Pop Pedagogies: Rethinking Education Through Film, Music, and Math

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

This session explores how popular culture and computational tools can transform curriculum and foster critical consciousness in classrooms. The three papers engage with unconventional yet powerful pedagogical resources—superhero films, hip hop, and visual programming—to challenge dominant narratives and expand what counts as educational content. From preservice teachers analyzing The Dark Knight through critical media literacy to culturally relevant approaches using hip hop and Turtle Geometry, each study illustrates how pop culture and alternative media can provoke reflection, resistance, and reimagination. Together, these works advance the case for more inclusive, critical, and creative curricular practices.

Sub Unit

• Division B - Curriculum Studies / Division B - Section 2: Exploring Past, Present, and Future Curricular Questions

Chair

• Nathan Alexander, Howard University

Papers

• Probing Democracy: Preservice Teachers Apply Critical Media Literacy to Christopher Nolan’s Batman: The Dark Knight - Robert L Sobel, The University of Texas at Austin; Mathew Baker, Georgia Southern University

• The Trap: Using Hip Hop to Center and Critical Consciousness - Jonathan Tunstall, Bowdoin College

• Unforgetting Turtle Geometry: Making Geometry Education More Visual, Computational, and Culturally-Relevant - Sina Rismanchian, University of California - Irvine; Shayan Doroudi, University of California - Irvine