Dallas ISD uses music to teach math

When you walk into Monique Jackson’s 3rd grade classroom at Stevens Park Elementary School, you’re surrounded by soft lighting, positive affirmations, and math equations.

“Tell me why you all chose 8,” Jackson asked her class, pointing to a graph on the projection screen, her math symbol earring dangling as she moved. “They love it when I wear them!”

In between solving math problems, Jackson trains the other half of his students’ brains to help them learn. Jackson writes math raps.

“I think it’s important that we build that love at a young age,” Jackson said. “Because I know that I had problems with math in my student days.”

“A fraction is part of a whole,” the students read as they danced together.

“I think the little twist that I added, like rapping, really affected their love and understanding of math,” Jackson said.

“It helps me understand rap better,” said 3rd grader Olamid Oluamdi.

“Like divisional rap,” said Alexander Herrera. “It helped us learn about separation through the lyrics.”

“It’s a very humiliating feeling just to know that my practice and my teaching is affecting them and they actually understand and comprehend mathematics,” Jackson said.

Jackson said she hears students say they love math a lot more than they did before she incorporated rap into her curriculum.

“There are a lot of things you can do with math,” Herrera said. “Math is everywhere!”

“Whenever we learn something, she makes it fun,” 3rd grader Amy Castillo said softly. “I want to be a math teacher like Miss Jackson.”