"Critical Pedagogy and Popular Culture in an Urban Secondary English Classroom"

As I have heard ever since I joined the education program, using pop culture while teaching is extremely important.  The article this week helped me to gain a perspective on how to use pop culture while teaching.  In order to use pop culture while teaching though, we need to fully understand the culture of our class.  The pop culture that is interesting to one student, may not be to another.  As teachers, we have to be sure to use pop culture that is respectful to all the different races, genders, and cultures of our students.  Morrell stated, "What that means is that educators need to understand the ways that popular culture is practiced by their students, in their norms, their behavior, their dress, their activities, in addition to their selection of CDs, DVDs, magazines, and websites"(249).  Right here Morrell is implying that teachers need to find the interests and values of their students in order to successfully use pop culture in their lessons. This is really important, otherwise students will not be engaged the way we hope they will. 

One of my favorite sections in this article was the section on arguments.  In my practicum classroom right now, the students have a very hard time writing argumentative papers.  Why though?  They are able to argue about a ton of different topics out loud every day, but why not when we ask them to write one on paper?  It is simply because the arguments we ask them to write about are not of high interest to them.  The activity of "court trials" that is mentioned in the article is a great tool to use whenever teaching arguments in the classroom.  I can definitely see myself using it in my own class. This is a great way for students to meet the objective and stay engaged at the same time. 

A huge worry of mine for when I become a teacher is making sure my students are engaged in every lesson.  I think using pop culture and activities that relate to them and their lives is a great way to keep them engaged.  I can say from my own experience that whenever pop culture was involved in my learning, I was one hundred percent more engaged and interested in the lesson.  I truly think this is a great way for students to learn, be involved, and have fun all at the same time.