Summative Reflection Project

Permission to Wonder

For my Summative Reflection Project I chose to do a folk art style painting influenced by the styles of both Faith Ringgold and her story quilts and Grandma Moses with her primitive, flat, painting style.  My intent was to have this painting be a very visual example of students being given "the permission to wonder" during a VTS lesson.

The overall dimensions of the painting are 18x24 inches.  It is painted with acrylic paint on gesso board.  The border wraps around the edge so no frame is necessary.

I used my actual classroom as inspiration for this piece with a little "artistic license" thrown in for the composition's sake.  The words around the perimeter describe the VTS process in more detail if the viewer feels the need to know more.  I think the image stands alone without the words, but the words offer the "story" of VTS and answer the question "what's going on in this picture".

To test whether or not this painting really does tell the story of VTS I have asked a few people who are unfamiliar with the process the VTS questions and they seem to figure out my meaning and intent.  One of my favorite comments was when someone said, "I see a class of eager students".  That comment could sum up what I would like viewers to take away from this painting--that VTS engages students and they eagerly discuss and debate the images.  If it's true that "a picture is worth a thousand words", then I hope my painting visually explains the VTS method and encourages viewers to learn more.

Blog Topic #16: Pre and Post VTS Analysis

pre/post VTS scoring rubrics

In addition to "word count", I used "interpretations w/evidence", and "detailed observations" from the pre and post VTS scoring rubric.  I think I pretty much knew the word count would be significant and the detailed observations as well.  But I was curious to see if the more complex ideas using evidence would also be significant.  And, to my delight, all three categories resulted in significant results.  The word count was considered "extremely statistically significant";  detailed observations were considered to be "very statistically significant"; and interpretations w/evidence were considered to be just "statistically significant".  This just confirms my belief that VTS is an invaluable tool in the classroom.  In just a short time these particular students have improved their observation skills along with increased vocabulary and better written expression.  I'd just like to say "WOW"!

Blog Topic #15: Preliminary VTS findings

I was amazed at my students' post VTS writing samples!  All but one student increased their word count --and I mean significantly--like from 19 words to 245 words at one extreme.  Most at least doubled their word count.  And a few of the other categories were just as amazing--especially the detailed observations.  My students may still be Stage 1 viewers, but they are definitely noticing more and more about the images.  This doesn't really surprise me as I really believe that VTS is an unbelievable method of teaching students to think and write creatively.  Even Student #1, one of my "persons of interest", who lacks self confidence expressing himself, more than doubled his word count and quadrupled his simple observations! I'm sure their classroom work has contributed to this increase as well, but by using VTS I think we can really make a difference.  The students really seemed to have fun writing about the image!  Just imagine what a difference several years of VTS could have on a group of students!  I think my group of 3rd graders will continue to benefit from their VTS experience and eventually become insightful critical thinkers.  I know that I am much more aware of helping them get the most out of their VTS sessions and it has really been a joy to watch them as they answer the question:  "What's going on in this picture?"

Blog Topic #14: Portrait of Possibility--Revisited

I had actually chosen two students to use as my "portraits of possibility" because they each had such different issues that I thought VTS could help with.  Student #1 is a student who struggles both academically and socially and I thought that VTS could help draw him out of his shell and give him some confidence when speaking in front of his classmates.  And I think that I have seen evidence that he feels comfortable with the neutrality of VTS discussions.  During our last session he was one of the first students to speak up.  And even though several students subsequently respectfully disagreed with him, he still revised his first thought and later offered another possibility to the discussion.  That is definite progress!  As far as his post-VTS writing, he definitely improved by offering many more observations.  His observations are still simple--Stage 1, but he is confident enough to engage and notice everything he can.

Student #2 is new to our school and started out displaying "bullying" behavior in addition to being disruptive in the classroom.  I thought that these were his coping mechanisms to coming to a new school.  I thought this was attention seeking behavior, but unfortunately it was all negative.  I thought that VTS could help him by giving him the opportunity to contribute to the discussion in a positive way. And actually, I think it has really worked!  At least in my class, he likes to participate in a positive way.  His contributions to our VTS discussions have been very insightful.  He is a smart kid, and now his classmates are seeing that side of him.  During VTS discussions he is very focused and engaged.  I think he likes the idea of showing me and his classmates that he can figure out the image being discussed.

I'm not sure this is transferring to his homeroom class, but I think the same strategy could work in his classroom and once he realizes that he can get the teachers' attention in a positive way he will stop relying on the disruptive behavior.

