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Teaching Harry Potter: The Power of Imagination in Multicultural Classrooms
Given the current educational climate of high-stakes testing, standardized curriculum, and "approved" reading lists, incorporating unauthorized, often controversial, popular literature into the classroom becomes a political choice. Belcher and Herr Stephenson examine why teachers choose to read Harry Potter, how they use the books in multicultural elementary and secondary classrooms, and the teacher-student interactions that result. The authors also investigate the ways in which new media and fans' interactions with the Potter franchise have contributed to its cultural, economic, and educational power. The book encourages a critical discussion regarding the state of our educational system in the United States, contrasting the increasing lack of space allowed for imagination and complexity in schools with the rich experiences made available to readers through the Potter series. Its unique research methodology is part ethnographic, part practitioner research, and serves as an analytical commentary on current school culture and policy.
- GenresNonfictionTeaching
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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February 15, 2012Henry Jenkins interviewed the authors: http://henryjenkins.org/2012/02/teach...
September 4, 2016
Authors Catherine L. Belcher and Becky Herr Stephenson use the Harry Potter novels as examples of getting children--especially children from ethnic minorities or children with learning disabilities interested in reading, while at the same time, using these accounts alongside a more metaphoric discussion of the teaching philosophies exhibited at Hogwarts as part of an argument against the teaching style demanded by the No Child Left Behind Act.
I'll start with saying that, as a Canadian, I don't really follow the state of the American education system. I essentially have to take Belcher and Stephenson's word for it that the education system there is in this state. Essentially, they claim that the NCLBA has so regimented teaching that everything must geared towards the standardized test, and there's no room for teachers to tailor courses to specific student interests, or encourage nontraditional texts. I think they make a good case, but in general, I'm predisposed to teaching independence; I instruct at a university level, my parents were teachers, my grandmother was a teacher, my aunt and uncle were teachers, my cousins are teachers, and a rather high number of my friends went into education and teaching. They're very passionate, very devoted people, and if they say having control over a curriculum lets them better serve their students, I'm inclined to agree with them.
As the introduction explains, the book alternates between recounting individual teaching experiences and making the case for a particular type of education reform using Harry Potter and Hogwarts as inspiration. The latter type of chapters emphasize developing pedagogy around the students' existing forms of knowledge, around critical media literacy that emphasizes pop culture as a media form that exerts influence, around the active participation of youth culture in this pop culture circulation; there's also forays into teaching with modern technology, and the digital gap. The alternate chapters provide teacher-offered perspectives on teaching Harry Potter to a Mexican American Border Community class, to an urban charter school with a large African American population, and to special education students. It was really eye-opening to see students whose backgrounds were largely left out of the Harry Potter series still find something in the series that spoke to them personally.
Overall, it's a simple book with a clear argument. It's been a long time since I've thought about primary or secondary education, but it did encourage me to think about what works in motivating kids to learn, and the student perspective on the Harry Potter series.
I'll start with saying that, as a Canadian, I don't really follow the state of the American education system. I essentially have to take Belcher and Stephenson's word for it that the education system there is in this state. Essentially, they claim that the NCLBA has so regimented teaching that everything must geared towards the standardized test, and there's no room for teachers to tailor courses to specific student interests, or encourage nontraditional texts. I think they make a good case, but in general, I'm predisposed to teaching independence; I instruct at a university level, my parents were teachers, my grandmother was a teacher, my aunt and uncle were teachers, my cousins are teachers, and a rather high number of my friends went into education and teaching. They're very passionate, very devoted people, and if they say having control over a curriculum lets them better serve their students, I'm inclined to agree with them.
As the introduction explains, the book alternates between recounting individual teaching experiences and making the case for a particular type of education reform using Harry Potter and Hogwarts as inspiration. The latter type of chapters emphasize developing pedagogy around the students' existing forms of knowledge, around critical media literacy that emphasizes pop culture as a media form that exerts influence, around the active participation of youth culture in this pop culture circulation; there's also forays into teaching with modern technology, and the digital gap. The alternate chapters provide teacher-offered perspectives on teaching Harry Potter to a Mexican American Border Community class, to an urban charter school with a large African American population, and to special education students. It was really eye-opening to see students whose backgrounds were largely left out of the Harry Potter series still find something in the series that spoke to them personally.
Overall, it's a simple book with a clear argument. It's been a long time since I've thought about primary or secondary education, but it did encourage me to think about what works in motivating kids to learn, and the student perspective on the Harry Potter series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews