Abstract:

Western education can sometimes clash with who we are, what we know, and how we move. By always expecting students to sit quietly and face their teacher at the front of the classroom, the school system detaches those students’ bodies from their cultural identities thus enacting the Cartesian mind and body split. Such a split has become even more obvious during the schools closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and classes going online. A focus on embodiment would help students and teachers connect with their cultures and diverse communities and, therefore, empower them.

In this presentation, I challenge the cultural disconnection and disembodiment found in K-12 classrooms in the U.S. I use hip hop and movement in the classroom and argue that moving critically helps teachers and students engage in culturally sustaining pedagogies and empowers them. I examine my concept of critical moving and reflect on my embodied hip hop pedagogies-based curriculum taught in an underserved region of Southern California.

My research advocates for more embodied and culturally relevant pedagogies for the urban youth by implementing curricular activities that juxtapose social-justice, critical thinking, and performance. I contributed to the development of a unique curriculum and pedagogy, which are based on the four artistic elements of hip hop (DJing, Emceeing, Breakdancing, Graffiti Writing) and Universal Learning Design, and therefore speaks to diverse learners. I have developed and taught culturally inclusive curricula and courses based on embodied hip hop pedagogies and the theories of Paolo Freire, bell hooks, and other educational theorists who have promoted the ideals of equality and inclusion through their work.

Keywords:

Embodiment, hip hop, performance, empowerment, minorities, universal learning design, personhood, positionality, identity, humanization.