Teaching Algebra Using Culturally Relevant Virtual Instructors

—When culture is integrated into the mathematics classroom, it improves students' academic achievement [3], helps move classrooms towards an equitable learning environment [30] [31], helps students have positive beliefs about mathematics [23], and integrates mathematics with other disciplines [56], [58]. Moreover, if you observe today's kids, the use of video games in their daily and/or weekly routines is significant. Lastly, the predominant genre among African-American youth is hip-hop/rap. These facts led to the African-American Distributed Multiple Learning Styles System (AADMLSS pronounced 'adam less') City Stroll, an adaptive, electronic, speech-enabled algebra learning system that uses culture to influence learning in the form of an animated, music-led interface.