From these two examples I feel comfortable in saying that VTS is beneficial to all students wherever they are on the learning curve.  This is a good example of how VTS can differentiate learning to students at both ends of the spectrum.

Blog Topic #13: VTS Through a Differentiated Lens

After reading the three articles on Differentiated Instruction I certainly see that VTS by its very nature offers differentiation for students.  My focus class of third graders is like most classes in that it is made up of students with a wide range of abilities.  Even though I only see them for Art class once a week, I am aware of those with various learning disabilities as well as those who are closer to the "gifted" end of the spectrum.  As Johnson said in his article, we tend to focus on the kids at either end of the "ability" spectrum and the average kids just roll with the punches.  But with VTS we address every student right where they are on the ability spectrum.  In my focus class I chose two students at the beginning as my "projects".  One who I knew struggled academically and the other who was more of a class disrupter.  For both of these students VTS has offered them an opportunity to shine.  My struggling student has found his voice on more than one occasion and made very meaningful contributions.  And my ****disturber just needed an opportunity to show us how smart he really is!  (He is new to the school this year).  Now, instead of seeking attention in a negative way, he gets my attention with insightful comments during our VTS discussions--(at least in Art class).  But, everybody gets a chance to shine with VTS.  The kids who are big readers bring that knowledge to the discussion; the science kids bring that, etc.  VTS addresses visual and auditory learners; the students can collaborate as they link comments in the discussion.  VTS may just be the PERFECT way to differentiate instruction!

Blog Topic #12: Assessing, Reflecting, Planning

I think that the Norman Rockwell image I chose, The Runaway, was an appropriate choice for my third graders because it fit many of the parameters Housen and Yenawine describe when choosing an image.  The image was accessible--my students were able to recognize and associate with the items in the picture based on their existing knowledge.  This image was also "open to interpretation"--my students were able to find several possible meanings;  the boy is lost; the boy ran away; the policeman and boy are father and son, the boy is a hobo, etc.  And the image also allowed my students to tell a story--it created a narrative.  My third graders who are mostly Stage 1 viewers were able to make sense of the image and tell a story with it.

I think the image offered some challenge to my students, but they probably could have handled a bigger challenge.  They seemed to have an explanation for most of the details in the image.  I don't think they were stumped by anything.  (That's not to say they were correct, but they seemed familiar with most of the details.)  The challenge came from the time period.  They knew it was different but they were not sure of how it was different.

My students pretty much figured out the narrative that Norman Rockwell painted.  Some thought he was a runaway, some thought he was lost--but they got the gist of Rockwell's intent.  Some of the period objects in the background such as the radio, pie case, and coffee maker seemed to intrigue them the most.  Also, the policeman's uniform that was different than today's uniforms.

I had several opportunities to scaffold vocabulary during this discussion such as: uniform, knapsack, briefcase, pie case.  And then, one of my students offered the word "diner" to describe the setting which was one word I was wondering if I would hear.

My biggest surprise (much to my dismay) was the student who had the comment about the knapsack looking like a "giant strawberry with a marshmallow"!  I tried to handle it just like any comment but of course it brought lots of giggles from the rest of the class!  How should I have handled it?  I'd appreciate any suggestions!

I would use this image again because it does offer a good opportunity for storytelling and that's what this age student really likes to do.

Blog Topic #11: Preparing for Teacher's Choice

The image I have decided to use is The Runaway, by Norman Rockwell, painted in 1958.  I had a hard time deciding which of my possible choices to use, but listening to some of your comments helped sway me to use this image.

I think it will offer a good discussion point for my 3rd graders as some of the details are very obvious--like the policeman for instance, but some others may be harder to figure out.  I'm curious to see if any of my students have been to a soda fountain or diner like the one pictured--maybe they haven't!  And I'm curious to see if they pick up on the idea of "running away". I'm also anxious to see what clues they pick out of the image that point to the time period.  I think it is a good choice because it's familiar, but still offers the viewer "permission to wonder".

Blog Topic #10: Assessing, Reflecting, Planning

The image I used for this lesson was this Native American  Hide Painting depicting the Sun Dance.  My third grade class was very engaged and interested in this image.  Only three students did not comment at all and most of the others had multiple comments.  In fact, I had to end the lesson with hands still in the air due to the fact that the lesson had lasted almost 20 minutes!

