Using Popular Culture in the Classroom

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the

stormy present.  The occasion is piled high with difficulty,

and we must rise - with the occasion.

Abraham Lincoln, December 1, 1862

In an ever changing world of social media, global communities, technology, and rapidly increasing knowledge, the delivery of adult basic education is struggling to stay current and relevant.  Adult learners are becoming less and less engaged with outdated teaching models and materials.  Instead, they are drawn to everyday interests of music, art, media, Internet, television, radio, sports, and fashion for their creativity, challenges, participation, and engagement.  According to recent statistics, “Americans aged 18 and older spend more than 11 hours a day watching TV, listening to the radio or using smartphones and other electronic devices” (Richter, 2015.)  This bombardment of entertainment and information makes it difficult for students to engage in more traditional means of learning.  In order to meet the demands of the current educational needs, educational systems, and even educational pedagogy, need to undergo a paradigm shift.  

 

Reasons Educators Should Study Popular Culture

Due to the fluid nature of popular culture, its ability to cross gender, economic, and sociological boundaries, educators have an unprecedented opportunity to connect students, concepts, and curriculum in new and exciting ways.  Originally “developed as a construct to distinguish the culture of the bourgeoisie from that of the masses” (Schultz and Throop, 2010, p. 318), popular culture drives thought, discussion, and even ideals.  Utilized properly, popular culture can be an effective learning tool to find connections and build bridges of knowledge that connects academics to movies, television, music, and even video games.  Individuals from all age groups and socio-economic backgrounds can find a common ground through popular culture.  Teenage girls and college professors can have deep, philosophical debates pertaining to manga (a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults as well as children), since “despite the common American assumption that comics are only for young boys, manga has gained popularity among a wide range of readers irrespective of gender, nationality, and age” (Kunai and Ryan, 2007, p. 3).  Grandparents can relate to their grandchildren through sports.  Mothers and daughters can bond over the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy or Marvel’s Agents of Shield.  

Using Popular Culture to Connect Students to New Ideas

Students learn best and most when they enjoy what they are doing.  An engaged student is far more likely to learn and retain concepts than one who is sitting still and mindlessly taking notes.  When learners are encouraged to “think outside the box," they are far more creative (Goodman 2014).  Popular culture texts can engage students, not because they are simple, but because they draw on student’s personal and cultural interests, prior knowledge and contextual surroundings. It also engages students by catering to their different learning styles.  While most adult learners are able to absorb and assimilate new concepts, some are unable to make the necessary connections.  For these students popular culture could engage adult learners in ways that course books and lectures cannot, by weaving current and exciting content into curriculum and content.  “Students who aren’t interested in discussing historical details are likely to open up quickly when you mention a popular YouTube video or sports team” (Guide, 2013).  This would be especially useful for second language learners and learners with attention deficit disorders.  

Consequently, comic books, such a manga, can be used as an effective tool in the classroom.  Students find “reading manga is likely to give students less stress than reading textbooks, novels, or articles, particularly since many students have previously read manga for fun and thus associate manga with something exciting rather than something tedious” (Kunai and Ryan, 2007, p. 6).  Kerry Cheesman asserts in his article, Using Comics in the Science Classroom: A Pedagogical Tool, “Comic strips found in newspapers and magazines . . . can be used to get students' attention, introduce a new topic, and stimulate critical thinking and ethical discussions in the classroom.” (2006, p. 48).  By using popular culture texts as a scaffold to learn skills, it would be easier for students to understand and decode school based literacy.      

While creating student interest in educational curriculum, popular culture has the potential to marry politics, entertainment, and social commentary.  Educators who have a deep and meaningful understanding of popular culture can utilize it to drive critical analysis in the classroom.  “Popular culture and media are an important place to critique the politics of seemingly straightforward storylines, plots, characters, and images” (Rethinking, 2015).  Entertainment media deals with diversity and equity issues of gender, race, class, and sexual orientation (Tisdell, 2004).  These issues are not only important on television and in the movies, but they are woven into every facet of life.  Making the connections between what students watch on television and how in impacts their daily lives can enhance and strengthen their ability to subvert stereotypical ideals pertaining to diversity and equity issues.  Fictional characters can take on “national significance, and even become part of public debate on social issues” (Tisdell, 2004).  For example, in the 1990’s the character of Murphy Brown tackled Dan Quayle's criticism of single mothers by becoming a single mother herself, thus creating a responsive social commentary on the issue.  

