ERIC Number: EJ1427895
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-8274
EISSN: EISSN-2161-8895
Using Pop Culture to Foster Student Understanding and Engagement
William Visco
English Journal, v109 n2 p84-91 2019
In this article, the author describes three strategies they have used to bolster interest and make use of popular culture to enhance readers' interactions with texts: pop culture pairings, musical connections, and multimodal projects. The author addresses the cultivation of pop culture awareness, the importance of multimodal pedagogy, the development of pop culture pairings, and an approach to analyzing visual works other than written texts so that students can draw connections between texts and real-world situations. While current movies, music, TV shows, social media applications, athletes, and even commercials are readily accessible to students, pop culture phenomena can transcend time. The author states, by using these familiar texts in class, they were able to alleviate some of the anxiety that comes with learning a skill like literary analysis. Students feel less anxious about the academic skill sets they are developing when they are working with texts they know, understand, and like. Using examples from the students' lives has the potential to alter their point of view about school and learning and inspire disenfranchised students to engage with material they may otherwise find difficult and "boring."
Descriptors: Popular Culture, Learner Engagement, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Comprehension, English Curriculum, Reader Text Relationship, Instructional Improvement, Music, Mass Media Role, Advanced Placement, Classroom Techniques, Assignments, Multimedia Instruction, Learning Activities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A