Category: Uncategorized

Pedagogy and Power: What is the Banking Model to Friere? (And Me!)

In Paulo Friere’s novel Pedagogy and Power, he ridicules and dismisses the education system by creating a metaphor called the banking model of education. Friere constructs the banking model of education to appropriately describe the relationship between student and teacher as an oppressive one. Through Friere’s eyes, the teacher is seen as an all knowing being and the student an empty vessel. Their relationship consists of the teacher simply depositing all of their knowledge into the students like containers, establishing an inequality and reinforcing that there is only one right way to learn. It takes away any possibility that the teacher might not have all the right answers and takes away the possibility that the teacher could possibly benefit from a student’s knowledge (the student’s knowledge outside of the education system is ignored). Creativity is stripped away as well, when teaching methods remain rigid and authoritative. The students simply receive and memorize the knowledge bestowed upon them and spit it back out when taking standardized testing. This is not beneficial to either the donor or the recipient, however Friere is obviously assigning empowerment to the educator and disempowerment to

Before I went to college and read thought provoking and controversial pieces like Pedagogy and Power, I preached the banking model of education to anyone who would listen to me without even knowing they were Friere’s words. My entire 12 years of mandatory schooling within the education system is just flash images of me sitting in an uncomfortable desk listening to my teacher drone on and participating with answers and questions I knew they only wanted to hear. To question my teacher’s position as the proprietor was not only deemed as disrespectful but foolish as well. I don’t think I can narrow down my experience of the banking concept of education down to one moment in one class when I truly believe that my entire education from elementary school through to high school conformed to what Friere argued about. High School more so than perhaps middle school and elementary school, made me feel small and insignificant. The only class that made me feel as if what I had to say was important had to have been my English classes, but even then there was a right way to analyze a certain piece of literature that I might not have always got right. Having to deal with standardized testing (ELA’s, NY regents, etc) made me feel as though learning was a chore and pressured me into an anxiety ridden state of mind for not being able to digest and memorize all of the information thrown at me adequately. The only positives that I can think of concerning this way of learning as the student, is being open to the idea and prospect that we all still have plenty of learning to do and grow from.

 

 

Blog 2: My Art Story

van Gogh, Vincent

When we say the word “art” we are describing any form of human activity ranging from music to sculptures and paintings. Some of the various forms of art are: music, paintings, dance, architecture, drawing, photography and ceramics.  Individuals connect with a piece of art using their thoughts, emotions, beliefs and ideas. For most people art is a safe haven in which they allow their thoughts to run wild.

To me, art is used to be myself.  In my life I’ve dealt with different forms of art. I was a member of my school chorus starting in 4th grade of elementary school to the end of my sophomore year of high school. Art allows me to creatively express my inner thoughts. When I’m feeling a certain way whether I am happy or sad I like to listen to different music and just drift away. Different music allows me to relax and reflect on life.

Through this class I want to learn more about the meaning behind famous pieces of art. I would like to know what the meaning behind the Mona Lisa is, other than whats being shown. I would like to also learn about the derivation of the different forms of music. Over the years hip-hop or rnb music has become famous but when did this start?

My art story

Michael DeGennaro -Art1010

Post#1

Write up your art story: What we we mean when we say art? What is art to you? How does it fit in to your life? What do you want to learn about in this class?

Art is a vehicle for expression.  It allows you to drive and explore your thoughts in creative ways.  It allows you you to express your feelings in ways beyond just speaking.  It comes in limitless forms such as music, dance, doodling, drawing, painting and much more.

Art is especially important to me in the form of decorating.  A very young me became infatuated with the holidays, not only for the love of being able to connect with my family on a traditional basis, but for the love of being able to express myself in my home creatively.  My favorite holiday to decorate for is Christmas.  This past year, I loved taking the non traditional Christmas color of cobalt blue, interweave it with traditional elements of Christmas,  and transforming my home into a white and blue winter-wonderland.  I look forward to my yearly trips to Pier One and Michaels, searching for ornaments and trying to find the perfect garlands  to turn my home into a piece of art for the holidays.

