Month: February 2023

How can hip hop be used as a tool to promote social justice and youth activism in the classroom?  What is the relationship between hip hop culture and the development of critical consciousness amongst students?

Similarly to any form of self-expression, hip-hop can allow a form of expression that becomes more individualized. The article states, “Hip Hop is the dominant language of youth culture” (Akom, 2009, p.53) if you can incorporate students’ lives into their learning, they are more likely to retain knowledge. Hip-hop allows artists to use lyrics to recite life experiences or focus on certain topics often related to social issues. Using a curriculum as a praxis approach for students to connect to their favourite music allows engagement levels to increase and deeper discussion-based learning within classrooms. When students want to learn, they will. For many students, hip-hop is an engaging form of expression. When students are engaged in the learning process, they are more likely to connect to the knowledge they obtain. Hip-hop also has the power to connect students learning to non-educational environments. Hip-hop is popularized through after-school activities within the community. It is beneficial to incorporate hip hip into a pedagogical approach towards social issues because students can become justice-oriented citizens and utilize hip-hop to teach others outside the walls of their school.

What’s your understanding of citizenship?  

     My understanding of citizenship is not extensive. Prior to lecture, the content citizenship covers would be somewhat undefinable in my head. I often associate citizenship with the concept of nationalism. When I think of citizenship, I generally think of anyone part of a society or community, though the technicalities behind this makes it false. Citizenship means associating or actively participating as a citizen within a particular place. As a society, we often disregard the concept of citizenship and replace it with the idea of acceptance and belonging. I believe that one basis of why I lack understanding on citizenship, was because we had many kids in my schooling who were not considered a Canadian citizen, yet we practiced acceptance and belonging. I often heard these students state, I feel like I am a citizen though by document I am not. Overall, I believe citizenship is a documented form of living but also a mindset or way of life. 

       After listening to the lecture and the resources, I developed a critical view on the aspect of being a “good citizen.” Throughout this class, we have been critiquing common sense. Is it possible that citizenship is becoming a concept of common sense? 

How can we relate Treaty Education to citizenship?

      When thinking about Treaty Education in relation to citizenship, I would argue that Canadian history is a vital aspect of Canadian citizenship. Historically Canada has been extremely segregated making citizens of Canada lack unity and nationalism. We can view the education on Treaty Education as a gateway towards unity and equity that was stripped from many Canadian citizens historically.  Decolonization and reconciliation are vital for creating the acceptance and belonging I mention in the paragraphs above.

     If citizenship is prioritized in Canada, should we not be educated on every group’s pathway to citizenship and what citizenship means to every Canadian? The more we learn, the more we know. 

According to the Levin article, how are school curricula developed and implemented? What new information/perspectives does this reading provide about the development and implementation of the school curriculum? Is there anything that surprises you or maybe concerns you? 

     After reading the article, the politics within the curriculum become visible. The power of teachers and students is minimum and in some cases nearly ignored. “Politics is about power,” (2008, p.8) when politics is reflected in education, education becomes a power-related ideal as well. The relevance of political power to produce a curriculum focussed on promoting future economic success becomes apparent after reading. The power of money and politics influences education. As a future educator, this become extremely concerning. In the lecture, we discussed how if teachers do not have a say in the creation of the curriculum they are less likely to teach it. Should this matter within the education system? I want my students to feel safe and welcome in my classroom, but when the curriculum is based on power and politics it is likely to focus on the product rather than the process. An assumption could be made that politics value the economy rather than individuals and teachers value individuals over the economy. If society values a progressive form of education, perhaps teacher and student influence on the curriculum should be increased.

After reading pages 1-4 of the Treaty Education document, what connections can you make between the article and the implementation of Treaty Education in Saskatchewan? What tensions might you imagine were part of the development of the Treaty Education curriculum?

     Treaty Education in Saskatchewan schools needs to be improved. In m experience, the varying knowledge of treaties differed from school to school. If Treaty Education was valued at the level of math or science, how would that influence reconciliation efforts in the classroom? Why does such a vital aspect of Canadian history get degraded within the educational hierarchy? The connection of politics influences Treaty Education because politics often seek to please public opinion. Most people like comfort and positivity, so when the negative reality is introduced into the classroom, much of the public often resists. The document describes that Grade 12 students should understand “We are all Treaty People,” (Government of Saskatchewan, 2013) this is significant because in our lecture of tons of graduated students only a small minority understood this concept. Within high school, I was told my teachers avoided treaty education because it was a “touchy subject.” One of the most significant parts of Canadian history is not a touchy subject. In connection to past readings, it is important to note that in education, being uncomfortable is good.

References:

Levin, Ben. (2008). “Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in schools.” In The SAGE handbook of curriculum and instruction, Sage Publications, 2008, pp. 7-24. CA: Sage. Available online from: http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/16905_Chapter_1.pdf.

Saskatchewan. Treaty Education Outcomes and Indicators. Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, 2013.