Blog Post #7: Critical Pedagogy and Pop Culture

In this article, I love that Morrell addresses how to incorporate pop culture without losing academic perspectives. I also think that too often, teachers are quick to dismiss multicultural points of views from classical literature. As he explains, we don't have to have characters of color to exemplify diversity. Instead, we can also look at how characters interact with one another, look at social standing, examine which characters are the "others," and tie this back into pop culture. Teachers who are on strict curriculum may feel stuck with a lack of diversity in their classes, yet Morrell proves that it is more than possible, but essential to students learning. I think the concept of allowing students to relate to classical works in order to uplift them is also a great idea. I think a good, and quick, way to do this is to tell students that their writing is reminiscent of a famous writer, if they show any characteristics to one. This helps them feel less isolated from that "elite" group. If not complimenting their writing, I also love the idea of comparing rap to Shakespeare or some other literary figure. This brings down this elitist culture to something students can understand and relate to. Rather than holding class literature away from students as a goal for them to reach and understand, I would rather connect their lives to it.On page 10, Morrell mentions having a class that is connected to studying film, newspapers, magazines, and music in conjunction with traditional literature. This helps fill that disconnect, and bring the students to common ground with what could be viewed as the "elite" aspects of society. It only ties in the community connections that are required for the edTPA in a way that is engaging to students and relates directly to student interest. In the book I read for my composition process class, Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher, he uses the TV show "Pimp My Ride" to form a lesson plan on revision that keeps students engaged, and brings the outside world into the classroom. This type of teaching is what I would like to incorporate into my classrooms.
However, I think that my placement classroom is lacking slightly in that regard. We read a lot of news and magazine articles, but I would like to see more music and movies playing a role in the classroom. Once we get to the poetry unit, I would like to incorporate modern music with classical poetry. In my own experiences, I once had a teacher in middle school who had us write an essay connecting a poem from class to a song of our choosing. We found similar values and composition in each one, in order to draw a connection between modern life and traditional poetry. This allowed students to bring in their own knowledge, and use it as another piece of writing to analyze and examine. These types of activities help to close the ever expanding gap between the classes, and to help students feel that their experiences, interests, and feelings connect with literary pieces. Manipulating modern film, music, and books gives students a sense of agency in what they enjoy. It shows them that what they enjoy, even though it may not be considered "elite" by many, is still essential to their learning.