Analyzing song lyrics can add depth and relevance to the teaching of poetry, figurative language, and fluency.  This can be extended by having students bring in the lyrics to their own favorite songs and discussing the meanings behind the words. Finally, the discussion can be extended to songwriting as a form of poetry, and how poets, like songwriters, use similes, metaphors, and other figures of speech to connect with the audience.  

Animation can also be an effective learning tool in developing adult learners skill competencies in visual communication, concentration, problem solving, and other cognitive aspects.  Cartoons bring characters to life.  They make learning enjoyable.  In the 1970’s Schoolhouse Rock videos became a popular vehicle for supplemental learning, and over forty years later, students are still singing “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m Just a Bill”.    

Popular Culture Broadens Learners’ Horizons

Educators can utilize popular culture in the classroom to broaden learners’ horizons and guide them to think critically about society, the world, and themselves.  “Popular culture, then, is also a way for adults, children, and teens to reposition themselves, from cogs in the machine to social actors intent on jamming, resisting, and/or rewriting the status quo (Rethinking, 2015).  When learners engage in critical thinking and analysis, they begin to see the world differently, they begin to make links and connections that traverse previously set blocks and boundaries.  Additionally, learners can “resist corporate incursions into everyday life as well as how educators might use popular culture and media to examine issues such as exploitation, violence, power, and privilege” (Rethinking, 2015).     

Popular culture encourages divergent thinking in adults in that it requires learners to think beyond the scope of the material in order to generate ideas and expectations, in other words, to think creatively.  Creative thinking is an effective problem solving technique.  “Studies suggest that . . . divergence capability operate at a genius level, but that our ability to think divergently decreases dramatically as we become adults” (Goodman, 2014).  Consequently, educators can use comics as a starting point for discussions tied to the concept(s) contained within the comics.  Comics can be especially useful in course discussions revolving around ethics, which would be “very easy to do in genetics, for instance, with contemporary issues such as cloning, embryo screening, implications of the human genome project, genetically modified foods, and so on (Cheesman, p. 49).  You can teach the same academic literacy skills including high order thinking skills such as critique, analysis, comprehension, reflecting, evaluating and discussing, however, students could find an easier time connecting to material that is relevant in their lives.

References

10 Questions For . . . Joss Whedon. (2003, May 16). Retrieved October 5, 2015, from

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/readersopinions/16WHED.html

Cool Teacher’s Guide to Pop Culture in the Classroom - Online Universities.com. (2013,

March 5). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2013/03/cool-teachers-guide-pop-culture-classroom/

Cheesman, K. (2006). Using Comics in the Science Classroom: A Pedagogical Tool.

Retrieved October 15, 2015, from

http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/centers/teaching/Documents/Week 5 -- Using

Comics in the Science Classroom.pdf

Duff, P., & Zappa-Hoffman, S. (2012). Using Pop Culture in Language Teaching - 2012.

Retrieved October 11, 2015, from

https://www.academia.edu/9680788/Using_Pop_Culture_in_Language_Teaching_-_2012

Garold Murray (2008) Pop Culture and Language Learning: Learners’ Stories Informing

EFL, Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 2:1, 2-17

Goodman, S. (2014, March 18). Fuel Creativity in the Classroom With Divergent

Thinking. Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/fueling-creativity-through-divergent-thinking-classroom-stacey-goodman

Kunai, I., & Ryan, C. (2007). Manga as a Teaching Tool: Comic Books without Borders. \

Retrieved October 9, 2015, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED526420.pdf

Lieb, S. (1991, September 1). Faculty Development at Honolulu Community College.

Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm

Marshall, E., & Sensoy, Ö. (2015). Rethinking Popular Culture and Media. Retrieved

October 1, 2015, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/rpcm/rpcm_intro.shtml

Mosley, G. (2011, November 7). Zombies: Using Popular Culture As A Teaching Tool.

Retrieved October 1, 2015, from

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=142116365

Richter, F. (2015, March 13). Infographic: Americans Use Electronic Media 11 Hours A

Day. Retrieved October 4, 2015, from

http://www.statista.com/chart/1971/electronic-media-use/

Robinson, Ken (2010): Changing education paradigms.  Retrieved September 28, 2015,

from

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html  

Savrock, J. (2009, February 1). Using Pop Culture to Develop Critical Media Literacy in

Adult Education. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

Schultz, K., & Throop, R. (2010). Popular Culture and Curriculum. Retrieved October 8,

