"...in these times of compassion when conformity's in fashion..."

I read with great interest the outline of American fashion styles from the end of the First World War to the present day. As clothing is yet another component of popular culture, there is a lot of common ground for teacher and student here. Clothing may tell us much about the I start with a reflection of my clothing choices about 10-15 years ago (when I was in high school); also discussed is the application of fashion to the classroom.

My time in high school coincided with the rise and fall of the "grunge" fashion style. Among other trends, we emulated key figures of the '90s Seattle Sound with baggy jeans, flannel shirts, and Doc Martens shoes. To us, in part these clothes reflected comfort and warmth. Yet the subtext of this style was one of non-conformity to the stiffness and blandness of the decade previous. Many of us viewed fashion styles of the '80s as the quintessential "preppy" motif. While the '80s saw tight jeans pinned at the cuff, white sneakers, and big sweaters, we rejected those in favor of comfort. At the same time, it was almost as if we lost ourselves in, and hid behind, layers upon layers. Yet, as with most of the styles discussed in the article, the anti-fashion may soon ironically become the preference for the mainstream.

Such is the power of fashion styles to both portray and betray perceptions of popular culture.

As a teacher of United States history, I feel that study of the fashion component of popular culture may give unique insight into social trends in each era. An early example of the importance of fashion as a reflection of a unique American ideal can be seen even in the most trying times of the Revolution. I make sure to remind students that as Benjamin Franklin was dispatched to the French capital to gain diplomatic, financial, and/or military support, the Parisian aristocracy was fascinated by the American style he projected with his clothing choices. The nobles appeared outdated and priggish relative to Franklin’s fur hat and plain suit. Here was one of the wealthiest and celebrated Americans; and to the French his intellect betrayed his common dress. Now, whether his fashion style truly reflected his sentiments is still debated among many. In any event, some argue that Franklin's persona and his clothes as part, helped persuade many in France to formally recognize American independence and offer their full support.

So, what does this mean for the teacher? The above anecdote is one of many ways to get students to understand how important messages can be projected just by one's style of fashion. Whole lessons can be built around how the narrative of history and fashion overlap one another. Do those in history have any parallels with us when it comes to how fashion either drives or reflects trends in clothing styles? What do these choices tell us about social folkways; as in what it may take to conform to expectations? How do our choices compare with those in other cultures? Do clothing choices interfere or enhance a student's experience at school? The opportunities to connect the classroom with the student's outer world are many and varied here.

Toys in the Classroom?

The compilation of 80’s toys commercials stirred great memories. I do recall many of those ads, and the days of playing with GI Joe, He-Man, and the like. Those types of toys gave way to virtual worlds with the arrival of home video games. While I consider the "cultural meaning" of my experience with toys, I do remember how these two distinct phases have relevance to expectations for middle-class white youth. Moreover, toys, like any element of popular culture, have seemingly endless possibilities for educator and student to engage.

My most vivid memories as a child and his toys have a recurring theme. From green Army men fixed in various poses and Old West style cap guns to GI Joe's sophisticated U.S.S. Flagg, most of my toys related to guns, violence, or other things that allowed me to engage in masculine play. In fact, anything with a hint of feminine qualities or at odds with these traditional assumptions was met with disdain. The greatest example of failed marketing was a product named My Buddy that, to my friends and I, was nothing more than a doll. Between Lego castles and fake guns, my toy experience revolved around reinforcing gender roles. Even at school, these impulses manifested themselves in drawings of war scenes and weapons. As I grew older, toys such as action figures gave way to video games. Still, the theme of my favorite games were the same as the toys I enjoyed in my early childhood. As video games became increasingly popular, there was a change in the amount of time spent with friends. In one sense, the games would bring friends together. Yet, overall "play" became a more independent venture.

As a teacher looking to integrate more elements of popular culture into his classroom, I found that a reflection of my own toy experience has some potential applications. As we continue to explore how popular culture reflects our collective values as a society, an appropriate learning exercise could give students an arena to assess current and past trends. For example, I would first ask students to reflect upon their own experience with toys by brainstorming a list of their favorites. Then, they would discuss reasons why they were driven to those particular toys. A recurring theme is leading students to consider the accuracy and fairness of issues such as race, class, and gender. The possibilities are many as the students may consider a variety of questions. What do the toys that you played with tell you about yourself? Did they reinforce or challenge traditional assumptions about “normal” behavior in children? Were toys that you were attracted to the same as those you received as gifts? Are toy choices an accurate reflection of our collective interests? Are there enough opportunities for minority groups? A discussion of issues related to play and toys can unlock more commonalities between student and teacher.

I'm Lovin' it?

