Applying the philosophy of PopMatics to other disciplines
The level and degree of visual entertainment distractions in America today greatly complicate the adolescent learning process. Technology and the Internet have changed the way students’ brains are wired, subsequently the way they think and learn. Short attention spans and multitasking is common because students are used to always being “on” and connected. Incorporating mass media and social media into the classroom will reduce anxiety, enhance student engagement, and increase understanding. Complex subjects particularly difficult to teach in light of the arduous distraction barriers of the media and the Internet. The prevailing opinion that math, science, history, and English are dull and unrelated to “real-life” forces them into a second place position when competing with pop culture. Consequently, rather than compete with the appeal and relevance of pop culture, why not use them as a means of inducing students.
This oil and water mixture is merely a call-to-action for an interactive and innovative approach to curriculum development and instruction. PopLearning is the intersection of popular culture and education. The PopLearning curriculum provides an interactive learning format that infuses students' daily instruction with popular culture to engage students. The PopLearning pedagogy is embedded through four pillars of popular culture: technology, the internet, mass media, and social media. This innovative approach provides stimulating activities to engage students, while concepts scaffold to bridge the gap between the content and students' daily lives.
The PopLearning approach to curriculum development and instruction is not a “pop culture curriculum” whose chapters and lessons are heavily decorated with pop culture references and with only a few sprinklings of concepts. Rather, PopLearning bridges the divide between education and pop culture so that they complement each other. The strategies and techniques that are found within the PopLearning curriculum provide the teacher with practical and ground-breaking techniques for teaching and provide the student with an innovative and interactive method for learning.
PopLearning is not another reform to solve all of educations’ pitfalls only to be replaced a short time later with the “next big thing”. Such reforms are simply a panacea; the “latest” and “greatest” remedy that is brought into town by the medicine man that sparks mass hysteria with his quick tongue and persuasion skills. Instead, PopLearning will combine the expertise from some of education’s most renowned philosophers and the findings from contemporary researchers, and applies it to the unique learning styles of today’s students.
This oil and water mixture is merely a call-to-action for an interactive and innovative approach to curriculum development and instruction. PopLearning is the intersection of popular culture and education. The PopLearning curriculum provides an interactive learning format that infuses students' daily instruction with popular culture to engage students. The PopLearning pedagogy is embedded through four pillars of popular culture: technology, the internet, mass media, and social media. This innovative approach provides stimulating activities to engage students, while concepts scaffold to bridge the gap between the content and students' daily lives.
The PopLearning approach to curriculum development and instruction is not a “pop culture curriculum” whose chapters and lessons are heavily decorated with pop culture references and with only a few sprinklings of concepts. Rather, PopLearning bridges the divide between education and pop culture so that they complement each other. The strategies and techniques that are found within the PopLearning curriculum provide the teacher with practical and ground-breaking techniques for teaching and provide the student with an innovative and interactive method for learning.
PopLearning is not another reform to solve all of educations’ pitfalls only to be replaced a short time later with the “next big thing”. Such reforms are simply a panacea; the “latest” and “greatest” remedy that is brought into town by the medicine man that sparks mass hysteria with his quick tongue and persuasion skills. Instead, PopLearning will combine the expertise from some of education’s most renowned philosophers and the findings from contemporary researchers, and applies it to the unique learning styles of today’s students.
To deny this generation an education that is tailored to their specific learning styles is to deny the future a generation of adults that have not lived up to their potential.
It is vital that we revolutionize how teachers are teaching because students are not learning in the most effective manner. Utilizing the PopLearning approach to curriculum development and instruction will provide students with a learning environment that effectively builds 21st century skills!
