The Art Of Critical Pedagogy

This book furthers the discussion concerning critical pedagogy and its practical applications for urban contexts. It addresses two looming, yet under-explored questions that have emerged with the ascendancy of critical pedagogy in the educational discourse: (1) What does critical pedagogy look like in work with urban youth? and (2) How can a systematic investigation of critical work enacted in urban contexts simultaneously draw upon and push the core tenets of critical pedagogy? Addressing the tensions inherent in enacting critical pedagogy - between working to disrupt and to successfully navigate oppressive institutionalized structures, and between the practice of critical pedagogy and the current standards-driven climate - The Art of Critical Pedagogy seeks to generate authentic internal and external dialogues among educators in search of texts that offer guidance for teaching for a more socially just world.

This book offers a re-examination of art production in terms that understand the process of learning as the production of art itself. Drawing on the thought of Ranciere, Freire, Gramsci and Mouffe, it provides an account of the politics of art production and a theoretical understanding of hegemonic power, while developing a view of method in critical pedagogy founded on the process of ‘making adversaries’. Through a re-evaluation of the relationships between process, arts production and pedagogy within accelerated developments of neoliberalism, the author uncovers ways of forming a more co-operative and less conflictual approach to democratic politics. An investigation of ways in which art practice can be used to engage with critical pedagogy in relation to a commodity driven neoliberal agenda, Art, Critical Pedagogy and Capitalism constitutes a radical rethinking of art making, and an attempt to address the paradox between the proliferation of the commodity of learning and the perceived crisis of arts education. As such, it will appeal to scholars of education, pedagogy and the arts with interests in social and critical theory.

First published in 1998, this work identifies the possibilities, concepts, needs and strategies for radical reform of traditional art education by resituating it within the postmodern paradigm. It advocates continued research to inform theory and practice in art education, providing detailed summaries of new methodologies, such as semiotics and deconstruction. It is clearly sectioned and easy to use which provides an ideal foundation for postmodern art education.

This edited text recaptures many of Joe L. Kincheloe’s national and international influences. An advocate and a scholar in the social, historical, and philosophical foundations of education, he dedicated his professional life to his vision of critical pedagogy. The authors in this volume found mentorship, as well as kinship, in Joe and express the many ways in which he and his work made profound differences in their work and lives. Joe’s research always pushed the limits of what critically reflective and informed teaching entailed, never diluting the import of comprehending the complexity of sociopolitical, cultural, economic, and educational discourses and practices. Dedicated to a praxis of social and political activism rooted in students’ development as citizens and workers, the labor of teachers as action researchers, cultural workers, and social mediators is always at the heart of all he achieved. We who were so influenced directly and indirectly by him knew his genius and relished the generosity with which he shared his ideas, advice, encouragement, and art. The world is better because of Joe L. Kincheloe scholarship—inextricably related to “critical” critical thinking and enactment of education that tenaciously interrupts complacency, mediocrity, always responding thoughtfully to particular educational contexts.

This collection demonstrates how physical objects, materials, space and environments teach us, and redefines practice with theory (praxis) as a more-than-human network. The contributions illustrate how the materials, process, pedagogies and theories of Arts making question and disrupt the many forms of cultural dominance that exist in our society.

Reflexivity and Critical Pedagogy is concerned with understanding the complex political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that define knowledge and that constitute the contexts in which learning takes place. Reflexivity is key to achieving truly useful approaches to knowledge creation and dissemination.

This book has received the AESA (American Educational Studies Association) Critics Choice Award 2012. This book introduces a progressive type of education called Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy. This pedagogy utilizes the arts to promote critical learning, and incorporates particular types of aesthetic experiences into pedagogical practices to increase students' social empowerment and commitment to social justice. The first coherent body of work that marries critical pedagogy and aesthetics, the book guides theory and practice for teacher educators interested in infusing their critical pedagogical practices with the arts. It also proposes tangible reforms in the public school system that will enable a critical aesthetic process to take root and thrive. Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy can be used in upper-level undergraduate and graduate teacher education and art education courses. It can also help P-12 teachers and art organizations to successfully develop and carry out critical aesthetic practices at all levels. In addition, it provides a rationale for school administrators, community leaders, and educational policymakers for embracing critical aesthetic practices as a way to improve the education of all children.