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Is math racist? Jacksonville and other cities are changing how they teach.

Students at Springfield Middle School in Jacksonville attend a coding class in the school's Minecraft lab.
Sonya Duke-Bolden
/
Duval County Public Schools
Students at Springfield Middle School in Jacksonville attend a coding class in the school's Minecraft lab.

Algebra classes taught by Nadine Ebri look different than the ones you probably took in school.

She starts each school year with a team meeting among her middle school classes. She asks about their interests, their hobbies and what they want to see in their algebra instruction. Anything goes — well, almost anything; an attempt at "no homework" was quickly shot down.

Students practice equations through singing, dancing and drawing. Activities are sculpted around their hobbies and interests: anime, gaming, Minecraft. Problem-solving is a team sport, rather than an individual sprint to the right answer.

Read the rest of this story at WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.