Class Inquiry Project - We've all got the Beiber Fever!!!

For our last class assignment, we got into groups to complete an inquiry project on the Canadian artist of our choice. Our group took a different route in terms of this project, choosing a young Canadian artist that has become famous throughout the world, the one and only Justin Bieber. Now many people roll their eyes when they hear that name, and so you may question the choice to do an academic university assignment on this artist. But when I picture the students we will be teaching, and from past experiences in the classroom, so many of our students are enthralled by Justin Bieber. So why wouldn't we want to use their interest to teach valuable lessons?
Today it can be very difficult to keep our students engaged. So much of the material that is required to teach to our students comes across very dry and boring for students. It is our job to put this material into a fun and engaging way so our students pay attention and will help them learn the material more easily (hopefully any ways!).
So it may seem humorous to do an artistic presentation about Justin Bieber, but there are so many positive things we can teach our students about him. Although he may not be the greatest role model now, you can discuss what things may or may not make him the greatest role model for students. You can also discuss the fact that Bieber was a regular boy who was discovered on YouTube and became famous in a whirlwind and now travels the world. And of course you are still incorporating Canadian content as well.
No matter what we do, we are going to be hearing about these artists, from Justin Bieber to One Direction, Lady Gaga, and more that our students are fans of. So if we can take advantage of their interest in these artists and turn it into a teachable moment, we will become much more effective teachers. And as a bonus, very popular with the students for talking about the 'cool' artists in school.