Did you watch the latest episode of The Voice? Are you excited for the new Taylor Swift album? Should we bring these kinds of conversations into the classroom? Yes, I think so. Let’s discuss why.
From teaching through film analysis and discussion to song lyric poetry analysis and podcast storytelling projects, using pop culture in the classroom provides opportunities to enhance hands-on learning experiences.
There’s a wealth of pop culture artifacts waiting to be explored in the classroom. Whether it’s dissecting the themes of a hit TV show, analyzing the rhetoric of a viral social media campaign, or exploring the cultural significance of a blockbuster film, pop culture offers endless opportunities for engaging and relevant learning experiences. By tapping into students’ interests and passions, teachers can create a dynamic learning environment that fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.
In today’s digital age, pop culture surrounds us in all its forms—from music and movies to social media and celebrity news, and even “simply” navigating the evolving landscape of social intelligence. While some may view pop culture as mere entertainment, savvy educators recognize its potential as a powerful teaching tool. By harnessing the relevance and appeal and using pop culture in the classroom, teachers can engage students in meaningful learning experiences while enhancing their English skills and fostering media literacy.
Whether dissecting song lyrics to uncover poetic devices, exploring storytelling in video games, or producing their own podcasts to explore storytelling techniques, students engage with pop culture in ways that are relevant to their lives.
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Pedagogical Strategies Enhanced by Using Pop Culture in the Classroom
One common question among educators is, “How can I effectively incorporate pop culture elements into my English lessons without sacrificing educational rigor?”
This concern is valid – maintaining academic depth while engaging students with pop culture can sometimes seem challenging. However, by scaffolding activities effectively and guiding students through critical analysis, we can strike a balance between engagement and academic depth.
Take, for example, the teaser for Beyoncé’s single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which seamlessly weaves together elements of vaudeville, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. In the classroom, teachers can leverage this cultural phenomenon to teach literary analysis skills and explore the intersection of music and Black history. By dissecting the song’s lyrics, themes, and musical techniques, students can develop a deeper understanding of storytelling devices and cultural context, all while honing their critical thinking skills.
In a podcast storytelling project, like the one I have done with my classroom, students can apply narrative techniques learned in class to create their own audio stories. This not only reinforces their understanding of narrative structure and characterization but also allows them to express themselves creatively in a medium they are familiar with (or is new to them!).
By embracing using pop culture in the classroom as a pedagogical tool, educators can breathe new life into their lessons, fostering deeper engagement and empowering students to connect with course material in meaningful ways.
Cultural Relevance and Representation in English Education
We must recognize and celebrate the multifaceted identities, experiences, and perspectives of students. Pop culture, with its wide array of representations and narratives, can serve as a powerful tool for reflecting and honoring this diversity in the classroom and exploring identity in an age where people sometimes live on social media more than they live in the real world.
Are you looking at your curriculum and figuring out ways to make it more diverse? Me, too. But this process of consensus building, approval, and purchasing can be time consuming. One way we can bring in diverse perspectives is through our supplemental resources.
With our choices we can open up conversations that provide connection and empathy and give students opportunities to discuss the complexity and diversity of our culture.
Several activities can be integrated into the curriculum to promote cultural diversity and representation:
- Social Media Character Analysis: Students can analyze the portrayal of characters from diverse backgrounds in popular social media platforms, examining how identities are constructed and represented online.
- YouTube Video Response: Students can create video responses to YouTube content that addresses social issues, cultural phenomena, or artistic expressions from various perspectives.
Fostering Critical Media Literacy in English Education
Teaching students to use academic sources is a great strategy because we know everything they encounter is valid. However, this does not reflect the way students research in the real world.
We make English more relevant when we teach students how to evaluate information they encounter in real life.
A few years ago I started doing a consumerism unit. One of the aspects I had students investigate was strategies for ad revenue and looking at product placement (like in Netflix) versus commercials (like Hulu uses). I was very surprised to find that many students did not recognize when product placement was employed.
Chris’ character in To All the Boys I Loved Before seems built around Subway. According to Business Insider, a third of her screen time involved Subway in some way, even though this wasn’t a reference in the novel the film is based on.
What does this mean for our teaching? We can ask students the following critical questions:
- Is it appropriate for people to be subtly sold to all the time?
- Is it appropriate to sell to children in this way?
- How do you feel about some of your favorite shows turning into hour-long commercials?
- Is the above a fair characterization of shows with product placement?
Students live in pop culture so it is so important to be able for them to analyze and critique pop culture representations.
Here are some teaching ideas:
- Instagram Story Storytelling: Students can create Instagram stories that deconstruct and critique media representations found on the platform. This activity encourages students to consider the ways in which images, captions, and filters shape our understanding of reality.
- Debunking Fake News and Misinformation: In an era of rampant misinformation, students can engage in activities that teach them how to critically evaluate sources and identify misleading information. By analyzing news articles, social media posts, and other online content, students develop the skills needed to discern fact from fiction.
Critical media literacy can be seamlessly integrated into the English curriculum, complementing traditional literary analysis with contemporary media critique. By incorporating pop culture texts into discussions and assignments, educators provide students with real-world examples to analyze and dissect. This interdisciplinary approach enhances students’ analytical skills while deepening their understanding of both literary and media texts.
Empowering Students as Media Critics
When using pop culture in the classroom, students learn to question the underlying messages and ideologies perpetuated by media representations. This critical awareness not only enhances their understanding of media but also equips them to challenge stereotypes, biases, and misinformation.
Empowering students to become active agents in their media consumption habits is at the core of fostering critical media literacy skills. However, it’s equally important to recognize how incorporating media, such as film, into the classroom can also benefit educators themselves, particularly in the realm of avoiding burnout.
A problem with traditional survey courses in high school is that we cannot appropriately cover all of literary culture for all time for the whole world. When we bring in films we can consume a great deal of content in a short time, brushing bridging gaps and deepening understanding.
Teaching through film analysis parallels literary analysis in many ways, providing students with opportunities to apply literary concepts and techniques to visual storytelling. Examining themes, character development, symbolism, and narrative structure, students deepen their understanding of literary elements and devices.
Film provides a window into diverse cultures, perspectives, and historical contexts, fostering cultural literacy and global awareness. By teaching through films from different countries, time periods, and genres, students gain insights into societal norms, values, and traditions. This exposure not only broadens students’ cultural horizons but also deepens their understanding of human experiences and perspectives.
Teaching through Film, Engaging Students, and Alleviating Educator Burnout
Incorporating film into the curriculum not only provides students with dynamic learning experiences but also offers educators a respite from the demands of traditional lesson planning. By leveraging the power of visual storytelling, educators can create opportunities for deep engagement and critical analysis while simultaneously allowing themselves a lighter touch in facilitating learning.
Through engaging with film, students learn to question not only the content presented on the screen but also the broader cultural context in which it exists. By examining themes, character development, and cinematic techniques, students develop critical thinking skills that extend far beyond the confines of the classroom.
By building media into our curriculum, we provide ourselves with natural opportunities to take a step back, relinquish some control, and allow students to take the lead in their own learning. This shift in approach not only reduces the pressure on educators but also fosters a sense of autonomy and agency among students, empowering them to take ownership of their education.