The observations started very simply by noticing the animals and Native American aspects of the drawing.  But also, right at the beginning the students had ideas about the purpose of this drawing.  Was it a map? An image of an island? Or was it just a drawing by a Native American artist?  The discussion also focused on whether it was a drawing on an animal skin or paper from "ancient times".  And these ideas were supported by reasons like the color of the "paper" looked old; or the outline and border of the skin looked "jagged and furry like an animal".  I also had students who looked at the outline of the shape and saw animal shapes in the outline; like a "goose head", or a "bear head".  This led to an observation that the two shapes on the far left of the skin were the same but in reverse, (which of course, was the head of the elk skin). I also had students speculate on what the drawing was about--a celebration because of the dancing in the middle of the scene; a hunt for meat because of the horse and riders with weapons; a roundup of escaped animals because the animals are all running in the same direction.  One of my favorite observations was from one of my focus students who observed that the black animals were bison. This was important because I had at least two subsequent comments that disagreed with that student and thought they were buffalo--not bison.  At this point I'm waiting for someone to say that bison and buffalo are the same (which is what I thought), but no one did.  So at the end of the lesson I asked the student who had initially observed "bison" to tell us what a bison is.  He said "they are kind of like buffalo but I think they are black".  At that point I said when they get a chance to look up "bison" and "buffalo" and then tell me what they find out.  Of course they were all excited to go look it up and in less than 30 minutes I had two students (the original bison observer) telling me more than I ever wanted to know about the differences between bison and buffalo!  In case you're wondering, in North America we only have bison but early American settlers often referred to them as buffalo so that's why we sometimes use them interchangeably, but actually buffalo are only found in Africa--now you know!  That was a real learning experience for us all!

I feel my students are really Stage 2 viewers.  They are constructing a story around the image based on their previous knowledge.  They are using elements of art to help construct their story by saying "because of the color or the shape", or noticing types of lines.

I loved doing this lesson with my students!  I loved how engaged and excited they were and how they really had astute comments.  The three questions come very easily to me and for the most part I'm able to use question #2 when appropriate or leave it out if the student has given their own evidence.  I did notice at least four times when I should have offered new vocabulary in my paraphrase but didn't think of it at the time.
-I should have offered the word animal "hide" for animal "skin".
- I should have offered the word "battle" for the word "fight".
-I should have offered the word "hunt" for the word "catch".

Both of my focus students offered good comments and seemed validated by their participation.  One of them was the bison comment from my student who is new to our school and seeking attention. And the other student who lacks confidence and struggles academically spoke up early in the discussion with an appropriate comment too.

All in all, I thought the lesson went really well--I can't wait to do it with them again so I can work on offering the new vocabulary without hesitation as I paraphrase.

Blog Topic #9: Teacher's Choice Proposal

My focus class is a class of 22 third graders.  Most of them are of average ability.  They are a pretty good group of kids although there are several boys who have some learning issues.  They are average Stage 1 viewers, although I've had some pretty perceptive insights as well--beyond Stage 1.  The four images (actually I chose 5 because I couldn't decide!), I've chosen I think would be fun to "figure out" for nine year olds.  I think they all have plenty of room for interpretation, yet are familiar enough for the kids to understand.

Image #1:  Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

Image #2:  Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte, by Georges Seurat

Image #3:Happy Birthday Miss Jones, by Norman Rockwell

Image #4:  The Runaway, by Norman Rockwell

Image #5:  Taking in the Laundry,  by Grandma Moses

Blog Topic #8: VTS-to-Date

Since our first meeting in August I have become very comfortable facilitating a VTS lesson.  The three questions have become very automatic to me and I don't have to think about them so I can concentrate on listening and paraphrasing.  I think I am much better at really listening which makes the paraphrasing easier.  I try to link and that has become easier too, but there is room for improvement!  I really want to work on paraphrasing and building vocabulary when possible so that is my focus right now.

One of my biggest surprises has been how my classes ( I am doing this with more classes than just my "focus" class), have gotten into the routine of VTS and have really learned VTS "etiquette".  Some of my students did VTS last year, but even the new students and Kindergarten students have learned how to sit quietly, raise their hands and take turns commenting.  No one really talks out of turn or just blurts out a comment.  This surprises me because during regular Art class they will often blurt out an answer without raising their hand, but when doing VTS they seem to know the rules--and follow them!

My VTS experience with this class has been so awesome!  Yesterday at the Art museum it was so great to see everyone and listen to everyone share their VTS experiences.  Just as with teaching, some of the best learning comes from talking and sharing with peers and I think that is what happened yesterday.  I'm looking forward to more sharing through the blogs as it is very affirming and humbling at the same time.  I think I am learning so much from all of you!

Blog Topic #7: Why not tell?

