African-centered education in US urban schools, Non-Western Educational Tradition Appeals to Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Taiba Borahmah Temple University

Visual Learning objective Learn hip-hop as a non-Western educational traditions. Purpose of education Learn to use hip-hop in education Lesson Use graffiti to draw alphabetic letters on the board (Emdin, 2012). Use dancing to learn classroom materials, such as organization (Emdin, 2012).

Visual (cont.) Explicit Instructions Find different colors and a black board. Find five students that will participate in dancing. Guided Practice Take the colors and draw alphabetic letters on the black board. Form a dancing group of about five people and make dancing moves that reflect alphabetic letters. Assessment of the Lesson Assess whether they have been able to create a graffiti. Assess whether they have been able to create a dance that reflects alphabetic letters. Discussion questions Have you used hip hop to improve your learning?

Auditory Learning objective Learn to use auditory non-Western educational traditions. Purpose of education Learn to apply knowledge in life. Lesson Use the problem-posting technique through (Micheletti, 2010, p.1; Reagan, 2004, p.42): Listening to a story. Asking questions about the story. Applying the story to real life situation.

Auditory (cont.) Explicit Instructions Read a story in a book to students: The banking concept of learning and the problem-posing technique of education (Freire, 1972) and (Micheletti, 2010). Guided Practice Ask the students to listen to the story. Ask the students to ask questions about the story Ask the students to demonstrate how they will apply the story to their real life situations. Assessment of the Lesson Assess whether they have been able listen to the story. Assess whether they have been able listen ask questions about the story. Assess whether they have been able to apply the story to real life situations. Discussion questions Have you been able to apply knowledge in life?

Kinesthetic Learning Objective Learn kinesthetic non-Western educational traditions through African- centered education, focusing on improving self-esteem. Purpose of education Learn to use other culture to improve learning. Lesson Use the seven principles of blackness through (Freire, 1972, p.53) and (Mayes, 2009, p.226): Learn through performing an activity (Lomotey, 1992).

Kinesthetic (cont.) Explicit Instructions Divide the students into seven groups for each Swahili principle. Teach them how to apply the seven principle of blackness in the community.. Guided Practice Ask the students to show the way they can use the seven principles in their lives (Freire, 1972, p.53) and (Mayes, 2009, p.226): Umoja “unity” – work in groups. Kujichagulia “self-determination” – improve self-esteem. Ujima “collective work and responsibility” – work without supervision. Ujamaa“cooperative economics” – work together. Nia “purpose” – have a goal to achieve. Kuumba “creativity” – creating innovative solutions. Imani “Faith” – believe that they can accomplish their goals. (Lomotey, 1992, p.458). Assessment of the Lesson Assess whether they been able to apply the seven principles in their lives. Discussion questions Have you been able to apply the seven principles of blackness?

Ways non-Western educational traditions can transform urban education In the African tradition they can improve the schooling system by their ability to build self-esteem through their education of the seven principles of blackness. This was learned by our Kinesthetic exercise. Another positive take from the African system is the ability to help the students by story telling instead of the ‘banking system’. This was learned by our Auditory exercise.

References Emdin, C. (2012, April 28). Hip hop education. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYpcqntL8O0 Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Sheed and Ward. Jensen, B., & Sawyer, A. (2012). Regarding education: Mexican-American schooling, immigration, and bi-national improvement. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Lomotey, K. (1992). Independent black institutions: African-centered education models. Journal of Negro Education, 61(4), 455-462. Mayes, K. (2009). Kwanzaa: Black power and the making of the African- American holiday tradition. New York, NY: Routledge. Micheletti, G. (2010). Re-envisioning Paulo Freire’s “banking concept of education”. In Student Pulse, 2(2), 1. Reagan, T. (2004). Non-Western Educational Traditions: Alternative Approaches to Educational Thought and Practice. New York: Routledge