http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-district-pushes-pause-on-hip-hop-curriculum/article/3500154?custom_click=lead_story_title
Known as Flocabulary, the program is a music-based educational tool that uses raps, rhythms and rhymes to help students learn and memorize everything from vocabulary and English to math and social studies.
About 15 teachers have complained or expressed concern about the rap song lyrics, said Ed Allen, president of the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers.
"I just don't think we were real careful where we deployed it," Allen said. "Not all parts of it are real affective for the more troubled youth."
It is the U.S. history curriculum that has raised concern.
One of the rap songs — "Old Dead White Men" — chronicles the shortcomings of the early leaders in the United States.
Of President James Monroe's tenure, the rap says: "White men getting richer than Enron./ They stepping on Indians, women and blacks./ Era of Good Feeling doesn't come with the facts."
That's followed up by an assessment of President Andrew Jackson's checkered dealings with American Indians.
"Andrew Jackson, thinks he's a tough guy./ Killing more Indians than there are stars in the sky./ Evil wars of Florida killing the Seminoles./ Saying hello, putting Creek in the hell holes./ Like Adolf Hitler he had the final solution./ 'No, Indians, I don't want you to live here anymore.'"
Springer said he was concerned about some of the lyrics, and that's why the district is holding off on the program until it's been evaluated.
Flocabulary CEO and co-founder Alex Rappaport said the lyrics are made intentionally provocative and sometimes humorous to create student engagement among some of the toughest-to-reach students in the nation.
"In general, the purpose of our program is to motivate students, and we often say the enemy here is student apathy," Rappaport said. "We want students to ask questions and challenge assumptions that are made and think critically about historical themes."
We can do it without bad freestyling.
I approve of their most offensive examples.
Andrew Jackson did some weak ass shit, and if it gets people interested in history, why not stain his legacy? He earned any abuse he gets.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 07, 2010, 04:40:42 AM
I approve of their most offensive examples.
Andrew Jackson did some weak ass shit, and if it gets people interested in history, why not stain his legacy? He earned any abuse he gets.
Yes, but that's no excuse for bad rap.
Eh. Most of it isn't anything special, and that stuff doesn't even try to educate.
They should just hire Immortal Technique for this.
At least he do rap gud. And he know's his shit.
Likely, that would be even more offensive to their delicate sensibilities though...
Apparently there needs to be more judicious checking of the flo?
JUST SAY NO TO EDUTAINMENT
ATTENTION: WHEN DEALING WITH FLOCABULARY, THERE IS LITTLE TO NO NEED TO PROTECT YO' NECK.
FLOCABULARY IS FOR THE CHILDREN.
You make Big Baby Jesus cry.
Someone had to do it.
I am now trying to filk Gin and Juice to some sort of history lesson, and it's just not working.
lesson?
Gin and Juice is an entire curriculum
All I know is that the lunch ladies should break into "So What'cha Want" at mealtime.
The way I was taught, way back when Christ was just a corporal, worked just fine.
But why work with a proven method when you can do silly shit like this?
I remember having songs...and distinctively this record, yes record, of the multiplication tables as songs from the 70s. They sounded like they were done by Paul Simon or something.
Schoolhouse Rock. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!) It was awesome. I still have some of those recordings, somewhere.
Quote from: Doktor Alphapance on October 07, 2010, 03:09:29 PM
Schoolhouse Rock. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!) It was awesome. I still have some of those recordings, somewhere.
This is different.
Schoolhouse Rock was the correct motorcycle.
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 07, 2010, 03:12:51 PM
Schoolhouse Rock was the correct motorcycle.
This.
Effort was put into those to make them educational without being condescending, yet they were still fun to listen to.
On the other hand, the lyrics presented in the OP make 50 cent and Vanilla Ice look like Bach and Mozart.
Thanks to Schoolhouse rock, I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution.
Quote from: Doktor Alphapance on October 07, 2010, 03:16:16 PM
Thanks to Schoolhouse rock, I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution.
