Bettina Love, an associate professor in the educational theory and practice department in UGA’s College of Education, was recently quoted by NBC News about the use of hip-hop as a teaching tool.
Several teachers are using hip-hop to help educate their students and keep them engaged in class. Love believes that hip-hop education can help young, black students become more successful by giving them the chance to embrace not just who they are, but how they express and what they have to say. However, she advises against using hip-hop as a teaching tool if educators are not familiar with black culture.
“You have to know something about black expression. You have to appreciate it and love it,” Love said, who lectures on the use of hip-hop in civic education. “There has to be some cultural matching and cultural appreciation. I tell people all the time, it’s not just simply bringing it into the classroom.”