Chapter 14 discusses the evolution and implications of modern food on our society. If we are to believe the authors' assertion, interesting is the development of food from a social and familial shared experience toward a taxing chore.

What is striking are the actual numbers that support the prevailing belief that there is an unhealthy relationships between women and their food. While "health" has different definitions over a variety of eras, it certainly appears that contemporary American women in particular have some questionable standards to live up to. Moreover, our vision of "health" is so skewed that women will engage in unhealthy, and even life-threatening, behavior in order to appear "healthy"! Most frustrating is that these standards appear to be set by fashion designers, corporations, and others who are otherwise out-of-touch with what stands for human health and beauty. The authors cite statistics about average model heights and weights--and this reader's reaction was one of frustration. I defy those who put models of above average hight and below average weight to poll your typical adult male. How can the populous take back "popular" culture and demand that the standards for health and beauty return to more of an accurate reflection of our interests?

Another interesting topic outlined in the chapter was the relationship between "big food" and weight loss programs. Often times, these two seemingly polarized entities actually are intertwined. The authors insinuate that some food corporations may benefit on either end of our society's tendency towards "yo-yo" dieting. This conspiracy, whether orchestrated by the same corporate machine or not, may have some truth. Some food interests have Americans salivating for the newest pizza technology that crams in more cheese--and the next commercial makes us feel terrible about our body image. While "big food" continually delivers more taste, "big diet" drives us to regret giving in to our desire for that latest and greatest in taste.

The implications for schools are far-reaching. For one, schools currently have to balance the cash cow of vending machines with the responsibility to teach students how to care for themselves. If students will drink soda and eat candy bars anyway, is it right for schools to provide these in the era of budget crises? If food had traditionally been a social experience, it may behoove schools to use nutrition to teach good choices and build relationships. Secondly, how can teachers use media messages about food as learning opportunities for their students? Lessons may involve researching primary sources in television, movies, and the internet and discussing the standards set forth. Who decides heath? Who decides beauty? What about other controversies surrounding race, class, and gender?

Andrew Eschle

10h Grade Advanced Placement U.S. History

Part of Unit 6; Day One: After the Exam

Lesson: Allegories as historical interpretive tools

Central Questions:
How can popular culture help us interpret historical events?

Learner Outcomes:
Students will be able to:

1. Understand the controversy surrounding historical interpretation
2. Understand how allegories can apply to history
3. Develop skills working in small groups
4. Create a comprehensive presentation

Materials needed:
Classroom space; computer lab with internet access; library materials; visual aids

Developmental Sequence:
Anticipatory Set:
Instructor asks students to recall specific characters from the movie The Wizard of Oz. Instructor guides discussion about allegorical connection to populism.

Body of the Lesson:
1. Instructor describes project to students
a. A rubric will be provided which includes
i. Clear expectations for student involvement in groups
ii. Clear expectations for quality of educational product
2. Instructor divides students into groups of five
a. Groups are given a choice of historical eras in which to analyze
1. Colonial history
2. American Revolution
3. Young Republic (1800-1825)
4. Jackson and Expansion
5. Crisis of Civil War
6. Reconstruction
7. The West
8. Rise of Big Business
9. American Imperialism
10. Progressive Era
11. 20th Century Foreign Policy
12. 20s and 30s
13. Cold War
14. 50s & Civil Rights
15. 60s & Vietnam
3. Students draw from popular culture to brainstorm possible connections
a. Students may choose any cultural product from visual or audio media
4. With instructor feedback, students pare down list and arrive at a consensus
5. Students begin work on construction of project

Assessment:
1. Teacher assesses student understanding throughout lesson.
2. Eventually, students will deliver presentation to the rest of the class.

Dear Parent and/or Guardian,

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about a key component to your student's learning experience. In this class, U.S. History, we often use popular culture as a baseline for understanding historical issues in society, the economy, politics, and diplomacy. While we certainly use traditional methods of content delivery, we intend to include samples from both historical and contemporary movies, television, music, the web, and the like. Part of our approach is to make as many connections as possible to your child's life outside the classroom.

We'll seek to explore this relationship in many different ways. Your child may be asked to view historical examples of popular culture. Examples may include patriotic music throughout or country's history compared to today. Popular culture reflected in music may be a great opportunity to discuss the controversies each period of study contains. Another way in which we integrate popular culture into our class is making judgment on what our society values. Popular culture may act as a backdrop to discuss the accuracy and fairness of issues such as race, class, and gender.

You may do your part at home to reinforce continual learning. Take every possible opportunity to ask questions about what judgments your child is exposed to in the various things they see and hear as part of their daily experience. Between fun and a healthy appreciation for critical analysis is a chance for growth.

