Sports inspire learning
Photo illustration by Jeffrey C. Chase | Photos courtesy of Alyssa Crawford July 14, 2026
UD partnership helps teachers turn student passion into academic success
Looking out at his fifth-grade classroom, David Ostheimer saw students wild about soccer. They wore jerseys to school, debated top players and organized fiercely competitive matches at recess.
Ostheimer, who retired at the end of the school year from Kathleen Wilbur Elementary School in the Colonial School District, could have viewed the student enthusiasm as a distraction from learning. Instead, with World Cup matches being played in American cities for the first time in more than 30 years, he saw an opportunity to connect his students’ interest in sports to social studies concepts like putting events in chronological order and reading informational texts — all through lessons on the history of soccer.
For kids with such passion, bringing sports into the classroom is a way for teachers to engage with students and foster learning. The Delaware Teachers Institute (DTI), a partnership between the University of Delaware and New Castle County school districts, helps teachers develop innovative curriculum units that use students’ interests as a bridge to academic achievement.
DTI doesn’t teach teachers how to teach.
“Professional development for K-12 educators generally centers on pedagogical methods rather than content,” said sports historian Sarah Trembanis, professor of history and associate director of the Associate in Arts Program. “The idea with DTI is that we provide a deep dive into content areas that teachers can then translate into curriculum.”
Meeting students where they are
Trembanis led one of four 2025-2026 DTI seminars — “Fútbol is Life!” — which delved into sports history, including the Olympic games, America’s legacy of segregation in baseball’s Negro Leagues, politics and sports, health and safety in sports, and sporting facilities, which included a visit to a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game.
Teachers found that students paid more attention when sports were part of the lesson. This was especially true for reluctant learners.
“Sports are a way teachers can connect with their students,” Trembanis said.
Elizabeth McClenaghan, an eighth-grade pre-algebra and algebra teacher at Skyline Middle School in the Red Clay Consolidated School District, said that many students who are hesitant about math are enthusiastic about sports, so using familiar contexts increases participation and encourages students to persevere through challenging problems.
“Incorporating a sports theme helps me make mathematics more accessible and engaging, and students often ask deeper questions and have greater persistence in solving problems,” she said.
McClenaghan developed a three-lesson unit, “Game On: The Math Behind Soccer,” to teach students how to analyze data and investigate the geometry of angles, area and perimeter. In the final lesson, students plot player positions and calculate distances before applying the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the best passing routes and defensive strategies.
Stacy-Ann Morrison Thomas, a sixth-grade science teacher at Stanton Middle School in the Red Clay district, developed a unit that explores how athletic performance is tied to the body’s circulatory, respiratory and muscular systems.
“Sports provide authentic examples that students can easily relate to, making complex scientific concepts more accessible,” she said. “It also helps students see the relevance of science in everyday life and in activities they enjoy.”
Partnering to build stronger schools
DTI offers multiple seminars every year, with topics ranging from the culture of food to the neurobiology of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Seminars often relate to current events and issues, such as “Fútbol is Life!” or “Distraction, Disinformation, and AI: How to Live and Learn in Our Brave New World,” which is being offered in the 2026-2027 academic year.
In addition to deepening content knowledge, teachers appreciate the collaborative, collegial environment DTI provides, with participants, coordinators and leaders learning from each other.
“Learning along with K-12 educators was a great experience,” Trembanis said. “Their energy and curiosity ... you never have to wait for someone in the seminar to have a question or speak up. The best community engagement is where we interact as partners, not in a top-down way, but in a way that facilitates learning and engagement.”
During his 20-year teaching career, Ostheimer participated in more than a dozen DTI seminars, and he credits the program with transforming his years in the classroom, inspiring his lessons and motivating him to pursue additional professional education opportunities.
“It absolutely changed my career,” he said. “It’s one of the best professional developments I’ve ever done.”
With Delaware schools out for summer, teachers have the time to apply their new knowledge and enjoy the world’s most popular sporting event themselves.
“As someone from Jamaica with a master’s in physical education and sport, I enjoy watching soccer competitions. Since Jamaica is sadly not playing in the World Cup, I’m supporting France,” said Morrison Thomas, the sixth grade science teacher. “I enjoy supporting teams that demonstrate skill, teamwork, consistency and sportsmanship. I'll certainly be following the matches and celebrating the excitement that the World Cup brings to fans around the world.”
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