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In Reply to: RE: Tom Hanks has moved to MTV posted by steve.ott@kctcs.edu on September 15, 2016 at 12:53:29:
Hey that's a good question. In a philosophy course I once took at University, the students were all asked to take a position on some contemporary moral problem like abortion or the death penalty. We each had to take a side and write a one page proposal for what we would argue. For example, one would write a proposal outlining the case FOR Pro-Choice.The next week the professor came in and said great - each of you will now write an essay for the OTHER SIDE. So we would have to write a 3000 word essay FOR Pro-Life. (This is when the religious students all dropped the course - so much for getting an education).
So I put this back to you. Why would teachers use pop culture in their lessons? And indeed, what are the pros and cons?
So to provide a little more information it is always helpful to know the situation around the school. The assumption might be, for example, that the school is in Hong Kong so the students are super bright. Here in Hong Kong though every grade 6 student are tested comprehensively. Based on those results determines which "level" of high school they are permitted. The best and brightest go to Band One high schools. The worst go to Band Three high schools. And then there is my school which takes in the kids who get kicked out of higher band three schools. They, largely, have no interest in school and certainly no interest in English. There will be about 12 special needs students in a class of 30. Another three to five will belong to gangs like the Triads. Basically, if they're in our school there is a problem.
This information above will probably have you able to answer your own question. In the US or Canada - most students have grasped being able to speak and to listen. Teachers typically don't need to teach these skills at high school. Listening to the second language is the weakest skill these kids have. They won't do homework and there is no structure in place to force them to do homework. Gone are the days where schools in any way shape or form can "punish" a kid. Schools get sued now if the PE teacher makes a kid do ten pushups. If you keep them after school that is kidnapping. If you yell at a kid that is causing emotional distress. Have a kid stand in the hall? That is causing emotional distress. You can be fired.
The curriculum has music lessons where the lyrics are given to students with two choice endings and they select the word they hear when they listen to the song. The problem is the song selections are chosen by nearing retirement age teachers so the selections tend to be the Beatles or various other songs from the 1960s. You may as well hand them toilet paper. I let them select the songs for the rest of the class - no nudity, no foul language, no drugs is the basic rule I have. Even these kids who are "tough" enjoy doing this. In education, 90% of the battle is to get them engaged. And I will use any trick that I can think of to get them engaged. Pop Culture is usually the entry point.
If you ever saw the movie Mr. Holland's Opus - boy was he struggling to get them engaged. That is until he brought in music the kids were into. Once he engaged them then he could talk about the Platters ripping off Beethoven or whatever. Then they were more interested in Beethoven.
I think this is a big shift in education from when I was in school. School was a place you had to suck it up and do some actual work whether you liked it or not. Today, that is gone. If they don't like it they won't do it and there isn't thing one a teacher can do about it. This is largely because all the people who control the education system do not have education degrees, have never actually taught or sat in a classroom for long periods of time to see the situation. Open test book to page 5 and see the box on the verb "to be." Hah. Thirty students in the class and only 8 will even have the textbook. Teacher can't photo copy it because that goes against copyright infringement and they lose their jobs. So, 22 students with no book and the teacher going through the book to teach a concept. What do you think will happen?
Edits: 09/15/16 09/16/16
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- RE: Tom Hanks has moved to MTV - RGA 20:32:22 09/15/16 (0)
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