2015, from https://www.academia.edu/1370023/popular_culture_and_curriculum

Sigman-Grant, PhD, RD, M. (2001, August 1). The Adult Learner: Dealing with

Resistance. Retrieved September 11, 2015, from

http://www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/Sharing_Center/Road_to_Excellence/The_Ad

ult_Learner_MSG.pdf

Tisdell, E., & Thompson, P. (2015). The Role of Pop Culture and Entertainment Media in

Adult Education Practice. Retrieved October 1, 2015, from

http://www.adulterc.org/Proceedings/2005/Proceedings/TisdellThompson.PDF

Using Pop Culture in High School Psych Class. (2015). Retrieved September 28, 2015,

from http://psychteach.com

Limitless Possibilities

In an earlier post I said that years of curriculum design, teaching pedagogy, and educational theory fly right out the window the minute you enter a GED classroom.  And that sentiment still rings true.  I do find teaching GED to be instruction in its purest form and one of the things I love most about teaching GED is that every session doesn’t begin and end with curriculum.  It’s the moments of connection that bring me the most joy.  It’s the moments when a student’s face lights up when they have conquered a tricky math problem.  It’s the moments when they begin to build connections with other learners and encourage each other.  It’s the moments I have to inspire them into realizing their full potential.  It’s the moments when I get to see them take the first steps into their limitless future.

With that in mind, I want to share a story about one of my former students and what he is accomplishing in his life.

https://www.mesacc.edu/graduation/graduation-success-stories/spring-2016-stories/michael-nuccio

One Philosophy to Rule Them All . . .

When I began teaching, the ideals of what I wanted to accomplish as an educator were not just rose-tinted, they were ruby red, re:see previous post, “inspirational montage” . . . and then I walked into the classroom and was confronted by the reality that I was no more prepared to be a teacher as my students were to be, well, students.  To that end, I have compiled a short list . . . commandments . . . philosophies . . . I have as an educator.    

1. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Mistakes come with the job.  Great educators aren’t born, they are created in the flames of Mordor.  Every mistake you make as an educator is an opportunity to learn and grow.  

2. Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something.  Just because we are super-human, almighty educators, doesn’t mean that we possess all the knowledge in the heavens and on earth, Horatio.  That’s what Google is for.  

3. Don’t be afraid of being the “mean” teacher.  Set clear and firm boundaries and expectations for your students.  If you are so busy dealing with classroom management, you will have no time to teach.  Sometimes Miss Nelson just isn’t enough and you need to pull a Viola Swamp.  

4. Don’t be afraid to assign homework.  Practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes.  Just because you gave a lecture and taught a lesson in long division, that doesn’t mean that your students will remember all your pearly words of wisdom.

5. Teach students to be critical, independent, well-reasoned thinkers possessing common sense.  Critical analysis is essential for student success.  Students need to be able to generate evidence based claims and see through unsupported arguments.  These are skills that will serve them both in school . . . in life . . . in Presidential elections.

6. Use technology with a purpose.  Just like when writing a paper you wouldn’t pepper your paper with out-of-context examples.  When teaching, you shouldn’t show a video just for the sake of showing a video.  Except for cats riding on robot vacuum cleaners. . . those are always relevant.  

7. Encourage and utilize open dialogue, project based learning, video, and other forms of multi-media, music, art, and movement to further the learning process.  Not every student learns through note-taking and lectures.  Learning should be messy, creative, and fun.  As Albert Einstein said: "That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don't notice that the time passes." Worksheets and notes do not educate students.  Relevant, enjoyable interaction with the material, instructor, and classmates goes a long way to ensuring students are able to retain what they are learning.

8. Assess, assess, assess.  Assessment ensures learning is taking place.  It doesn’t need to be complicated.  Assessment can be as simple as well-designed rubrics, AVID/Cornell Notes, close reading practices, as well as, group discussion, project based learning, independent and peer assessment.   Stop, drop, and check understanding.

The Dreaded “S” Word . . . Studying

When I first began teaching GED, I naively believed that if I assigned it, the students would study it.  Funny, right?  Over the ensuing semesters I found this reticence to studying usually fell into one of two categories: 1. Learners didn’t know how to study, or 2. They didn’t think they had time to study.

We all know that it is a truth, universally acknowledged, that students need to make sacrifices for their education.  However, for many students, they don’t know where to begin.  

This gave me the unique opportunity to teach more than just the material on the test.  

Helping students build life skills and study skills is sometimes just as important as the academic content.  All the math lectures and writing practices in the world won’t make a difference if the learner doesn’t know how to prioritize study time and organize their schedules to make time to study.  

