Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
Kennesaw State University
Second Presenter's Institution
N/A
Third Presenter's Institution
N/A
Fourth Presenter's Institution
N/A
Fifth Presenter's Institution
N/A
Location
Session 5 (Ballroom D)
Strand #1
Academic Achievement & School Leadership
Relevance
This presentation supports the “Head” conference strand. Approaching this research, I operated from the belief that the hip-hop phenomenon was ripe for pedagogical exploration. Most research on hip-hop culture explores its origin as a social movement (Rose, 1991) or analyzed the lyrical content of rap songs (Henderson, 1996) or provided an argument for usage in the classroom (Akintunde, 1997; Callahan & Low, 2004). This research, however, uses hip-hop texts to support reading comprehension and the application of critical literacy applied to math, science and social studies. This presentation addresses the issue of hip-hop culture’s encroachment upon the school environment and the ways that hip-hop can be used to improve reading comprehension and critical thinking. The desire to increase student engagement and improve students’ critical thinking skills led to the creation of a new instructional approach using hip hop texts. As popular culture becomes a more dominating aspect of the school environment, it may give insight to educators with students that are heavily influenced by the nuances of popular cultures such as hip-hop.
Brief Program Description
This presentation describes the Harlem Renaissance to Hip Hop Movement, a literacy program that uses best practices in literacy instruction to improve reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing. Moving beyond educational hip-hop songs and videos, this presentation offers insight into effective ways to increase Georgia Milestone Assessment scores in both English language arts and social studies using a variety of hip-hop texts.
Summary
This presentation describes the components of the Harlem Renaissance to Hip Hop Movement, a literacy program that uses best practices in literacy instruction to improve reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing. Moving beyond educational hip-hop songs and videos, this presentation offers insight into effective ways to increase Georgia Milestone Assessment scores in both English language arts and social studies using a variety of hip-hop texts. Based on Common Core Standards for English language arts and social studies, participants learn how hip-hop related documents are used as primary or secondary sources allowing students to cite text, make logical inferences, and make connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events. Based on cognitive complexity, the activities presented support discourse around social economic status, classism and social justice as they relate to education of the current hip-hop generation.
In this presentation, participants will engage in discussion about what it means to be a literate person in a technological society and how schools can support and develop students’ reading abilities. The Harlem renaissance to Hip Hop Movement offers a practical model that can be integrated across content to support school-wide literacy plan. Participants walk away with examples of how teachers can use the strategies presented to create content and effective questions.
Evidence
This presentation is based on the Harlem Renaissance to Hip Hop Movement literacy program designed as part of the Literacy Through the Arts summer program used in Atlanta Public Schools. The techniques presented have been field-tested in teacher education courses as well as teacher professional development workshops. The activities are created in the emerging field of Hip-Hop-Based Education (HHBE). Marc Lemont Hill (2009) introduced (HHBE) as the collective educational research using hip-hop culture. Similar to other research within HHBE, this presentation offers activities that help teachers develop questions that generate high levels of cognitive thinking. Love (2015) examined the positive educational outcomes resulting when Hip-Hop-Based Education initiatives are used in early childhood classrooms. Authors Cummings, Chambers, Reid, and Gosha (2019) argued that applying hip-hop pedagogy to academic interventions effectively increases the ability to re-envision content into ones that reflect underrepresented students lived experiences. This presentation is based on current HHBE research and replicable practice.
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Crystal LaVoulle is an international education consultant with a proven record of accomplishment in providing professional development. Dr. LaVoulle has worked with teachers and leaders in the United Arab Emirates, India, South Africa, and United States of America. Dr. LaVoulle created a series of professional learning workshops titled Chronicles of Effective Teaching© which provide teachers with tools to bridge the gap between students’ current performance and their academic potential. She holds a doctorate from Georgia State University. Dr. LaVoulle specializes in school improvement and research in effective use of popular culture texts. Her books Read, Write, Rhyme: Educators, Entertainers, and Entrepreneurs Engage in Hip-Hop Discourse and Teaching with Diversity and Cultural Competence in Mind: Using Popular Culture to Teach Social Justice are available for purchase for conference participants.
With 20 years of educational experience, Dr. LaVoulle has worked with a diverse range of students and teachers and has earned a doctorate in Teaching and Learning from Georgia State University, a Masters of Public Administration in Policy and Education from the University of West Georgia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. LaVoulle is committed to educating the world’s children through intelligent leadership.
Dr. Crystal LaVoulle’s consulting company, LaVoulle Group, LLC., specializing in differentiated professional learning and development. The Chronicles of Effective Teaching workshop series provides teachers with tools to bridge the gap between students’ current performance and their academic potential. Using a collaborative conversational approach, the LaVoulle Group’s Lead By Example workshop series supports school leaders by addressing critical barriers to school improvement such as school climate, school culture and teacher retention.
Keyword Descriptors
hip-hop education, school leadership, reading, reading programs, literacy, literacy-based plans
Presentation Year
March 2020
Start Date
3-10-2020 10:15 AM
End Date
3-10-2020 11:30 AM
Recommended Citation
LaVoulle, Crystal Monique, "Read, Write, Rhyme: Increasing Reading performance with hip-hop texts" (2020). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 67.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2020/2020/67
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
Read, Write, Rhyme: Increasing Reading performance with hip-hop texts
Session 5 (Ballroom D)
This presentation describes the Harlem Renaissance to Hip Hop Movement, a literacy program that uses best practices in literacy instruction to improve reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing. Moving beyond educational hip-hop songs and videos, this presentation offers insight into effective ways to increase Georgia Milestone Assessment scores in both English language arts and social studies using a variety of hip-hop texts.
