Pop Culture

Lou Anne Johnson is a pop culture teacher played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie Dangerous Minds. Dangerous Minds was definitely a Hollywood movie, but still had some important character ideas serving relevance to what 21st century educators should still resemble today. The premise of the movie depicts that inner city schools often have students who are behind, (not exclusively, but primarily minorities), but with true passion, understanding, compassionate effort, these students can rise to astonishing levels of success. “Passion and motivation is the fuel that propels the human spirit and this is at the core of student achievement” (Balls, Eury, & King, 2011).

Witnessed throughout the movie are several instructional strategies for promoting student motivation. The teacher begins the class by informing all students that they are starting with an A; all they have to do is try to keep it. In the book, Tools for Teaching, Barbara Davis, would support this motivational method because of her belief of de-emphasizing grades and promoting learning for learning’s sake. One of her motivational strategies states, “Ensure opportunities for students’ by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult.” It is evident in the movie that the students could care less what the teacher knows until they are certain she cares about them. Not only is the teacher extremely patient while waiting to earn the respect of her students, but also maintains a positive and determined attitude toward them.

The teacher’s role as an educator can compare directly to the philosophical aspects of behaviorism. According to the behaviorist, teachers have many rewards or other incentives prepared and ready when the need for motivating students...

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...specially relevant to the outside world! In Dangerous Minds, however; a genuine effort for connection to the students is a powerful agent in helping students recover their desire to learn and excel.

References

Balls, J.D., Eury, D.A., King, J.C. (2011). Rethink, rebuild, rebound. City, State: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Bass, R., (1995) Dangerous Minds. Hollywood, CA: Hollywood Pictures.

Karp, Stan. (2011). Taking teacher quality seriously: A collaborative approach to teacher evaluation. Retrieved xxMonth20xx http://rethinkingschoolsblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/taking-teacher-quality-seriously-a-collaborative-approach-to-teacher-evaluation/

Ozmon, H.A. (2012). Philosophical Foundations of Education: Ninth Edition. City, State: Pearson Education, Inc.

If you quote a line from a movie, you must provide the source for it here.