“Students understand math more because we understand the songs and clips from movies and TV.  And it makes it more fun!  I like it when Ms. Clark used the pop culture because we could relate to it and it made it way more interesting instead of just sitting, reading questions, and working problems all day.”  - Laura Herlovich, student of MatheMagics   “I believe that pop culture is a benefit in the classroom because it helps the student understand and become more interested in what the teacher is talking about.  Most students dread going to class because it’s boring and they feel like the things their teacher is talking about will never relate to them. Bringing in pop culture will help students relate their daily lives with the concepts the teacher is discussing.  I truly believe that it will help students understand math more and make it fun for them. Seeing just numbers and words on a page doesn't do much for students. But seeing examples of things they know about will draw their interest and make them pay attention.  I liked Ms. Clark’s teaching style.  All my other math teachers would just write math problems on the board, explain them, and expect us to know how to do them.  She helped students understand what was going on by using examples of things we knew about.  Her class was never boring and we would always have a good time learning math.  I can’t say that about any of my other math classes!”  - Chantal Westbrook, student of MatheMagics

“Using pop culture in the classroom would be very relevant and would keep the students engaged (i.e. awake).  A series of math books using pop culture should be created because anything that makes math fun and easy to learn would be great!          - Crystal Vinning, High School Math Teacher, GA   “When I was in school, most of my classes were very “by the book”:  lectures, homework, etc.  We had the same routine daily.  It wasn’t awful, but I’m sure more students would have benefited from more innovative teaching strategies.  The “traditional” math curriculum works for those students who have an aptitude for math, but it is pretty dull for the masses.  Any time there is something to engage the students (even if it’s just the first 2-3 minutes of a new topic), I’d be all for it!  If pop culture were used in the classroom, students would find classes to be more relevant to their own lives than if just introduced to new learning ideas in a more dry and traditional ay.  I think a series of math books using pop culture should be created to show teachers, administrators, parents, etc that there are more creative ways to effectively teach. - Katie Eaves, High School Math Teacher, TX

“Pop culture influences most modern-day teens. Because of this, it was an effective motive in teaching mathematics.  Using pop culture presented me with a familiar environment for which I can relate to.  It is not like the usual text that would take days, maybe even weeks to understand.  From personal experience, the use of simple techniques such as the signed pictures of actors, actresses, and musicians on the wall evoked a positive emotion concerning math.  It’s like, if famous people think it’s cool, so do I!  Using pop culture also assisted in increasing my personal view of Ms. Clark as a teacher.  I felt comfortable asking questions and coming in for extra help.”   - Kahai Hall, student of MatheMagics   “I think that those pop lessons make math seem easier.  Most students fear math and have a hard time learning it.”  - Andrea Dixon, student of MatheMagics

“Using pop culture in the classroom would be very relevant and would keep the students engaged (i.e. awake).  A series of math books using pop culture should be created because anything that makes math fun and easy to learn would be great!          - Crystal Vinning, High School Math Teacher, GA “When I was in school, most of my classes were very “by the book”:  lectures, homework, etc.  We had the same routine daily.  It wasn’t awful, but I’m sure more students would have benefited from more innovative teaching strategies.  The “traditional” math curriculum works for those students who have an aptitude for math, but it is pretty dull for the masses.  Any time there is something to engage the students (even if it’s just the first 2-3 minutes of a new topic), I’d be all for it!  If pop culture were used in the classroom, students would find classes to be more relevant to their own lives than if just introduced to new learning ideas in a more dry and traditional ay.  I think a series of math books using pop culture should be created to show teachers, administrators, parents, etc that there are more creative ways to effectively teach. - Katie Eaves, High School Math Teacher, TX

“I like that you used it in lesson because we students could do out projects and learn about what we are interested in.  We actually had more incentive to do it because we could research things we actually cared about.”  -Julia Abbey, student of MatheMagics   “It benefits students because it draws the students into the work and they don’t realize they are using math and it comes to them easier.”  - Daniel Calhoun, student of MatheMagics