At the beginning of each semester I began to focus on building organizational skills and the all important study skills.  I would have each student map out their daily routine and schedule their individual study time.  I have found that this small change can empower students, and help them build confidence in their academic abilities.  

“You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”

There is nothing that could have properly prepared me for teaching adults.  Let me say that again.  There is nothing that could have prepared me for teaching adults.  

That first night of class I thought I knew what to expect.  After all, I was a “child” of Harry Wong, Madeline Hunter, and Malcolm Knowles.  My classroom management skills were solid and I could whip out an anticipatory set like no one’s business.  

I was set . . . I was ready . . . I was about to jump into shark infested waters with nary a life jacket in sight.    

Sauntering into class in carefully selected, teacher appropriate attire carrying a 1000+ page GED book, a detailed syllabus that put the transcript of the State of the Union address to shame, a stack of worksheets (that I paid to have made at the local Kinkos), and a fresh package of dry erase markers, I was ready to take on the world.

That night I introduced myself as Ms. Cohen, but Chum would have been more appropriate.

Looking out into the sea of thirty adult learners, the first few notes of the Jaws theme played in my head, as I saw that only about five students had books.  A few more notes played as I realized only a few more students had paper and pens.  By the time I was passing out the syllabus, and saying for the tenth time, “Yes, you have to buy the book.  Yes, there is homework.  Yes, you are required to do the homework.”, the entire theme was on repeat and I was frantically searching for the Coast Guard.  

I couldn’t understand why adults, who needed to pass their GED test to 1. get a better job, 2. keep their current job, 3. go to college, etc. were not ready and willing to do everything necessary to prepare.  

Chomp.  Chomp.  Chomp.

This was the first of many lessons I would learn that first semester.  

At first, I saw these learners as unmotivated students, but as I grew as an educator, I began to see what my students weren’t unmotivated.  

They were scared.

Scared of failing.

Scared of learning.

And ultimately scared of changing.

It seems counterintuitive that someone would register and pay for a class to facilitate a fundamental life change then not want to change, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  

I found that “Do I have to buy a book?” was usually code for “I don’t know how I’m going to make rent, so how am I supposed to afford a book?”

“Is there homework?” usually meant “You expect me to make mistakes when I’ve already failed at this whole school thing before and I’m afraid of failing again?”

“Do I have to do the homework?” usually meant “How am I supposed to organize my already chaotic life to include chapters of reading and papers when I work full time and I’m raising a family?”

I bet this is where you think I was thrown a life jacket or better yet, rescued by the Coast Guard.  

While there was no great rescue, I did learn how to tread water and eventually how to swim to shore.  

I wish I had ready answers on how to solve all student problems, but I don’t.  There aren’t “Five Tricks to Engaging All Adult Learners”.  Every student is different.  Every situation is different.  However, I have learned over the years that sometimes it takes more than academics to prepare adult learners for future success.  Sometimes it takes not teaching.  Sometimes it takes sitting and listening to their ambitions and fears.  Sometimes it means tossing out everything you ever learned about how a classroom is supposed to run and letting your students tell you what they need.    

In the Beginning . . .

When I was hired to teach GED almost a decade ago, I was convinced that teaching would be one inspirational montage after another.  I would have perfect attendance in my class.  Students would hang on my every word of perfect wisdom.  Every student would pass every section of the test the first time and then register for college.  It was going to be glorious!

After processing a textbook worth of paperwork with Human Resources, I was directed to the campus bookstore where I had to purchase the book from which I was expected to teach, given a few boxes of outdated materials left by a previous instructor (and by outdated, I mean that the social studies material still had Reagan listed as President), and pointed to the copy machine with the admonishment that I was only to make twenty copies per week (there were over thirty students registered in the class).  

But even in the face of overwhelming odds, my starry-eyed determination to change the world one GED student at a time wasn’t diminished.  Oh, no!  I had “new instructor” rose-tinted-ruby glasses firmly perched on my nose.  (You can quit laughing, now.  Yes, you in the back.  Don’t think that I don’t see you.)      

Fast forward about ten years and over a thousand students later.  I think back to those first few years and roll my eyes at my naive hubris.  

Teaching GED isn’t for the faint of heart.  It takes a special kind of crazy to do what we do.  Years of curriculum design, teaching pedagogy, and educational theory fly right out the window the minute you enter a GED classroom.  This is instruction in its purest form.  It’s down and dirty, mud in your face, wallowing through the trenches rough . . . and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Which brings me to the reason for starting this blog.  I want to share my experiences (war stories) as an instructor, and possibly motivate and inspire other instructors along the way.