Q&A with Alex Kajitani, "The Rappin Mathematician"
As a new teacher in a tough San Diego school, Alex Kajitani was having a hard time teaching basic math concepts to students who were more interested in rap music. He decided to incorporate his teachings into rap songs, and soon students were rapping his rhymes as well. Kajitani, AKA “The Rappin Mathematician,” teaches eighth-grade math and algebra at Mission Middle School in Escondido, Calif., and was recently named the 2009 California Teacher of the Year and a finalist for National Teacher of the Year.
He recently talked to Associate Editor Joetta Sack-Min about The Itty Bitty Dot, increasing math scores, and his new CD.
How did you come up with the concept of “The Rappin Mathematician?” How did the students first respond?
like to say the concept was born out of survival—a few years back I was a new teacher struggling with my students. I couldn’t get them to pay attention, stay on task, and remember the math rule I had just taught. But what I noticed was that a rap song would come out on Monday and by Tuesday they’d seem to have every single word memorized. One day we were adding and subtracting decimals, so I went home that night and wrote a rap song called The Itty Bitty Dot. I came in the next morning and just sort of busted it out for them. It was an absolute disaster. I got laughed at. I even remember one of the students clutching his stomach and rolling out of his chair. But then when I walked to lunch I walked by a lunch table and all the students were singing the song, and the next day they ran into my classroom, asking me, “Are you going to rap again?” At the end of the week my test scores shot through the roof, and I’ve been math rappin ever since.
With your CD you’ve tried to incorporate some positive and anti-materialistic messages. How have the students responded to that?
The students have responded very well. What this CD and songs do is give people the language necessary not to believe everything they see on TV or hear on the radio.
How do you integrate raps into your classroom lessons? Do you perform for every class?
Not every single day, but I do perform frequently, whenever there’s a new concept that I predict students might be struggling with. And it’s not just to understand the math better but to feel good about school. It takes the academic content and puts it in a language that students can understand and are already big fans of.
You have seen some increases in academic achievement?
Absolutely—certainly my Algebra I classes have for the past two years averaged proficiency on the California standards test, and also in some of the remedial classes I’ve seen some students make up to a 100-point test gain.
How can other teachers use your methods to help their students?
The CDs and workbooks are designed for just that. If teachers don’t want to get up and rap, they can put the music in or have the students write their own raps. But really it’s not about rapping; it’s about connecting with our students on their level in a language they understand.
What advice do you have for new or struggling teachers?
As a teacher, you need to be relevant. One of the most important things is to make sure you’re not only teaching the content matter, but also making sure it’s relevant to these students’ lives. Another thing is to be reliable. We cannot demand that our students come organized and ready to learn every day unless we ourselves are, every day. And we have to be realistic. Not every student is going to college or going to be a doctor or lawyer, but every one is going to be a friend, a family member, or member of the community.
Watch Alex Kajitani's Videos
The Rappin Mathematician: So Many Lines
The Rappin Mathematician: The Number Line Dance