Wu-Tang’s GZA Merging Hip-Hop With Science In Schools

Gary Grice, aka The GZA is known by many as The Genius of the #WuTang Clan, despite ending his formal education in the 10th grade. While his lyrical contributions have proven him more than worthy of the title, he’s gone the extra mile to distinguish himself as a mind to be reckoned with.
According to The NY Times, GZA is teaming up with a Columbia University professor to make the sciences more appealing to school students using Hip-Hop. After doing research at M.I.T. for his upcoming album, 'Dark Matter' GZA met Dr. Christopher Emdin on a radio show and realized they had a shared desire to bridge the worlds of science and hip-hop. Read more inside...

Next month, the two men, along with the popular hip-hop lyrics Web site Rap Genius, will announce a pilot project to use hip-hop to teach science in 10 New York City public schools. The pilot is small, but its architects’ goals are not modest. Dr. Emdin, who has written a book called “Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation,” hopes to change the way city teachers relate to minority students, drawing not just on hip-hop’s rhymes, but also on its social practices and values.

The pilot program will use interactive learning via rhyme ciphers as one of the tools to engage students, illicit feedback and reinforce principles.

“It was always about crafting the best rhyme in the most articulate, witty or smart way,” GZA said. “For us, it was always about educating the listener.” He added, “All of those things that are happening in the hip-hop cypher are what should happen in an ideal classroom.”

(***Now, if they had this going on when I was in school, I doubt that one day of class would have been skipped! ***)
      

The New York Times article goes on to state...Starting in January, the 10 schools, with support from Dr. Emdin and his graduate students, will experiment with cyphers and rhymes to teach basic science concepts — one class per school, one day per week. The students will write rhymes in lieu of papers; the best rhymes, as judged by GZA, will appear on Rap Genius, beside the lyrics of popular hits. The program fits into a broader educational movement to use students’ outside interests to engage them in class work. Read more details here from the New York Times.

 

 

Source: The Urban Daily