T.U.P.A.C.: Teaching Using Popular-music Across Curricula
Using music, especially song lyrics, to motivate students has long been a practice for in education to get and keep students engaged and to teach academic content. Most song based instruction involves writing/creating original works that focus on specific content or skills. Unfortunately, these songs may not resonate with all students, thus it may not be as effective as a mechanism for learning. This reality is particularly possible for students with disabilities and students in alternative settings who are usually considered as having behavioral struggles. These students tend to be behind academically and have difficulty with academic attention and engagement. This program will discuss the use of song lyrics from popular (i.e., familiar) music to teach students with challenging behaviors and in alternative academic settings science content. The presenter will provide the following: (a) a rationale for the development of the strategy, (b) the steps for implementing the strategy, and (c) an example for using the strategy to teach science content.