I thought the reading for this week was very informative yet I thought it was a no brainier. I'm not a teacher so I wouldn't know how hard it is to actually teach a group of kids and try to get them to think critically, or use kid cultural in the classroom. But if I was a teacher, the first thing I would do is include kid cultural in the classroom because as a kid, I loved it when the teacher would include things that I like or was familiar with. For some reason there are people like White and Walker who thinks that “kid culture is often subject to condemnation, censorship, and regulation. Kid culture has always been questioned regarding its legitimacy and impact on youth and society…What one finds in schools is a negative reaction to kid culture in whatever form (rap, Pokemon, video games) through stereotypes, banning, and demeaning acts and comments” (77). I like I mentioned early think different.
I believe that videos should be used in classrooms to engage students in the subject or topic espeicailly if it's a drier topic. I think that using t.v. shows such as Liberty Kids and Histeria is a wonderful idea. Sometimes when teachers use older more scholarly videos is confusing and boring to students. I remember when I was in high school and we were learning about the Boston Tea Party, I couldn't' really grasp the whole story and history behind it. One day after school I was babysitting and Liberty Kids was on and the episode was The Boston Tea Party! In thirty minutes I had a better understanding of the Boston Tea Party than I did during that whole week in history class! What made the TV show so much easier to understand was that it was fun to watch and it caught my attention. Not only that but the characters on the show explained what was going on in terms that could be easily understood. Instead just just dates and numbers, things were explained in terms that I could understand and follow easily.
Like the one of the reading said, course information have to be deliver in ways other than just lectures and textbooks, it has to be deliver in a way that will get students to think critically and want to learn. Otherwise it just becomes a memorization and we all know that with memorization, the information doesn't stay with us for very long. Not only that, but learning becomes a chores instead of something that the students should want to do.
I believe that using kid culture in classrooms is a very good idea because it will get the students' attention and and it's for their own benefit. I mean it is their future and education that we are dealing with, why not do in a way that will benefit them and let us do our jobs!? I don't think that teachers should just throw away the text books and curriculum, but finding something that will work with those two things and get kids' attention would be great. Of course there will always be times where educators can't make learning fun and exciting, but using kid culture every now and then would be a good change, and even then not all kids will be engaged, but a few is better then none!
You comment that incorporating kid culture in the classroom seems like a no brainer. I agree with you also from a non-educator's perspective. You included the "condemnation, censorship, and regulation" quote. I think that is a prevailing view of the people deciding curriculum from high up. And that view may also be the public view that wants school and play separate.
ReplyDeleteHey Houa,
ReplyDeleteI really like your thoughts on this topic! The example you give about Liberty's Kids and The Boston Tea Party gives a good lesson to teachers out there. Yes, it is a bad idea for teachers to rely on videos for student understanding, and they should not replace teacher instruction in the classroom. However, they can be a great supplement. As an English teacher, I see the purpose of using videos in classes, and I definitely plan on using them to increase student understanding. You seem to agree that there is a proper time and place for using videos in the classroom--your Boston Tea Party example is proof!
Talk to you soon,
Rebecca Oberg
Your points about getting kids' interest is very true. The tricky part (like with Pokemon cards) is to keep the balance. Those cards got banned due to issues with 'bad trade' disputes, stealing, and obsessive behavior that was interfering with learning. Like all things...it can be hard to find the balance.
ReplyDeleteHoua,
ReplyDeleteGreat example about the Boston Tea Party! Kids so often like to look at things in terms of stories, not lists of facts or deep analysis. The producers of children's shows always have that in mind and I agree that teachers should, too.
Love the comment about Liberty Kids and the Boston Tea Party. If a video is done correctly, and is entertaining, it definitely can do a great job teaching a lesson - especially in a place like Minneapolis, where we have a lot of first-generation English speakers and low-income schools. OR if you just have people who learn best with visuals, like me :)
ReplyDeleteHoua,
ReplyDeleteYes! I love that you talk about Liberty Kids! I umm secretly still watch that whenever I find it on tv randomly. But what a great point. A lot of television shows are deemed as trash, granted most are, but some television shows like this one actually can be educational while entertaining for kids. Agreed that sometimes I've watched that show and have learned more about American civics than I ever did in 9th grade, and I didn't want to kill myself afterwards...who cares about dates..isn't it content that we're after. We don't have to dumb it down, we have to make it relevant and applicable. Also, tv shows like this never even occurred to me as being a part of kid pop culture...nice work.