I'd do the math in a programming language. First I'd make some
   awesome graphics, transforms, skewing, rotating, flipping,
   translating - all that good stuff.

   I'd HAVE to get the math right because it's in a programming
   language. Get the syntax wrong and it doesn't work. Get it
   right, and it does. INSTANT results.

   THEN once I have an intuitive grasp of the what those "magic
   words" actually ACCOMPLISH...

   ..THEN go over the math in greater details. but not until I've
   successfully written a little video game with the magic words
   first.   The way they teach it, archaic manner, in special weird
   math language, to me, is unnecessary in 2015.