For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too

1. Reality Pedagogy: Meeting Students on Their Cultural Turf

Reality pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that has a primary goal of meeting each student on his or her own cultural and emotional turf.

Cultural connection is key. Reality pedagogy recognizes that traditional teaching methods often fail urban youth of color because they don't account for students' cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. By understanding and valuing students' "neoindigenous" culture, educators can create more engaging and effective learning environments.

Practical implementation:

• Learn about students' communities, language, and cultural practices
• Incorporate culturally relevant examples and materials into lessons
• Allow students to express themselves authentically in the classroom
• Recognize and challenge biases that may hinder student-teacher connections

2. The Neoindigenous: Understanding Urban Youth Culture

For the neoindigenous, these universal connections always begin with a reverence for the land they inhabit and the immediate spaces they occupy.

Urban youth as modern indigenous. The concept of "neoindigenous" draws parallels between urban youth of color and traditional indigenous populations, highlighting shared experiences of marginalization, cultural pride, and resilience.

Key characteristics of neoindigenous culture:

• Strong ties to local neighborhoods and communities
• Unique language and communication styles (e.g., slang, code-switching)
• Creative expression through art, music, and fashion
• Resilience in the face of systemic challenges
• Emphasis on collective identity and support networks

3. Pentecostal Pedagogy: Lessons from the Black Church

Pentecostal pedagogy gleans teaching practices from the black church and is a necessary model for teachers charged with engaging urban youth of color in classrooms but who have no training in what it means to be neoindigenous and alienated from traditional school culture.

Energetic engagement. The black church provides a model for dynamic, participatory learning that resonates with neoindigenous students. By incorporating elements of this style, teachers can create more engaging and culturally responsive classrooms.

Key elements of Pentecostal pedagogy:

• Call-and-response techniques to maintain student engagement
• Use of rhythm, music, and movement in lessons
• Emphasis on emotional expression and connection
• Allowing for spontaneity and "spirit-led" moments in teaching
• Creating a sense of community and shared experience in the classroom

4. Cogenerative Dialogues: Empowering Student Voices

Cogens are simple conversations between the teacher and their students with a goal of co-creating/generating plans of action for improving the classroom.

Collaborative improvement. Cogenerative dialogues (cogens) create a space for students to provide feedback and co-create solutions for classroom challenges. This process empowers students and helps teachers better understand their needs.

Implementing cogens:

1. Select a diverse group of 4-5 students to participate
2. Meet regularly (e.g., weekly) outside of class time
3. Establish ground rules for respectful communication
4. Ask students to identify issues and propose solutions
5. Implement agreed-upon changes in the classroom
6. Rotate participants to involve more students over time

5. Coteaching: Reversing Student-Teacher Roles

Coteaching in reality pedagogy involves the transfer of student/teacher roles so that everyone within the classroom can gain the opportunity to experience teaching and learning from the other's perspective.

Students as experts. Coteaching challenges traditional power dynamics by allowing students to take on the role of teacher. This process validates students' knowledge and experiences while helping teachers learn more effective ways to connect with their students.

Steps for implementing coteaching:

1. Introduce the concept to students and explain its purpose
2. Provide students with necessary resources and support
3. Allow students to plan and deliver lessons on course content
4. Observe and learn from students' teaching methods
5. Incorporate successful strategies into your own teaching
6. Reflect on the experience with students and gather feedback

6. Cosmopolitanism: Building a Classroom Family

Cosmopolitanism, as it is enacted in reality pedagogy, focuses on developing deep connections among students across differences such as race, ethnicity, gender, and academic ability as they work to ensure that they move collectively toward being socially, emotionally, and physically present and committed to the classroom they share.

Creating a classroom community. Cosmopolitanism in the classroom involves fostering a sense of belonging and shared responsibility among students. This approach helps students develop empathy, collaboration skills, and a deeper commitment to their education.

Strategies for building a cosmopolitan classroom:

• Assign classroom roles and responsibilities to students
• Create opportunities for students to work across social groups
• Celebrate diversity and encourage cultural exchange
• Establish classroom traditions and rituals
• Address conflicts openly and collaboratively
• Emphasize collective success over individual competition

7. Context and Content: Bridging School and Community

The marriage between content and neoindigenous contexts allows the teacher to circumvent the tensions that come from the cultural misalignments between school and community.

Connecting curriculum to lived experiences. By incorporating elements of students' community context into lessons, teachers can make academic content more relevant and engaging. This approach helps students see the value of their education in relation to their everyday lives.

Ways to integrate context and content:

• Conduct community walks or field trips to gather local examples
• Invite community members as guest speakers
• Use local issues or challenges as case studies for academic concepts
• Incorporate culturally relevant texts, art, and media into lessons
• Assign projects that require students to apply learning to community contexts
• Create opportunities for service learning or community-based research

8. Competition: Harnessing the Power of Hip-Hop Battles

The battle is an event that the elders push for whenever a disagreement threatens the psychic space that is needed for the youth to grow up feeling self-actualized and aware of the humanity of their fellow man.

Productive competition. Hip-hop battles provide a model for channeling students' competitive energy into academic growth. By adapting this cultural practice for the classroom, teachers can increase engagement and motivation while fostering creativity and critical thinking.

Elements of academic battles:

• Emphasize preparation and research
• Focus on content mastery and creative expression
• Encourage peer feedback and collaboration
• Celebrate effort and improvement, not just winning
• Use battles as a tool for conflict resolution and community-building
• Integrate multimedia and performance elements

9. Code Switching: Navigating Multiple Worlds

Code switching is a practice that has taken root in fields like linguistics, sociology, and cultural anthropology, and that focuses on where and how a speaker alternates between two or more languages or dialects in the context of a conversation or interaction.

Multilingual fluency. Teaching students to code switch effectively helps them navigate between their home culture and the dominant culture of academia and professional settings. This skill empowers students to maintain their cultural identity while accessing opportunities for advancement.

Teaching code-switching skills:

• Explicitly discuss the concept and its importance
• Use role-playing exercises to practice different communication styles
• Analyze examples of code-switching in media and literature
• Create a classroom "language chart" to compare formal and informal expressions
• Encourage students to reflect on their own code-switching experiences
• Validate students' home language while teaching academic language

10. Curation and Computing: Leveraging Technology and Social Media

Video is a powerful tool in all aspects of reality pedagogy, allowing students to harness technology to validate their experiences both within the classroom and in their own communities.

Digital empowerment. Incorporating technology and social media into the classroom allows students to curate and share their experiences, fostering deeper engagement with academic content and bridging the digital divide.

Strategies for integrating technology:

• Use student-created videos for reflection and assessment
• Create class social media accounts for sharing work and discussions
• Teach digital literacy and responsible online behavior
• Incorporate multimedia projects into assignments
• Use online platforms for collaborative learning and peer feedback
• Explore virtual reality and augmented reality tools for immersive learning experiences

Last updated: January 23, 2025