Preemptive Education Workshop

On Saturday, September 27th, from 9:00 to 4:30, I attended Preemptive Education: Language, Identity & Power, Urban World NYC’s Annual Mentor, Teacher, Educator & Community Activist Training. The program was presented by Urban World NYC, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, and the Center for Multicultural Education & Programs at NYU. The training series began at 9:00 with Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s keynote, red, black and Green: a blues, in which he addressed Freire, the environment and post hip-hop performance.

In his keynote, Joseph emphasized the need for “an open circle of information” in a classroom. He also addressed the importance of critical questioning in both an urban classroom and the world on a larger scale. As Joseph spoke, I became more aware of my own tendencies in the classroom. I began asking myself if I promoted such questioning in my own class. Did I provide the opportunity for an open circle of information and thus, an open exchange of ideas, discourse and discussion? As a teacher, I believe it is imperative to provide students with information from many sources. In order for students to gain a better understanding of the world in which the live, and to participate in social action, it is crucial that they learn about their community and the world from multiple perspectives. As Heather W. Hackman states in Five Essential Components for Social Justice Education, “educators need to demand educational environments conducive to engaged, critical, and empowered thinking and action.” As an educator, I feel that it is necessary for students to critically question and talk about what they are learning, both inside and outside of the classroom. In Taking Multicultural, Anti-racist Education Seriously: An Interview with Educator Enid Lee, Lee presents the idea of altering materials. She states, “I know we need to look at material. But we can also take some of the existing curriculum and ask kids questions about what is missing, and whose interest is being served when things are written in the way they are”(21). Asking such questions about a text is a useful way to begin incorporating multicultural education in the classroom and to promote “an open circle of information” as well as critical questioning. Providing students with relevant material that includes the voices of “people who are frequently silenced”, an idea promoted by Lee, is another critical way to engage students in multicultural education and critical questioning.

During Session A, I attended Workshop 1, Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy with Marcella Runnell Hall and Kersha Smith. The session focused on Hip-Hop and Social Justice Education. In the workshop, Hall and Smith addressed both the theoretical and methodological implications of Hip-Hop Education. The workshop focused on the values embedded in hip-hop culture as well as strategies for creating lessons and curriculum that utilize hip-hop with integrity in an effective manner. During the workshop we addressed three areas of the Hip-Hop Education model: hip-hop elements/culture as content, hip-hop utilized to teach subject areas, and hip-hop as the bridge or hook for lesson planning. In the workshop I was inspired by the dedication and insight of the presenters and the fellow attendees. In the workshop, we were able to discuss practical strategies for implementing Hip-Hop Education into the classroom. Seeing and discussing actual ways for creating a curriculum around hip-hop was extremely interesting. This type of curriculum would be a useful strategy in creating an authentic learning environment. Students would be engaged because much of what they are learning has a basis in current events. Just as Hackman states, “students need information that is connected to their lives and that helps them to understand the micro-level implications of macro level issues” (105). Because students and teachers could relate on a personal level to information used in the classroom and the issues raised as a result of the material, a curriculum utilizing hip-hop would provide the space for social action to occur.

During Session B, I attended the workshop Where Hip Hop Lives with Oresanmi Burton. This workshop focused on ways in which educators can acknowledge and utilize hip-hop in educational setting as a tool for addressing social, political, and economic issues. During the workshop we read and analyzed the lyrics to Mos Def’s song Hip Hop focusing on the ways in which it could be used as a vehicle for education. As a group, we discussed the ways in which Hip Hop could be used to teach onomatopoeia, metaphor, and rhyme scheme. In addition, we talked about the manner in which it could be used as a reference point for addressing issues of social justice facing the world today. As a teacher, utilizing material that students can relate to is an important factor in keeping students interested and motivated. At the same time, using such material acknowledges and legitimizes the places in which students live and their culture. According to Hackman, “in a social justice classroom, all content is subject to debate and critique” (105). Reading and analyzing lyrics to popular songs that students are familiar with allows for authentic debate and critique to occur. Students will be able to dig deeper into the meaning and significance of the words because they feel connected to the song and artist.

After a forty-five minute lunch break I attended the workshop NYCoRE Educator Activists’ Identities with Geoffrey Enriquez and Edwin Mayorga. During the workshop we discussed the barriers that might affect an educator-activist’s will to promote social justice education and social action in a classroom. As a group we addressed the following barriers: time on developing pedagogy, censorship, disconnect between school and community, aligning justice (moving from I to we), connecting information to action, parent education (re-education), and testing. In the small group I worked with, we discussed how to move from information to action, how to move from learning about an issue, questioning one’s stance on the issue, and taking action. We talked about different strategies for implementing social action in the classroom, such as letter-writing, petition, and rallies. As a group we focused on Stage 5 of Social Justice Education, Social Action (Picower, 2005). We discussed the importance of students creating change themselves, as well as the need for students to become involved with issues that interest them.

For the last workshop, I attended Conscious Women Rock the Page with Jennifer Calderón, Elisha Miranda, Sofía Quintero, and Marcella Runnell Hall. Calderón, and Miranda began the workshop by reading excerpts from their novels. After, Quintero discussed her work and activism, as well as her novels. Following Quintero’s moving dialogue, Hall led a discussion about the issues addressed by the authors’ novels as well as their work in social action. Together the women focused on the rise in feminist pop-fiction as well the role hip-hop plays in addressing issues such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation and culture. The four authors discussed the curriculum they created based on the three novels presented. The curriculum aims to engage communities on the issues presented in their work and to inspire readers to take action. Before the workshop, I was unaware of such a movement. Now, after hearing the four women discuss their work so passionately, I am interested in learning more about their movement and their work towards promoting social change. While the four women work together, they are also involved in separate, yet equally moving work. Using the work of these authors in the classroom would be an authentic way to promote awareness of unjust issues facing society. In addition, it would provide students with a true example of how one person with a vision can make a difference. The curriculum created by the women is a great example of how even a few people, who share an interest, can take action.

After attending the Training Series I feel that I am more knowledgeable about the power of hip-hop in the classroom. I also feel that I left the workshop with many practical and creative resources for implementing social justice education in my own classroom. Being exposed to so many different organizations and movements has expanded my repertoire of teaching strategies. As a result, I feel that I am a more knowledgeable and prepared educator. At the same time, the workshop left me wanting to explore more realms of teaching and learning that I may not be familiar with.