Authors

Keith Brown

Publication Date

8-2014

Document Type

Project

Degree

Master of Arts in Education (MA)

MA Concentration

Urban Education, Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Education

Keywords

Black, Culture, Hip Hop, pedagogy

Abstract

Black students are plagued with a lack of cultural affirmation in the classroom. Research shows that not only is culture the basis of everything in human life, but specifically Black students benefit from cultural affirmation in numerous ways; culture provides Black students with an organic intellectualism that is useful in academia, culture can serve as a vehicle for the acquisition of knowledge for Black students especially in regards to Hip Hop music. Black students face challenges in education that stem from cultural affirmation; stereotype threat cripples Black students out of fear of failure, Black students acquire knowledge in such a way that may be deemed a digression from current topics in school, White teachers who do not consider culture as a factor in education cast prejuices on Black students out of willful ignorance to the way they learn, also Black students are often under the impression that they must divorce their cultural norms in order to succeed in academics and often will choose not to. Ultimately a culturally affirmative classroom is necessary for all students to receive a fair and balanced education. The majority of classroom teachers are White and female, this trend is increasing and classrooms are becoming increasingly multicultural. Because of this in order to facilitate culturally responsive environments for students, non-Black teachers need to be afforded a working knowledge of Black culture as it relates to education. The aim of this project is to create an amendable, working knowledge of Black culture as it pertains to education paired with instructional strategies that directly address the cultural knowledge.

Brown, Keith Poster.pdf (104 kB)
Poster

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