Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Dan Oren
Literature Review
Dr. Swenson Lepper
CMST 380- Communication Research Methods
10/15/16
The Importance of Spoken Word Poetry in Schools and Communities in Relation to Critical
Pedagogy, Hybrid Theory and Third-Space Theory
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Spoken word is becoming an increasingly prevalent form of communication and art in the
world today. A plethora of spoken word videos permeate YouTube and Facebook where often
times particularly impactful spoken word videos go viral. One spoken word in particular comes
to mind where the artist talks about finals and the stress of college, but gives hope to students
that their life is not tied to their grades. This spoken word was circulating all over social media
because of its relevant, timely content. The presence of spoken word is not only felt in social
media though; spoken word is increasingly appearing in classrooms and live performances.
There is not a clear consensus as to the importance of this emerging art form though, as not all
classrooms use spoken word as a form of poetic study, and not everyone understands the cultural
implications of poetry. This literature review has the intention of examining the importance of
spoken word poetry in schools as a learning tool as well as the importance of spoken word as a
form of community building. Spoken word is an art form that originates from the same roots as
rap music. Rhythm And Poetry (or rap) is a musical style based on rhymes that originated in the
Bronx, New York, during the early 1970s (Aliagas, Fernandez, & Llonch, 2016, p. 75). This
form of art is made up of three parts: the lyrics, rhythm and rhyme, and the delivery. Not unlike
rap music, spoken word uses the same pieces, while foregoing the beats that go hand-in-hand
with rap. Considering that spoken word is an extension of rap, the uses of spoken word and rap
Rap in Schools
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Aliagas, Fernandez, and Llonch discuss the disregard for rap music that is present in
education specifically in Catalonia and Spain (2016). When discussing the reasons for this
neglect of rap music in research, Valenta states in Hip Hop in elementary schools: Are we really
listening teachers? that: This might be due to the widespread representations of rap music as a
peripheral discourse in society typically associated with gangs, street violence and misogyny-
something that makes educational actors believe that all lyrics transmit messages unsuitable for
children through inappropriate, explicit, and vulgar language (as cited in Aliagas, Fernandez, &
Llonch, 2016, p. 75). Despite the academic neglect of rap music, research has found that hip-hop
school subjects with the common culture of the students. This specific study is based on using
The study of Catalan rap use looks at thirdspace and hybridity theory to explain the
validity of rap in schools. Hybridity theory posits that people in any given community draw on
multiple resources or funds to make sense of the world (Moje et al., 2004 p. 42). This is an
integral part of third-space theory as the third-space is a hybrid space which involves multiple
resources to create a learning space. Both theories related look at the integration of competing
knowledges and Discourses; to the texts one reads and writes; to the spaces, contexts, and
relationships one encounters; and even to a persons identity enactments and sense of self (Moje
et al., 2004 p. 42). These theories state that schools benefit from using diverse forms of teaching
The idea of third-space fits in well with using rap in school systems despite rap having a
be used as a hybrid topic that not only teaches about the roots of an art form, English writing
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aspects of poetry, and figurative language, but also uses common culture and interests of popular
rap music to create a third-space; a situation where both culture and academics are combined.
The same research and concepts can be applied to the use of spoken word in schools, as the two
forms of art share the same ancestry and many of the same attributes.
Considering the close relation that spoken word and hip-hop share, one can relate
findings of rap as a form of hybrid and third-space learning also to spoken word. Spoken word is
also not a form of poetry found in common curriculum. Research has been conducted that uses
spoken word in conjunction with more standard poetry teachings. Dr. M. Dikobe (2010) works
with spoken word in class because she wants students to not feel turned off from poetry by only
studying traditional English poetry (Dikobe, 2010 p. 6). Dr. Dikobe explains traditional poetry as
the first step for her students so that the framework can be set, and then allow students to then
write their own free form poetry of rap or spoken word to perform. Her reasoning behind the use
of spoken word was partially based on the difficulties students, and herself, can face when
studying iambic pentameter. (but) the rules on establishing the iambic pentameter remain
elusive for some of us who were not properly taught how to identify these elements in a poem,
and fail to break down the technicalities for our students (2010). Since instructor guidance and
analysis is not always adequate to foster an understanding of poetic forms like iambic
pentameter, having students themselves write and perform poetry helps them to understand and
apply concepts more than just learning it from a teacher (Dikobe, 2010). This fitswith the
research of third-space and hybrid theories, where the use of instruction and application create
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several different spaces of learning by combining things like common culture, and students own
interests with the teaching of standard poetry; in this case iambic pentameter.
