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

The article about the experiences of Jeff Duncan-Andrade and Ernest Morrell incorporating critical pedagogy into a contemporary classroom helped me understand how this would look in our classrooms today.  There was less talk of oppressor/oppressed relationships, though those relationships were in fact there and were addressed somewhat.  There were practical examples of how Freire's theory can change the way we teach classic literature, as well as how we can introduce more current aspects of popular culture that the students may find more accessible.

I was especially interested in how they would bring current insights of marginalized people, or "others", to classic literature.  While I think this is valuable, I would imagine this isn't a new or unique aspect of teaching these subjects.  Surely, while teaching the historical context and background of these great works, teachers have been incorporating a 21st century point of view into the mix.  In any case, it was good to see the intentional merge and an explanation of how they did it. 
I was also interested in what they had to say regarding standard multi-cultural curriculum, that they were sometimes "more disempowering of students of color than more traditional and less diverse texts". 

I also appreciated the teacher's seemingly openness to including works of "popular culture" into the curriculum.  Keeping balance in mind, I believe the students will (and obviously do) learn from all kinds of information and am unwilling to throw out a valid, possibly complex, learning experience simply because it may be deemed "pop" culture.

Building on the accessibility of pop culture, I thought the setting classic poetry to a hip hop beat was inspired.  Utilizing a full unit with analysis of literary themes, comparative analysis, and including class discussion sounded like a sound learning experience.  I also liked, knowing not all students would take to the hip hop performance style, the teachers allowed the students to recite the poetry in whatever way was comfortable for them. 

It was also great that the teaching went beyond a standard literary class and involved the students in civic or community issues.  Through the discussion and openness of the classrooms, they had enabled the students with tools and courage to take steps to improve their environment for themselves and others.