Yours in education,
Andrew Eschle

Sex, Drugs, and the Honor Roll?

As a digital native, I also have a personal connection with computer-generated teaching agents. I remember well learning along with Garry Kasparov in Gambit, a chess simulation from the early 1990s. Kasparov would chime in with feedback depending on the moves the user would make. A far cry from the CPAs described in the interaction article, the feedback would come in the form of a black and white video clip of a few seconds. Kasparov's comments ranged from admonishment to exultation at the moves of a chess novice. I did react with self-satisfaction when Kasparov gave me real-time postive responses to my improvement. Accordingly, I remember at times yelling at the computer screen or worse if the response was disparaging. Certainly, I expressed myself differently than I would have if a human chess tutor was providing instant reinforcement.

Despite my hunch of how students would react to CPAs, the article on interaction with computer teaching agents was fascinating for the reader. Not surprising was that there was abuse--surprising was its prevalence. That 35% of the interactions were off-task is troubling. What's more, that 40% of those were sexually explicit is shocking! (Veletsianos et al, 297) Certainly, these results tell us much about what may be on the mind of students at any given time over two class periods. Now, it's human nature to look at the world as tests of power and domination, so that students would test the knowledge and shrewdness of the agent is expected. Though the CPA is intended as an aid to the student, many use the interaction as an opportunity to treat "her" as a sex object.

As a teacher in his fifth year, a couple major things bother me about the article. Teaching high school is often about setting appropriate boundaries for students. Physically and emotionally, adolescents are still developing the skill of making wise decisions and separating school from the outside. Instead of humoring students about killing being wrong, respect, or sexual relations (298), why doesn't the program simply ignore the students' absurd input? Each response from the agent begs another inappropriate salvo. Couldn't the instructor be alerted of any of this misbehavior? Secondly, why must anonymity be preserved for a lesson about urban geography? Any student misusing the computer can be redirected immediately. In fact, transcripts of student/expert interactions should be a requirement for any teacher looking to improve instruction for the future.

This, of course, brings us to the implications of both the use of CPAs and these specific results for the educator. If a transcript is made available, the teacher can look for key trends in student questions and adjust instruction/expectations for future lessons. Students may be unwilling or unable to present these questions directly to the classroom teacher. By anticipating where and when students may run aground, both the agent and the instructor can better facilitate student learning. Perhaps there is also a psychological or sociological application for the CPA as well. Besides a lesson on Urban Geography, could students appropriately explore issues and ask questions they may be reluctant to ask an adult face-to-face?

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start

The three articles regarding Video Gaming stirred great memories. As a gamer in my youth and now an educator, I can see common ground between the two. Those of my generation growing up in Minnesota may think of Oregon Trail, Odell Lake, or Number Munchers with great nostalgia. As a student, I remember how "Computer Lab Day" was seen as a break from the grind of the usual class schedule. Even though games such as these were rooted in content, the ability to manipulate characters made the experience enjoyable and memorable. Outside of school, as a youth of the Nintendo generation I explored many computer-generated worlds. Games such as The Legend of Zelda, Deja Vu, and Super Mario Bros. required me to take risks and solve problems. Contemporary games obviously have countless more layers. Presumably, today's gamers enjoy more sophistication and overall depth, but what is required of the user has largely remained the same. Over time, video games have demanded players to manipulate their environment, confront their own actions, and make moral choices in order to achieve the objective.

These themes have interesting implications for educators. Both the games themselves and the issues they raise can aid student understanding.

First, lessons and curricula may be repackaged in a video game format. As stated, I look back fondly on days spent in the computer lab. Most importantly, games such as The Oregon Trail are rooted in content--at the same time they require the player to make logical decisions and they are reactive to those actions. A contemporary game, Making History, updates these challenges and has players consider social, political, economic, and diplomatic implications of each action. Now, even if educators don't have access to these specific resources, they may borrow important lessons from the video game genre. For example, educators could repackage historical controversies. The lesson would be created so as to react to the actions of the students. What decisions and actions led to United States involvement in World War One? Students act as "players," where their movements affect the actions of other characters and manipulate their environments.



Second, video games, like any element of popular culture, are up for a discussion of societal standards. As implied in the Genderplay article, video games offer a wealth of controversies. Many and varied discussions could be derived from the gaming world. Obviously, gender issues as a reflection of overall popular culture could be explored. Today's games may offer to the classroom interesting investigations of heroism and redemption, as in Max Payne. The Grand Theft Auto series also deals with issues such as gender roles, but also begs questions regarding racism, loyalty, and moral quandaries. What better way to engage students on weighty issues such as these? Educators constantly look for ways to connect beyond the classroom--video games connect learning directly to the student's television or computer monitor.