Search

This article discusses the teaching of life skills to urban American youths who are highly fascinated with the hip-hop culture--songs, raps, miming, lyrics, dressing and musical rhythms, especially individuals with emotional disabilities in the public schools. This is an instructional curriculum strategy to encourage positive and active participation of these students, promote perfect school attendance, encourage good behaviors, deal with anger management and motivate committed learning in the classroom. The instructors' understanding of students' culture, learning needs and styles, and using such background knowledge to educate them become imperative in this setting. These urge for innovative and leadership projects in the author's special education classroom necessitated the application of hip-hop music to teach life skills, reading and other functional skills in the classroom. The outcome was positive and rewarding to both the teachers and students. There are recommendations for interested teachers to devise creative teaching methods, differentiated instruction and appropriate classroom management practices to attain student achievement.

This paper establishes the place of language and graffiti practiced by exceptional individuals in the interpretation of family values, the preservation of culture and traditional heritage of the Igbo community in Southeastern Nigeria. The paper also takes a cursory look at graffiti art and exceptionality in a time when the Igbo tradition and culture were highly respected, jealously guarded and deep-rooted in the heart and soul of its people. Graffiti creations by exceptional individuals transfer both oral and visual education to documented tradition; for societal knowledge and awareness, individual wisdom, expressions against repression, pride and recognition of Igbo language and art. Unfortunately, the post-Nigeria civil war, evangelical movements with their doctrines and practices, including the influence of western culture; the highly revered expressive medium of exceptional minds are fast disappearing from the Igbo environment. Today, the contemporary Igbo society seemed to be neglecting genuine graffiti art works, turning to other forms of mass communication to pass on information, messages and protests - example, the high-tech murals, internet blogs, electronic billboards, etc. The author recommends collaboration between exceptional artists, researchers and institutions, to revive the positive aspects of graffiti art, and commitment of individual graffiti artists; among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]