Popular, or pop culture is the collection of cultural products and ideas that flood the consumer market of a society’s population. Cultural products such as music, fashion, art, sports, politics, technology and television are some of the many factors used to influence a person’s attitude, opinion, or belief on a specific topic of interest. Given the fact that popular culture is a dominant force in mainstream society and cultures, incorporating pop culture into content materials in the classroom is proving to be a favorable approach to engage students in meaningful learning.
Teachers around the country are abandoning the traditional teacher centered objective instruction and instead, opting for Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky’s student centered constructive pedagogy to activate student engagement in learning (Koonce, 2004). Ali Rahimi, Ph.D. Professor of Applied Linguistics and author of 13 published books, conducted a research study to compare the major philosophical assumptions and major characteristics of objective and constructive teaching styles and the subsequent effects each approach had on student engagement in learning (2011). In his research, Rahimi examined both methods of instruction to determine the key ideas and traits of teaching and learning. Studying the components of objective teaching Rahimi determined that the transfer of knowledge is mainly from teacher to learner and relies heavily on textbook instruction to convey learning. Students are considered passive learners who submit to deliberate instruction and are expected to learn what the teacher knows to be true. Evaluating the transfer of information, Rahimi explains that students become disengaged from meaningful learning as “teachers tend to value correct answers and ignore student thinking on topics being taught” (2011, 91-94). Subsequently, when students are hindered from making personal connections with the materials being taught they will retain the acquired knowledge through rote learning or memorization and be forced to recall information in a systematic matter rather than evaluate learned information for accuracy and meaning. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Rahimi determined the instruction in a constructivist classroom is based on student centered learning; where the learner engages in study using their prior knowledge and experience to make a direct connection to the materials being taught (2011, 96). The teacher creates a learning environment in which the students are presented with complex problems or projects that are supported by “information resources, cognitive tools, and learning support strategies,” such as teacher modeling, scaffolding, and collaborative learning (2011, 98). Students are encouraged to analyze and evaluate information to interpret meaning based on their own experience and understanding of the world in which they live. Students engage with products of culture and use this information to construct a reality that meets specific learning goals (2011, 96-101). The constructivist method of teaching is a learner controlled environment where students become engaged through practical responses to problems. Students engage and participate in learning by incorporating their own ideas, experiences, and individual style into classroom activities to gain the essential knowledge needed for meaningful learning. Agreeing with Rahimi’s research that a constructivist approach to teaching promotes student engagement in learning, David Childs, a professor at Northern Kentucky University, integrated aspects of popular culture into his high school social studies curriculum to explore the topic of racial stereotyping in America (Childs, 291). Childs observed that his students were quick to engage in conversations about “being black” but were reluctant to “read and listen and foster historical thinking” (294) in relation to mandated textbooks and formal instruction. Listening to his students, and identifying their specific interests in music – rap and hip hop, Childs decided to incorporate popular music into classroom activities. For over a decade Childs has continued to apply pop culture to all areas of social studies citing, “Hip-hop culture consists of values that were derived from African Americans’ historic and contemporary struggles and survival. . . Many of the themes in hip-hop music center on social justice and equity and often carry a political message” (297). Childs states that it is not only the reluctance of the student to explore delicate topics such as racism and slavery, but many times teachers, especially those with a different ethnic background to their students, will inadvertently avoid in depth instruction that deals with issues of a sensitive nature. While certain topics may be difficult for both students and teachers alike, there is a necessity of effectively engaging the subject matter regardless of how challenging it may be. Childs argues that “music is a great tool to keep children’s attention” and music of various genres can be used to address social problems such as “poverty, racism . . . and global issues [such] as hunger, disease, and war” (295-300). Childs firsthand experience at promoting student engagement through the use of music and lyrics is testimony of how the understanding and application of popular culture is a powerful tool for engaging students in the instruction and learning in today’s classroom. Similarly, Jabari Mahiri, a professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, has studied the correlation of classroom instruction and student engagement extensively and suggests, “formal schooling as it is currently configured might eventually become obsolete,” as more teachers are considering the “diverse pedagogies and politics of young people’s learning” (Mahiri, 382). Mahiri discusses the research studies of his co-worker Beth Samuelson, director of Student Organizational Services to further explain how the workings of pop culture pedagogies “dynamically engage” students in the academic process to make meaning of learning (384). In a recent study Samuelson met with a group of “unschoolers” who had dropped out of school stating the curriculum of the school was “reproducing the curriculum of formal schooling” and the students were disengaged in learning (384). Documenting the educational lives of these teenagers, Samuelson noted that the “unschoolers” sought learning through various styles of popular culture. These students visited libraries, museums, movies, exploratoriums, and connected learning through various form of technology: online journals, music, dance, and distance educational classes. Samuelson’s findings indicated the “unschoolers” “far surpassed a formal high school education, and were “highly competitive in college testing and for college admissions” largely because their personal experiences prepared them to be independent thinkers and learners (383-385). In a second study, Mahiri explains how a teacher at an inner city school in California used popular culture to engage his students in an ELA class. The study, conducted by Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade and Ernest Morrell at the University of California, examined the relationship between pop culture pedagogy and student engagement in learning. The students were primarily minority students of African American, Chinese, and Latino heritage and considered ‘at risk’ students who lived in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. In mandated text book readings the teacher employed “car culture and its associated literacies, graffiti writing and other visual literacies, and gangs and gang literacies” to connect the students’ lives with the texts they were reading (384-387). Additionally, comic books from Japan, China, and America were read to form a sense of unity in a group of diverse students (386). Duncan-Andrade and Morrell observed that the students were actively engaged in the lessons when learning occurred through direct association of students’ cultures. Their findings concluded that the original sullen classroom became active in discussions and group activities, and students displayed a higher degree of self-efficacy when tasked with challenging assignments (Mahiri, 2000). Therefoer, out of my research I can suggest: Teachers Engage the students Make your classes as close to real life as possible Give real life examples Incorporate popular culture to make the learning process easier Students Use past experiences to form new ones Understand the material through collaborative discussions Share past experiences with others to form new ones together Listen to the teacher, but also explore beyond the classroom material References Childs, D. J. (2014). “Let's Talk About Race”: Exploring racial stereotypes using popular culture in social studies classrooms. Social Studies, 105(6), 291-300. Hanna, J. (2014). Connecting with sullen students: Using an emotionally honest classroom to reach out to disengaged students. Clearing House, 87(5), 224-228. Koonce, G.L. (2004). Taking sides: Clashing views on educations issues. Is Constructivism the Best Philosophy of Education?.18( 48-58). Retrieved from: http://thesciencelane.weebly.com/uploads/7/9/9/0/7990143/taking_sides_issue_1.4.pdf Mahiri, J. (2000). Pop culture pedagogy and the end(s) of school. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 44(4), 382-387 Mangram, J. A. (2008). Either/or Rules: Social Studies teachers' talk about media and popular culture. Theory And Research In Social Education, 36(2), 32-60. Pellerin, L. A. (2005). Student disengagement and the socialization styles of high schools. Social Forces, (2). 1159. Rahimi, Ali. (2011) Constructivist vs. objectivists learning environments. Contemporary Online Language Educational Journal, (1) (89-103). Retrieved from: http://www.academia.edu/4696067/Constructivist_vs._objectivist_learning Sleeter, C.E., & Grant, C.A. (2009). Making choices for multicultural education (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ:John Wiley & Sons. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2016, August). Office of Immigration Statistics. Retrieved from United States Department of Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/DHS%202014%20Yearbook
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |