Master Carpenter Promotes Hands-on Learning and Life-Long Skills During Construction Experience at BRCC
Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) and the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) provided a Hammer House Build Experience for 25 students from Istrouma High School, along with local educators and construction leaders.
In two hours, the students from Istrouma High School built a small house using applied mathematics with real construction materials and tools such as hammers, drills, tape measures and calculators. When complete, the house will be large enough for the entire class to get inside.
During the build experience, master carpenter and entrepreneur Perry Wilson introduced his innovative math education system, HammerMath to the participating students. Wilson personally struggled with dyslexia in school but found success in learning math on the job and is now bringing those practical skills to the classroom.
"I failed the fifth grade and barely made it out of high school due to dyslexia," says Wilson. "I became a carpenter, and construction changed my life! When I worked with math on the job instead of taking math in the classroom, I got it! It's also important to me that all students should understand the world of opportunities available in the construction industry, from carpenters to drone operators to underwater welding to design; the opportunities are endless."
Through his company, If I Had A Hammer, Inc., Wilson has already impacted over one million students from K-12, adults and justice-involved individuals in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico with his HammerMath program. His approach has been recognized by The New York Times as one of the top new education programs in the country, and a study by the University of Kentucky found that students using HammerMath scored at the 99th percentile in math gains on the National MAP test.
“Today, we were pleased to welcome Istrouma High School students to Baton Rouge Community College for the hands-on learning experience with the HammerMath program,” said BRCC Chancellor Dr. Willie E. Smith. “BRCC’s Construction Management program is the only two-year accredited program in the state of Louisiana, and we enjoyed sharing information about the opportunities and possibilities that exist for those who select this career pathway.”
Wilson's objective with HammerMath was to help students master the mathematics needed to be successful in any career, as he believes that practical application is key to understanding.
"STEM education is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. I think the name should be changed to METS because if you can't do the math first, you can't do the other subjects," says Wilson.
Wilson said he was excited to partner with the NCCER and some of the largest construction companies in the United States to bring HammerMath to all students and help them understand how to apply math to their lives.
For more information about HammerMath, visit ifihadahammer.com.