Mia Fiore (2013) understands the importance of spoken word and its use to fight
oppression during the Black Arts Movement, and hip hop throughout the 1980s and 1990s
(2013). Fiore believes that spoken word is able to accomplish even more now because of its
common place in schools and culture where children are able to question and negotiate the
conditions of their lives (Fiore, 2013 p. 814). When students of the inner city are able to use
spoken word to speak what they believe and do it while not being conformed to a curriculum,
they may be able to build a better foundation to be engaged in their education, and to be able to
Fiore speaks from experience as she discusses the use of spoken word poetry. Being a
poet herself Fiore (and a colleague) went to a classroom of a school in New Jersey to share some
of their poetry with the students. The teacher of the students had given Fiore an idea of what
poems to share based on the current topics being learned/taught: women, race, stereotypes and
the glass-ceiling (Fiore, 2013). The reaction of the students showed Fiore that they had intently
paid attention, and that they were interested in the subjects of the poems. Fiore states that
because of the interest being shown that the teacher had learned what interested his/her students
and recognized the importance of knowing those interests. Spoken word in schools can be used
to bring out the interests of studentscombining them with teaching to create the same type of
third-space and hybrid education that was discussed earlier with the research of Moje (2004).
Fiore discusses research by Gloria Ladson-Billings (2004) that looks at the problems that
background and culture of the students, while attributing any failure to the students as an
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individual without taking into consideration other factors. We lack complex understandings of
how individual, family, community, school, and societal factors interact to create school failure
for some students (Ladson-Billings, 2004). Teachers who are not able to understand these other
factors will struggle to be capable of tailoring teaching to the interests and cultures of their
students. This issue of failing to fully understand students in teaching can be said to be one of the
reasons that spoken word does not hold a normative place in schools today. If the culture of
students these days highly value hip-hop and spoken word, then teachers should be able to
Critical Pedagogy
The use of spoken word in schools is a form of critical pedagogy. McLaren states that
critical pedagogy:
Brings into the arena of schooling practices insurgent, resistant, and insurrectional modes
of interpretation which set out to imperil the familiar, to contest the legitimate norms of
mainstream social life and to render problematic common discursive frames and regimes
within which proper behavior, comportment, and social interactions are premised. (as
Critical pedagogy is the way that normal teaching can be challenged and the sphere in which
teaching devices such as spoken word can be utilized. The use of spoken word is a different form
of teaching than the standards of most curriculum, so it falls under a critical pedagogy. Biggs-El
has researched rap and spoken word specifically to African-American cultures. She views rap
and spoken word as a way for students to evangelize, which is not to say they are proclaiming a
certain faith, but that they can use their poetry to inspire, and to show others their experiences
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and worldview through a personal lens (Biggs-el, 2012). When the students are able to express
their own views and emotions it is a critical pedagogy because it often pushes against and
challenges the normal teaching in schools. This is what critical pedagogy is about.
Further research has also looked at spoken word as a form of critical pedagogy in
schools. Desai and Marsh (2005) look at specific poems of students who are in the PEACE class
which stands for Political Education, Art, and Critical Expression (2005). The goal of the
government funded class was to allow students to be both students and teachers by allowing
them to speak on their own experiences and ideologies. Desai and Marsh concluded that teachers
need to try to understand the students. A failure to acknowledge the realities and lived
within and outside the multiple discourses that come into the classroom (2005). Spoken word is a
way that the students were able to be understood within and outside of the typical classroom
students to be effective teachers. Spoken word as a critical pedagogy helps to bridge the gap
between teachers and students, where students are not always able to express themselves and
their interests.