Beyond decorating however, art  connects me with the social issues of the world. One of my favorite artists has become Hannah Hoch.  Her pieces are extremely rooted in the issues that women face in society.  The piece below demonstrates that women in society are thought to be “doll- like”.  Their bodies are mangled and cut out and pasted on a piece of paper, which adopts a very chaotic, yet angry tone, drawing a parallel to the feelings of women in society.  Several eyes are pasted on the paper, entailing that women are constantly judged in society, based on beauty standards (nails, shoes, hair, makeup) , but also gives the idea of the reversal of the “status quo.”  Here the women are looking at the audience, and quite possibly judge the audience for a change.  I love that her artwork is open for analysis.

In this class, I hope to learn about specific pieces of art, that are rooted in social issues in the world, because I find those especially interesting. 

 

Blog Post 1:

To learn how to use the Cuny Academic Commons Site you first go to

  1. commons.gc.cuny/edu
  2. log into your commons account
  3. click on the group tag and look for Art 1010 Fall 2018, the 9:30 am class
  4. click on the post or media tag on the upper left side corner
  5. click on post
  6. create your title, in this case, you would put whatever topic is being discussed
  7. type in your discussion/topic in the white box
  8. you can attach files if you want
  9. submit once you’re one!

And you’re done!

Blog Post 2: My Art Story

So what is art? Art is a vague and broad topic when people hear the word art, they mainly think of doodles, pictures or art museum. When I hear the word art, I think differently. I think of art as one’s expression. It can be messy, it can be a portrait, it can mean dancing/choreography, music, it can be doodles and graffiti. Art is limitless.  In my life, art is everywhere, whether it be from the doodles on my books and papers, or graffitis on the street, there’s no way of avoiding art in your daily life. I hope to learn about how different artists view their arts, and what they were thinking and feeling when they create their masterpiece. I would also love to learn about the skills and techniques that were developed over time!

 

Blog 2: My art story

 

Art, a three letter word.  Such a small word with such big meanings.  Art can really mean anything you want it to mean.  From a song to a picture to a quote, I believe that as long as it inspires you or conveys a message it is art.  Personally when I hear the word art I think of mixed media.  I took mixed media my senior year in high school and since then I can say my perspective of what art is really changed.

The goal of my mixed media class was to mix all type of materials and paint to create a portrait of anyone who inspired us and with it send a message to inspire someone else.  I chose Merida, the princess.  Her movie send out a strong message for anyone watching.  During class everything was about inspiration.  All the art my teacher showed the class had a meaningful message for the picture itself or for the audience to receive.

It was then that I realized that art to me was exactly that, something that inspires someone or tries to convey a message for itself.  It can be a simple picture of a sky and if it motivates you then I consider it art.  Music is art, photography, dance, painting, drawings, sculptures, and books can all be art.  It is all in the person in how they perceive the message given.  Art is something that we all create without knowing it.

 

Blog Post #2: My Art Story

When we say art, we mean multiple things. We mean history, expression, and culture. Art is apart of our everyday lives whether we realize it or not. When we speak about art, we can speak about the powerful impact it has had in our past as well as our present. A discussion about art can be inexhaustible because of how vast and significant it is.

Art to me is a form of expression and therapy. I think every type of art can help people in their life. Whether it is writing, painting, drawing, creating fashion, music, and even reading. It can be relaxing and even a way of releasing a lot of emotions that aren’t so easy to express verbally. Art is also a form of education. The world is full fascinating history and we are able to know so many of these significant time periods and historical events through paintings and writing. These works of art allow history to come alive for us.

Art plays a big part in my life. I have always struggled with anxiety and expressing myself and art has always helped me with that. I have always taken comfort in writing, reading, and fashion. These forms of art have always been my own personal  form of therapy and they are incorporated in my everyday life.

I am really interested in learning about the renaissance era, the enlightenment era, and how religion played a role in a lot of the artwork that was seen during these time periods. I feel as though the art during these era’s represented a lot of the ideals that they believed in. I also feel as though they were even more unique and beautiful during these periods.

Image result for blue renaissance art