I used my nephew's action figures to demonstrate the snatch pull path and it actually worked

He was struggling to visualize the bar path, so I lined up his superhero toys on the floor to show the trajectory from the floor to overhead. We ended up with Iron Man representing the first pull and Thor finishing in the overhead squat position, which was absurdly detailed. Now he says he can't unsee the 'Avengers assembly' every time he sets up. Who knew plastic figurines could be such effective coaching tools, right?

6 comments

6 Comments

the_skyler6h ago

Watch how we repurpose childhood toys into teaching tools all the time. It's part of a larger shift towards tactile, relatable learning methods that ditch dry textbooks. Teachers use Lego bricks to explain physics concepts, or video game lore to engage students in history. Your Avengers assembly is just another example of meeting people where their interests already live. This kind of improvisation bridges gaps that traditional instruction often misses. Honestly, it's how we make complex ideas stick in a media-saturated world.

the_caleb6h ago

Absolutely! This is SPOT ON. I had a science teacher who used K'Nex sets to demonstrate engineering principles, and it completely changed how I viewed math. We built working roller coasters to learn about potential and kinetic energy, and it felt like play instead of work. That hands-on approach made abstract concepts TANGIBLE in a way textbooks never could. It's exactly the kind of creative bridging that keeps students engaged and actually learning. More educators need to embrace this mindset.

jake_ellis435h ago

Seriously, the fact that teachers are resorting to Legos and Avengers just to make education palatable says a lot about how broken traditional methods are. We're in an age where attention spans are shredded by TikTok, yet classrooms still act like textbooks are the pinnacle of engagement.

kaiw744h ago

Improvisation bridges gaps' is right. Stuff like Avengers figures makes abstract concepts click in a way lectures never do (seriously, why isn't this more common?). It's just smarter teaching.

margaret7464h ago

That creative use of action figures highlights a deeper issue in education where abstraction often loses students. @the_caleb mentioned K'Nex sets making engineering tangible, which proves that tactile methods can unlock comprehension where lectures fail. It's frustrating how many educators still cling to outdated formats despite clear evidence that engagement plummets. We need systemic change that values improvisation and meets students within their cultural touchstones, not just occasional toy-based lessons. What specific barriers do you think prevent more teachers from adopting these hands-on approaches, even when they see the benefits?

jake32214m ago

Oh man, this totally reminds me of my buddy who used his kid's Jurassic Park toys to explain corporate mergers! He had the T-Rex "acquiring" the smaller raptors to demonstrate market consolidation. It was ridiculous, but visualizing the predator-prey dynamic actually made the whole hostile takeover concept click for me in a way a spreadsheet never did. We spent way too long debating if the brachiosaurus was a better symbol for a legacy company or just dead weight. Sometimes the dumbest props make the most sense.

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