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How teachers negotiate the use of reality television in their pedagogy

2011; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/1554480x.2011.554621

1554-4818

Jacqueline Bach,

Digital Storytelling and Education

While the integration of popular culture into classroom practices is often characterized as superficial, this article proposes that reality television game shows, such as Kid nation, The amazing race and Project runway, can provide educators with ideas for designing authentic activities based on the challenges carried out in these programmes. In these shows, contestants are asked to produce useful products and solutions to actual problems. These shows, which combine aspects from traditional game shows, reality shows and sporting events, can redefine the ways in which educators infuse popular culture into their pedagogical practices. Based on a fourth-grade unit on government, this article examines how two teachers incorporated aspects of reality television into their teaching and how their students responded to these lessons. The author concludes with a discussion of how teachers might negotiate the use of these shows in their practice.