Hip hop pedagogy was not something I was aware of prior to reading this article. I have never considered the benefits of including it in a classroom setting but I now see how it can help develop a safe space and lead to important conversations among students.
Hip hop is already very present within the education system. Many students listen to it on their own time and create bonds with each other over liking similar artists or styles of music. It can also benefit those who are marginalized and Akon states that “transformative education begins with the creation of pedagogic spaces where marginalized youth are able to gain a consciousness of how their own experiences have beens shaped by larger institutions” (Akom, 2009, p. 63). Using hip hop in the classroom can create a safe space for those who identify with what is being said within the music and it can also lead to conversations about the issues stated within the songs allowing for students to gain a deeper understanding of various social issues or the skills to understand issues they may encounter in the future.
Where there otherwise would be no interaction or exploration in issues of injustice, hip hop allows for the exploration of these concepts in a way that is both appealing and relevant to students. It also can teach history in a way that holds the attention of students which can help students gain a deeper understanding of systemic issues of oppression and racism.
Learning from a textbook can be useful in many cases but teachers often have to develop lessons relevant to the population of students in their classroom. When being mindful about how you are teaching you can introduce unique learning opportunities for the students (like hip hop) and this can provide more learning for the students than any lecture would. Critical hip hop pedagogy can be influential in the teaching of hard concepts and which “uses Freire’s problem-posing method and case study research as tools for helping student teachers to indenture and name the societal and systemic problems of color face, analyze the causes of the problem, and find solutions” (Akon, 2009, p. 63). Using hip hop in teaching can lead to students who are able to identify problems in society and find a solution rather than continue of the cycle of systemic oppression that our current pedagogical approaches have allowed to continue.
References
Akon, A. A. (2009). Critical hip hop pedagogy as a from of liberators praxis, Equity & Excellence in Education, 42(1), pp. 52-66). https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680802612519
Hey Jordyn,
I felt the same way as you did before reading the article. I had no idea how powerful hip hop could be within the classroom. You mentioned lots of positive impacts on hip-hop, it is providing more opportunities for students to work with social justice issues. Hopefully someday, try to incorporate it into a lesson.