Blog #7:
Though hip hop has been neglected in the academic field, it is a an extremely effective method for promoting social justice and activism in the classroom. Hip hop acts as an opportunity for biases and stereotypical knowledge to be questioned and unlearned. From teaching historical contexts, to incorporating topics such as “poverty, police brutality, patriarchy, misogyny, incarceration, racial discrimination, as well as love, hope [and] joy,” hip hop is a way for students to express themselves and their emotions through personal connection (Akom, 2009). Since hip hop “must be felt and experienced in order to be understood and communicated,” teachers should be using constructive learning methods as oppose to behavioral or cognitive theories (Akom, 2009). For example, Paulo Freire uses a five-step critical praxis to engage students in “real world issues that shape their daily lives,” (Akom, 2009). In this method, one must first identity a problem, analyze it, develop a plan to address said problem, implement the plan, and finally evaluate and reflect the results (Akom, 2009). Through planning and proper integration, hip hop is an artform that can influence students towards creating change. Thus, bringing social justice both into the classroom and out into the community.
Source
Akom A. (2009). Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a Form of Liberatory Praxis. Equity & Excellence in Education, 42(1), 52-66.
5 Comments
Samantha+Lowenberg
Hi Emma! I really enjoyed your blog post. I think that if different schools and classrooms used this method of learning we could solve some of the worlds problems. I believe that dance is a great way to express ourselves and let out a lot of our feelings. The five step method could not only be used in this particular setting but also with loads of other things in the classroom. I feel that it is a pretty broad method and could be very useful in other teachings as well.
Eden Dreger
Hello Emma!
I love your take on the influence and importance of hip hop. You do a great job of communicating and summarizing the main ideas of the article. I am curious as to how you would implement hip hop into your own classroom as a future educator? Your nice and simple summary helped me understand the five-step method discussed in the article better. Thanks for your post!
Mya Helgason
Hi Emma! I like how you talked about how hip hop must be “felt”. I think one of the things that makes music so meaningful is that it is emotional and raw. It requires students to think critically and express themselves in a creative way. I also really like how you said hip hop is an art form. By allowing our students the freedom to explore, we are creating learning opportunities which are more enjoyable than traditional pedagogical approaches, and in turn, leveraging more of a love for learning. Thanks for sharing Emma!
Keelin Achtemichuk
I agree that this topic is very important. Even bigger now that it was in the past as music is really like everyone escape to ether calm them down or hype them up and all the other ways. But I agree as to music can allow the youth to understand real world problems a bit better. But saying that it is harder for a kid to grasp a concept like this that’s the problem with this. So it is important to guide them along the way. There really isn’t anything wrong with your blog post just maybe share an example about the topic. But other than that your blog post was extremely informative.
Erik Lillico
I like how you explained hip hop in the classroom as an opportunity to confront social issues and respond and how you elaborated on those two points so it was easy to follow.
I think it would help to have an example or two of what students could do to take part (public performance, etc.).
Good job incorporating quotes into your post and using them to back up your ideas.