Using popular culture in the classroom is a regularly debated topic as it has both advantages and disadvantages. Jenks (1993) suggests a culture consists of norms, beliefs or values for a particular group in society. Therefore the type of culture school children have will consists of objects or beliefs that are normal and important to them, such as popular toys or brands. Whilst interviewing a student teacher, she expressed her support for popular culture in the classroom stating ‘it can provide a hook for a difficult topic that can engage and motivate children’. Dyson (1997) supports this stance, as he believes teachers need to engage and understand children’s emerging cultural forms. Teachers can enhance children’s learning by using popular culture in the classroom as it promotes motivation and a desire to learn.
Another statement from the interview suggested that reading and writing should not be taught through forms of popular culture. Children need to be taught the basic skills of reading and writing however, I would disagree that these skills could not be taught through popular culture. A type of popular culture that can benefit reading and writing skills is computer games. Livingstone and Bovill (2002) carried out research on computer games and found 6% of girls and 14% of boys had no access to computer games at home. It must be noted that this research was carried out over 10 years ago so it is likely that the percentages have lowered further. Sanger et al (1997) suggest most children have access to computer games, even if they do no have them at home. Furthermore, computer games can be used to develop a child’s reading and writing skills if the task set is crafted to the individual child or class. Creating a computer game or computer game character can open many opportunities for creative writing, instruction writing or character profiles. Throughout this process, children will also develop their computer literacy skills, which will be necessary in later life.
To use popular culture effectively, it needs to be crafted to the particular interests in the class. History Professor, Clay Morgan suggests “effective teaching hinges upon communication, and you can’t communicate without entering into the world of those you wish to reach” (Online Universities, 2013) (Online). By asking a child to write about a topic that interests them or using popular culture as a discussion starter can help children develop a deeper conceptual understanding of a topic as they are more interested and engaged.
Popular culture provides opportunities for both teachers and students, therefore as a future teacher; I will be able to tackle difficult subjects by using popular culture as a hook or for motivation. Popular culture can be viewed as a novelty and if it is overused then the impact will not be as great. Therefore, popular culture should be used in classrooms as it's impact can help tackle tough subjects but only use it when necessary to ensure the novelty is not lost.
Dyson, A (1997) Writing Superheroes: Contemporary childhood, popular culture and classroom literacy. New York: Teacher’s College Press
Jenks, C (1999) Culture. London: Routledge
Livingstone, S and Bovill, M (1999) Young People, New Media. London: London School of Economics
Sanger, A., Wilson, J., Davies, B. and Whitaker, R (1997) Young Children ,Videos and Computer Games. London: Falmer Press
www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2013/03/cool-teachers-guide-pop-culture-classroom/ (Online, accessed 21st January 2014)
The prospect of losing the novelty is an interesting one, similar to the use of technology in the classroom. Children would be used to popular culture, however, as they are consumers at home. Therefore, it is debatable as to whether is would be a novelty? It could be considered that it would be as they would be introduced to it in a different context, sparking enthusiasm and more engagement, perhaps.
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