Step aside Jay-Z, P Diddy, and 50 Cent. Due to a 50 percent reduction in its operating budget, the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching is canceling many of its teacher-training seminars for the fall 2011, and one that got the axe is titled “The Hip-Hop Education Guide for Teachers.”
NCCAT was funded primarily by a $6.1 million appropriation from the General Assembly, but that was reduced to $3 million in the new budget. The teacher retreat has laid off 35 employees. (More details on NCCAT can be found in Carolina Journal stories here and here.)
Here’s a description of the “hip-hop” seminar:
Hip-hop can be a powerful educational tool for teaching across the curriculum, from English language arts to algebra to the periodic table. This musical genre, co-opted by mainstream culture, has transformed from a rebellious, largely positive form of youth expression in the late 1970s, to the commercialized, multibillion-dollar juggernaut that it is today. Teachers forced to compete with media bombardment for students’ attention can use the technology and music of hip-hop to engage students in learning. Discover how creating new lyrics to the rhythm of hip-hop enhances critical thinking skills for all students, including those struggling in school. Examine how the history of hip-hop ties to the rich tradition of African American music and poetry, including jazz from the era of the Harlem Renaissance. Explore how hip-hop’s impact on global culture today compares to the influence of jazz eighty years ago. Capitalize on the power and poetry of hip-hop as a means to promote literacy and academic success in your classroom.
In the past, NCCAT also has offered an alumni weekend retreat focused on the tunes of Motown.