Thanks to schoolhouse rock, there are still 50 people in the United States who don't think the president is our king.
48 of them post here.
the educational publishing industry is going crazy trying to figure out what the next great educational paradigm will be.
All the talk at the big quarterly meeting was about how iPhone apps are suddenly a larger market than the entire ESL industry.
and a lot of the large ESL states have had their education budgets deflated, (and fuck, look at CA, we couldn't sell any books there last year because the board that approves books to be sold in CA was totally defunded) --- so everybody's looking for ways of educating kids that doesn't require a $95 textbook purchase.
Educators are taking a closer look at games, too. There are some "learn english" computer games that kids seem to like and actually have a measurable positive effect on test scores. I mean, kids are really engaged by games, so if you can harness that energy for education, that's a great use of technology.
My company occasionally cuts deals with Sesame Street and Disney to include their branding in our products. I think it's kind of lame, I would prefer not to see commercial characters in classrooms, but educators need every tool they can get. More and more, we live in an attention economy. There are so many things to pay attention to, the things that matter are the things that can hold attention.
So there are a lot of companies out there that are looking specifically at "at-risk" demographics and trying to figure out what strategies they can use to get these kids plugged in. There's a lot of energy in publishing right now to examine new methods, particularly anything that associates learning with pop culture. (I just got an e-mail from an editor asking me "what band should I have the kid in this story listen to? It needs to be "cool", but have a clean image. Like, not the Red Hot Chili Peppers or anything." :lol:)
Predictably, a bunch of white guys sitting around a meeting table eventually said KIDS THESE DAYS ARE ALWAYS HIPPIN AND HOPPIN -- we can probably sell that!
and they CAN sell that
because the people BUYING the books are often also out of touch white guys too
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 07, 2010, 03:20:24 PM
Quote from: Doktor Alphapance on October 07, 2010, 03:16:16 PM
Thanks to Schoolhouse rock, I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution.
Thanks to schoolhouse rock, there are still 50 people in the United States who don't think the president is our king.
48 of them post here.
:potd:
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 07, 2010, 02:08:40 PM
Someone had to do it.
I am now trying to filk Gin and Juice to some sort of history lesson, and it's just not working.
Prohibition?
Laid back
with my mind on my math
and my math on my mind.
See?
Doesn't work.
I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... :cry:
Conjunction junction what's your function?
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 07, 2010, 05:45:28 PM
I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... :cry:
Conjunction junction what's your function?
Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video. If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again. If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 07, 2010, 05:47:37 PM
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 07, 2010, 05:45:28 PM
I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... :cry:
Conjunction junction what's your function?
Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video. If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again. If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.
You say that like they would consider that a punishment :lulz:
I can't start over, they are almost gone Dok! 7 MORE YEARS!!
Only 7..... and what a happy day that will be....
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 07, 2010, 05:56:00 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 07, 2010, 05:47:37 PM
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 07, 2010, 05:45:28 PM
I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... :cry:
Conjunction junction what's your function?
Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video. If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again. If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.
You say that like they would consider that a punishment :lulz:
I can't start over, they are almost gone Dok! 7 MORE YEARS!!
Only 7..... and what a happy day that will be....
So you say now.
Wait til they're not under your control, and you still have to worry about them.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 07, 2010, 05:57:48 PM
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 07, 2010, 05:56:00 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 07, 2010, 05:47:37 PM
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 07, 2010, 05:45:28 PM
I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... :cry:
Conjunction junction what's your function?
Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video. If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again. If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.
You say that like they would consider that a punishment :lulz:
I can't start over, they are almost gone Dok! 7 MORE YEARS!!
Only 7..... and what a happy day that will be....
So you say now.
Wait til they're not under your control, and you still have to worry about them.
:argh!:
Don't make me come down there and burst your bubble of future happiness and quiet and going to the bathroom with the door staying shut and not having to hear "Can I have......" :D