From dance crazes like the ‘Floss’ to films, songs and toys, there are a wide range of cultural experiences and interests students have that often seem disconnected from their classroom learning. As highlighted in this issue in ‘Why Pop Culture Needs to be a Part of STEM Education’ (p. 62), simple tweaks to subject content can make a significant difference in how students relate to a subject and get them emotionally invested in pushing forward to develop new skills.
Although it can be overwhelming to think about where to start with pop references in the classroom and to come up with ideas that offer both enjoyment and depth of coverage, there are many resources available. In the following section, we’ve highlighted just a few of the available websites that are finding creative and innovative approaches to teaching subject material using popular culture. Many of these include lesson plans or videos that can be used in class, but others have online platforms that allow students to create videos or magazines, or engage directly with the material through quizzes or online assessment.
It is clear that many teachers are finding in popular culture a way of keeping their own teaching fresh and ensuring students have a range of experiences in the classroom and we’re pleased to be able to share some of these ideas and approaches with you.
Making Curriculum Pop
Making Curriculum Pop describes itself as “a resource sharing community for educators interested in better practices and teaching with pop culture”. It is a sharing hub with more than 7,000 members and groups that cover a wide range of interests and teaching ranges. The owner of the page, Ryan Goble, states that the site was set up because “it is hard for individual teachers to catch every cool website, video clip, song, study guide or comic but collectively MC POP is a forum where we can all share resources to reinvent our core curriculum and the larger dialogue on public education. So if you use popular and common cultures to reflect, refract, refocus and reinvent your core curriculum MC POP is the place for you.”