Week 1 - ED

Week 1 - Student Teachers’ Perceptions of using Popular Culture in the Classroom

From my student teacher survey I found many responses that directly reflected my own opinions. To summarise, the student expressed that she thought teachers had a lot of control and access to popular culture in their classrooms and were able to integrate this into their teaching if they wished. However, studies have shown teachers feel the use of popular culture opposed the aims and objectives of the responsibility to teach (Lambirth 2003). Similar to myself, the student believes that teachers did not integrate popular culture enough in their literacy teaching. Dean (2010) agrees stating ‘majority of teachers fail to take advantage of the invaluable experience children are acquiring’ (2010:58). The student believes that incorporating popular culture into teaching is beneficial to children’s learning because they are interested in it, therefore become more motivated to learn. Arthur (2005) also depicts that many children literacy skills are associated with popular culture, ‘yet many educators are not aware or are dismissive of these aspects of children’s social worlds’ (2005:174). The student feels confident teaching integrating popular culture, however, she can understand that current teachers and parents, from an older generation, may not have much confidence due to lack of understanding, viewing themselves as ‘digital immigrants’ (Byron 2008:208). The student also highlighted why this is important to implement to teachers during ITE programmes. She believes that ‘traditional’ methods of teaching literacy are important, however, there is no reason that this cannot be incorporated with popular culture as it still presents many literacy skills, as both categories of text can be ‘sign and symbol based’ (Dean 2010:55). Overall, the student believes that traditional methods are undoubtedly useful to teach literacy, however it is essential that they are taught alongside popular culture as ‘digital literacy’ is important to ‘value children’s everyday digital experience and in terms of preparing them for the future’ (Merchant 2007:127).   

 Bibliography

Arthur, L. (2005) ‘Popular Culture: views of parents and educators’ in Marsh, J. (2005) Popular Culture, New Media and Digital Literacy in Early Childhood Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer

Byron (2008) Safer Children in a Digital World The Report of the Byron Review – Children and new technology

Dean, G. ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms London: Sage

Lambirth, A. (2003) ‘“They get enough from home”: Understanding aversion to popular cultures in schools’ Reading 37(1) pp.9-13

Merchant, G. (2007) Writing the future in the digital age Literacy 41(3) pp.118-128

A Survey to discover a Student Teachers’ Perceptions of using Popular Culture in the Classroom

___________________________________________________________________________

I give permission for you to use my survey as part of your blog and to assist you with any information you may need towards you course at University.

Student teacher – Winchester University - year 3.

___________________________________________________________________________

1. Do you believe teachers have control over how much popular culture is used in their classroom? And why?

Yes, I think there is a lot of popular culture in classrooms and teachers to can use this to assist their teaching as much as they want. I have seen teachers with many modern books in their classrooms that relate to popular TV programmes. I have seen children have access to a lot of technologies such as modern computers and ipads. I am aware from children how much they see at home about programmes such as X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing and how this influences their interests and behaviour at school. I don’t think teachers use popular culture enough, as children are so interested in it so it would probably make their lesson more stimulating.

2. ‘Popular culture is seen as ‘taboo’ in schools and so student teachers do not want to use in case it reflects badly on them’. Do you have confidence of teaching with items/contexts that involve popular culture? Have you used any modern technologies or referred to any popular culture in you teaching so far?

I feel confident teaching that involves popular culture. When having discussions with children I think talking about things they can relate to can help their understanding and make them more interested. I have used films, TV clips and technology such as interactive computer games and ipads within my teaching and I feel that it worked well.

3. Do you believe that the University integrate the use of popular culture in the ITE curriculum?

Other than in foundation subject ICT lessons, I don’t feel there has been much emphasis on popular culture and how we could use this to teach. I think we should have more knowledge of it as from my experiences in school I think it would be valuable.

4. ‘There is a concern that introduction of digital communication into the classroom -  blogging, podcasting, email, texting is at the expense of the ‘traditional’ view of English – spelling, grammar, handwriting & communication’. (Merchant, 2001; Crystal, 2001). Do you think this is a concern or do you believe it would benefit children’s learning?

I think it is important to keep traditional ways of teaching and subjects that you teach to an extent. But you can’t deny that the world is evolving all the time, and as teachers it is our job to prepare children for the world. By the time these children get to adulthood the world would have moved forward even more so it is very important. We can also use the topics and resources in popular culture to our advantage and create more motivating and interesting lessons.

5. ‘Some teachers may find these materials intellectually inferior & feel that children are exposed to unregulated films, computer games & ‘they get enough of that at home’ (Lambirth, 2003). Do you think this is true and why? Can they be incorporated successfully in school too?

I think it’s true that many adults, parents/teacher, feel quite strongly about traditional methods being taught. This is probably why teachers don’t integrate popular culture as much as they are trying to satisfy the majority of that generation’s opinion. But I have found things like film and ipads very useful in my teaching and I think it still incorporates techniques such as reading and many other literacy skills.

6. ‘Teachers need opportunities to explore and discover new literacy’s (Dean, 2010) and access to training and the technology’ (Marsh et al 2005). Do you think teachers should keep up to date with new technologies throughout their teaching career?

Yes, as children are going to come across and have to live and work with what is now new technology but won’t be when they are adults. Traditional methods can be taught with new technologies to prepare children for current society.