Making School Cool: Hip Hop in Urban Public Education
Umeki Z. Funchess
Northern Michigan University
Making School Cool: Hip Hop in Urban Public Education
Convincing students that coursework is important and relevant is one of the goals of many educators as it helps ignite the desire to learn. Making school cool and relatable to the present and future has many positive academic effects on students (Travis & Ausbrooks). Many urban youth in public education systems, especially Black males, find hip hop to be one of the most applicable platforms and outlets in terms of their daily life experiences and struggles. Thus, incorporating hip hop into their education is an avenue in which these students can improve their academic performance, …show more content…
Black males especially are often marginalized, ignored, and disregarded in academic settings (Bridges, 2011). Making learning culturally relatable has had positive effects in students’ desire to learn, which thus positively effects retention of information, and academic performance (Glaude, 2008). Hip hop is accepted as cool and applicable to many urban youth as it expresses many of their experiences in a comprehensive manner, thus its implementation into this population’s education has promising benefits (Tinson & McBride, 2013). To help augment the positive effects of integrated hip hop, it is also important to ensure that the teachers can identify with the experiences of the youth and the deeper messages of the hip hop culture. This is important because when teachers are knowledgeable, passionate, and viewed as genuinely relatable or understanding, students are more likely to participate in pedagogic discussions and thus improve their academic performance (Bridges, 2011; Tinson & McBride 2013; Travis & Ausbrooks, …show more content…
Definition of Terms These terms were selected because their understanding is essential to maximize the positive effects of integrating hip hop in urban education. They were mainly obtained from an article written by Bridges (2011). The definition that is at the heart of this discussion, and thus crucial for understanding, is hip hop. hip hop. a term used to define the shared experiences, the manners by which individuals discern, and the logical discussions of urban youth. Hip hop is fundamentally based on the doctrines of peace, love, unity, and having fun which are expressed through its nine elements: breakdancing, rapping, graffiti art, deejayin’, beatboxin’, street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and street entrepreneurialism (Bridges, 2011). hip hop generation. a generation comprised of Black men born between 1965 and 1984 with subjective experiences originating from the Civil Rights Movement and Black Nationalist movements and who have flourished in developing resources and access to voting rights, educational reform, and affirmative action campaigns (Bridges,
Umeki Z. Funchess
Northern Michigan University
Making School Cool: Hip Hop in Urban Public Education
Convincing students that coursework is important and relevant is one of the goals of many educators as it helps ignite the desire to learn. Making school cool and relatable to the present and future has many positive academic effects on students (Travis & Ausbrooks). Many urban youth in public education systems, especially Black males, find hip hop to be one of the most applicable platforms and outlets in terms of their daily life experiences and struggles. Thus, incorporating hip hop into their education is an avenue in which these students can improve their academic performance, …show more content…
Black males especially are often marginalized, ignored, and disregarded in academic settings (Bridges, 2011). Making learning culturally relatable has had positive effects in students’ desire to learn, which thus positively effects retention of information, and academic performance (Glaude, 2008). Hip hop is accepted as cool and applicable to many urban youth as it expresses many of their experiences in a comprehensive manner, thus its implementation into this population’s education has promising benefits (Tinson & McBride, 2013). To help augment the positive effects of integrated hip hop, it is also important to ensure that the teachers can identify with the experiences of the youth and the deeper messages of the hip hop culture. This is important because when teachers are knowledgeable, passionate, and viewed as genuinely relatable or understanding, students are more likely to participate in pedagogic discussions and thus improve their academic performance (Bridges, 2011; Tinson & McBride 2013; Travis & Ausbrooks, …show more content…
Definition of Terms These terms were selected because their understanding is essential to maximize the positive effects of integrating hip hop in urban education. They were mainly obtained from an article written by Bridges (2011). The definition that is at the heart of this discussion, and thus crucial for understanding, is hip hop. hip hop. a term used to define the shared experiences, the manners by which individuals discern, and the logical discussions of urban youth. Hip hop is fundamentally based on the doctrines of peace, love, unity, and having fun which are expressed through its nine elements: breakdancing, rapping, graffiti art, deejayin’, beatboxin’, street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and street entrepreneurialism (Bridges, 2011). hip hop generation. a generation comprised of Black men born between 1965 and 1984 with subjective experiences originating from the Civil Rights Movement and Black Nationalist movements and who have flourished in developing resources and access to voting rights, educational reform, and affirmative action campaigns (Bridges,