Popular Culture

                When reading the Pedagogical Practices section I was surprised to hear that there was such an in-depth look at Jonathan Kozol’s study into schools. I figured there had been studies done, but never knew who had done the study or really what they had looked at. I find myself becoming very curious about these areas that are poor and see how the struggle is in these schools. I feel like it would be a wakeup call to see these schools along with their teachers and see how the circumstances change. I believe it is very challenging to fill the gap that may be present from home and help the students succeed in the classroom. I also found it very cool how they compared the book with the film to give multiple view points and give everyone a chance to see two sides.

                A section that made me a little angry was the beginning of the “Teaching hip hop music and culture” section because of how it characterized certain people and tried to pin it on the hip hop music. I at first just read the beginning and could not believe what I was reading. Once I saw that they did break down and attempt to create a way for everyone to get involved, I understood more of the reading and began to understand why this section began the way it did. The way the teacher related music to poetry was very inspiring as I might not have though to include kids by mixing and matching the poem along with hip hop music to assist the learning experience.

                I also enjoyed Dewey’s look at how teachers should choose both methods of teaching when it comes to classical curriculum along with curriculum based on students and what they have gone through. I believe that what Dewey is saying helps with the shift we are having to Common Core State Standards and how our curriculum is changing. Dewey seems to have been able to see far into the future and understand what we would be going through as teachers and even students. The Implications section spoke a lot to me because we will be dealing with this on a regular basis and some of us on a daily basis.