Stovall (2006) looked at four different poetry educators that use spoken word as a way to teach
social justice and activism (2006). Stovalls research draws from Ladson-Billings research
(discussed earlier) on the need for cultural understanding of the students while teaching. The
poetry educators who were interviewed used normal classrooms for their teachings and
abnormal, because their instructional contributions are of critical importance as they provide
multiple perspectives on best practices in engaging young people (Stovall, 2006). This form of
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critical pedagogy makes sense for teaching about social justice, which is a subject one could
argue is more prevalent outside of the confines of a classroom. Stovall (2006) concluded through
Social justice in education remains a broad but necessary concept in a world where young
to take place within and beyond the ideological space of the traditional school setting
with docile students and didactic instructors, it behooves us to engage and support the
Spoken word in schools as shown in the research of Stovall can be a tool to teach and inspire
social justice, and at the same time is able to meet students in their respective domains of interest
While there is much research done on the prevalence and importance of spoken word and
rap use in schools, there is also research underscoring the importance of its use outside of
classrooms. Research has been done that looks at the benefits of spoken word as a therapy. A
study done by Alvarez and Mearns looked at ten different poets, five men and five women, from
different urban poetry venues in the U.S (2014). The poets were interviewed and asked questions
to determine if they write to relieve stress, and what part of their writing process contributes
most to the therapeutic effect. The study used grounded theory as its basis and categories were
created to be the main focus in assessing the responses connecting with the community, forum
of communication, personal connection through work, emotional development, and internal drive
to write and perform provided the supporting structure for understanding the motivating factors
and the effects of writing and performing in the spoken word community (Alvaraz & Mearns,
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2014 p. 267). The research found that there are many benefits to spoken word. Some of the
benefits found were tied to the reciprocal relationship between the audience and poet. The
relationship is not viewed as one sided. Rather, both the poet and the audience member play
active roles in contributing to the experience (2014). This reciprocal connection was important
for eight of the ten poets interviewed. Other beneficial factors present were the cathartic release
through writing, telling a story, and being an inspiration. Alvarez concluded that many of the
benefits of spoken word come from the fact that it is a performance art, and many of the upsides
are not present in written poetry alone. The vocal expression and community of spoken word
with emphasis on connecting with others creates a type of experience that can be used
therapeutically (Alvarez & Mearns, 2014). Spoken word as a form of therapy is an important
Spoken word can be effective at building community. Much like what Alvarez and
Mearns discuss, poetry community can be established based on the emotional expression and
connection of the speakers and listeners. Weinstein and West (2012) write:
Youth spoken word poetry is not about developing individual artistry in the rarified
integral part of everyday life, in which speaking the truth means being honest about
ones experiences, and in which being honest in that way is a responsibility to self and
This particular study looks at the benefits and also drawbacks of spoken word communities in
what is called the field of Youth Spoken Word (YSW). The research was accrued by over 50
interviews, visiting spoken word sites, going to slam poetry events, and by analyzing media like
Further research into spoken word of youth specifically has been done. In the last decade
youth spoken word has become much more prominent. The increased visibility of youth
spoken-word in the last ten years sheds critical light on several facets of youth popular culture
(Ingalls, 2012 p. 100). Furthermore, Ingalls goes on to talk about the increase in research based
on literacy and pedagogy (which was covered briefly earlier in this review). The research looks
at youth poets as being poet-citizens who have input into the poetic community. Ingalls poses
message? How best can I articulate it? How will my audience react? What risks am I taking?
What difference will my message make? (2012 p. 106) These questions affect both poet and
audience, as the interactions are two sided. The poets interact in a living community where there
Spoken word as a form of community fits in similar to the use of written poetry as a
form of political and artistic empowerment (Jocson, 2006a, ). Jocson studied the program P4P,
or Poetry for the People, where students are able to join, be introduced to poetry, write poetry
and then teach it themselves. The program would give students a topic every week that they
would discuss in large or small groups. The students would get to respond to topics with their
own poems and this gave them a chance to empower themselves by speaking their world view.
One student in particular, wrote on the struggles of being black and Filipino, where he was able
to challenge the typical view of himself through his poem and to be able to speak on issues that
are not commonly discussed. (Jocson, 2006). This empowerment through poetry is akin to the
way that Ingalls views poet-citizens. Youth have the ability to inspire and empower those in their
respective poetic communities through the expression of spoken and written poetry.
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Jocson has done further research into youth poetry communities where she looks at
literacy in conjunction to using poetry. The increase of spoken word in the U.S. has paved the
way for increased research and use of spoken word throughout schools and outside of them
(Jocson, 2006b). The study and analysis of literacy was based on hybridity and third-space
theories like has been discussed earlier. Again, Jocson looks at P4P with a framework she
created called PPP, poetry as practice, process, and product. The process portion would be
considered in class things like lectures, group readings or writing. Product is revised writing,
drafts, and publications. Practice is the use in and outside of school whether individual or group
based. Several students/poets were subjects of the study (Jocson, 2006b). Through the research
and analysis Jocson found that: To improve learning and teaching practices in urban and
multicultural settings, educators and researchers must take into account the current (re)emerging
phenomenon in poetry, spoken word, and slam competitions in broadening the definition of
literacy (2006b). I believe this study is used not only to provide reason for spoken word to be
used to increase literacy in schools, but to also create community in classrooms that is open to
Conclusion
Extensive research has looked at spoken word in the classroom and spoken word culture/
community outside of schools. Considering that spoken word is becoming more and more
predominant in modern culture and the media, it has many uses in classrooms as a third-space,
hybrid teaching that is also a form of critical pedagogy. The way that spoken word can combine
many different views and discourses means that it can be used effectively in classrooms to
interact with the students culture. Spoken word outside of schools is able to build communities
as poets and audiences reciprocate expression and build off of each others experiences. Poets
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can be viewed as poet-citizens where they have a responsibility and ability to inspire and affect
others. In both contexts of school and outside of school spoken word is an important and integral
part of teaching and learning for todays youth. Further research can be done to delve deeper into
References
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