely heard of David’s who pull the slingshot back and slay the goliaths. The North Carolina State’s who defy the odds and win it all (By the way, if you haven’t seen the ESPN 30 for 30 about NC State called Survive and Advance, run don’t walk to see it. It is an amazing story.) We cheer for the Florida Gulf Coast underdog stories (except when they beat my hometown Aztecs).
How can these elements be added to our classrooms? Well, as an example, I always teach the Revolutionary War by going out of my way to develop and emphasize the ridiculousness of the U.S. thinking they can fight England. I intentionally set it up as a David vs. Goliath storyline because it is more engaging and, ultimately, inspirational when positioned in that way. How can you position your content as a Cinderella story?
Isn’t the idea of equity and performance mattering more than the name across the front of the jersey similar to MLK’s dream that people “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” How about the idea that you can be successful no matter what has happened before? Everybody gets a fresh start in the tournament. Can we offer a fresh start to our students who have fallen so hopelessly behind that they have given up hope? How hard would you work on an endeavor you had no hope of successfully completing? Maybe we have students who can rise to unbelievable challenges with the encouragement of a Jimmy Valvano type teacher. Can that be you?
Is it the brackets themselves? I remember seeing my neighbor, Guy, wearing a shirt that had a simple bracket on it with zombies, humans, pirates, and ninjas. The shirt was a great 
conversation starter and sparked many heated debates from all ages. In fact, I’m still willing to debate the fact that pirates lost to ninjas in the semi-finals (much to the delight of @techninjatodd and @techninjastacey, I’m sure)!
How can we use brackets in the classroom? Here are a few possibilities:
Have students design brackets for the most influential figures in all of history (or any part of history). I know that Dan McDowell (@danmcdowell) and Matt Norris (@whhs_norris) from my school have participated in a similar lesson put together by an outside company where the brackets were pre-made. I like the idea of the kids designing the brackets and researching and narrowing down the choices. You also could have them serve as a seeding committee to balance out the brackets. Maybe they could be assigned a figure and have to compete against the competition in oral or written debate. How about assigning a play-by-play announcer and color commentator to call the action. Send it back to the panel at the studio for halftime analysis. Just the process of making the brackets could spark unbelievable discussions.
How about a U.S. Presidents bracket? Rather than separating them by region like the NCAA’s, they could be separated by era. Imagine the rich discussions as Lincoln goes head to head against Washington or the two Roosevelt’s square off.
How about scientific or technological innovations?
Artists or works of art?
Plays, poems, musical compositions?
Books and authors?
How bizarre to debate the winner of a pi vs. the Pythagorean Theorem battle?
Most significant days in history? I’d love to hear my students debating 12/7/1941 vs. 4/12/1861 or 10/29/1929 vs. 6/6/1944. They could generate all the dates themselves or you could provide just the date and they would have to research what happened and place them into brackets. Sounds like great review activities. How would the brackets be organized? Let them debate and choose!
The key is there aren’t any right answers and some are so dissimilar that the arguments would require some real critical thinking. With the right spirit and attitude from the teacher, it could be a great learning experience and quite a bit of fun. It could also be a total disaster…ahhh, the joys of teaching!
I know math teacher extraordinaire, John Berray (@johnberray), uses the brackets each year for a math lesson. His students fill out brackets and he offers a very significant prize for anyone who creates what is the holy grail of March Madness…a perfect bracket. The kids are excited at the prospect of winning. He has now created a beautiful teachable moment where he asks questions like, “How many possible ways can the bracket be filled out? What are the odds of randomly generating a perfect bracket? How could we figure that out? Are all brackets equally likely to win since the winners of basketball games are not determined randomly?” A math lesson with meaning and engagement because they’re now involved and have a vested interest! (By the way, he tells me the odds of randomly generating a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. 2 raised to the 63rd power. Blame me, not him, if I have incorrectly translated his answer to my question about this.)
Could it just be that people love to participate because it’s a contest and a competition? We are far more interested in results and outcomes of competitive events when we have some skin in the game. It’s just different when it’s our team down 2 with 10 seconds on the clock. How can we positively add contests and elements of competition into our lessons? By the way, it doesn’t have to be competition against each other; it can be can be everyone working together against a target or to achieve a fixed goal.
Even more important than all of these ideas is the state of mind behind them. It’s a paradigm shift in how we view the world. Life contains a largely untapped and vast resource of creative ideas that are constantly swirling around us. Whenever we see something that is popular and engaging for a wide audience, we should ask ourselves why that is. What is it about this that attracts and mesmerizes people and how can we add some of these same features to our classrooms? Whether it’s a sporting event or zombies and vampires, find what captivates kids and then do the analysis and brainstorming necessary to create a powerful hook that will enthrall your class and lure them into your content.
I heard someone ask Seth Godin what he does for a living and I loved his answer. He said, “I notice things.” Amazing ideas are everywhere. The secret lies in recognizing them for the gold mine they are and then perfecting the art of layering them into our lessons. Happy hunting!
Oh, and if you had Wichita State in your Final Four, you’re either a liar or I need to shake your hand!