After reading Yenawine's commentary on why VTS does not correct "wrong" observations I feel that he explains it so clearly and gives so many good examples of why students need to figure out the images for themselves.  His explanation makes so much sense and is so easy to understand especially after having seen VTS facilitation in action.

I too, struggled with the idea of "not telling" when I first became introduced to VTS (at a practicum 2 years ago).  As an Art major with an emphasis on Art History it seemed to go against everything I thought was important.  I'd been introducing my elementary students to Art History for years--much the same way I imagine Yenawine did at MOMA--talking about an artist and art style.  Putting the piece of Art in a historical context using dates and events.  Even though I tried to be very basic and thought that I was simplifying information I realize now that most of my students probably heard "blah, blah, blah" coming out of my mouth!  They simply didn't know enough to care about why Monet's Waterlilies are an example of French Impressionism (for example).  I now see that they enjoy the process of figuring out a piece of artwork much more than they enjoyed my telling them about an artwork.  It's like solving a puzzle.  And the collaborative nature of the process is so much more engaging than having one person (me) dispensing all of the information.  I almost think it might be easier to facilitate a VTS lesson at first if one doesn't have any art historical background.  Because, as Yenawine says "it is easy for non-experts to remain developmentally appropriate with their peers".

Just last week at a meeting of schools in my region I was telling two other art teachers about the many virtues of VTS and briefly explaining the process and philosophy.  I was met with incredulity when I said "and you don't give the kids information about the artwork".  So I did defend the VTS method by saying, "We're not really teaching them about the art, we're teaching them how to think--and they generally come up with the right idea by listening to each other, giving evidence and figuring out what it is they see in front of them."  But I really think it's hard to grapple with that idea until you see VTS in action and experience it for yourself.  I would also, (and did), recommend to anyone that they read Yenawine's book to truly understand the process as I think he states his point so well.

Blog Topic #6: Assessing, Reflecting, Planning--Video A

Assessing Student Engagement & Learning

I used image #3 from Lesson #1, grades 3-5, year one for my video because I had already used image #2 with this class.

As a whole my class was very engaged during our lesson.  The session lasted about 15 minutes.  Just about every student had something to say and those that did not were still very attentive.  The students began by noticing simple objects in the image such as the people and cactus. But they soon began to give a narrative to the image by offering suggestions such as:

-figures are a mother and child
-man and child
-aunt and child
-unrelated woman who rescued child
-They are sad.  The adult is comforting the child.

As far as the setting they speculated that:

-It's in the desert.
-There was a fire in the desert and they are escaping.
-It is sunset in the desert.
-There was a storm and lightning caused a fire in the desert.
-They were cooking dinner and went for a walk and forgot about the stove and it caught on fire.
-They are poor because they have no shoes or clothing.

Because of these many possible stories or explanations of the image I think many of my students are Stage 1 viewers but showing signs of Stage 2 viewers as well.  They are Accountive viewers by making a story, but they are Constructive viewers by using their own knowledge of the natural world to figure out the image.

I also had students give purely concrete observations without any hint at storytelling such as:
-The cactus looks like a noodle.
-The cactus looks like a banana.
-The cactus looks like a man's face.
-I think the word at the bottom is a name.

I think that the students are continuing to learn how to "VTS".  I think they are becoming more comfortable with VTS and are not worried about saying the wrong thing.  I think they are really looking and observing and trying to make sense of the picture.  With this image in particular they were able to bring in prior knowledge of what a desert looks like to help explain the picture.

Reflecting on Practice
I felt very comfortable facilitating this lesson.  I used the three questions just as written, although I did not always have to use question #2 because the students sometimes gave evidence first.  I think I repeated and paraphrased what the students said and offered new vocabulary when I could, i.e.--the word "cloak" for "some kind of blanket wrapped around".  I try to use the word "good" after each student's comment as my neutral word, but I noticed I did not use it a couple of times so I want to make sure I remember to do that in the future.  It feels comfortable to use that word--I just need to make it a habit.  I also had a hard time ending the discussion.  There were still some hands up--but no new hands--and the comments seemed to be degenerating to mostly silly ones about the shapes of the cactus.  I tried to acknowledge those comments equally but I did want to end the discussion at that point before we went too far down that path!  I do think the class had some great comments and really listened well to each other. Of my two students who I chose as "portraits of possibility", only one, Student A spoke up.  I was very pleased to hear his comment as he is my student who is very unsure of himself. (He had a very insightful comment about the possibility of fire in the background.)
Even though Student B did not have anything to say, he seemed to listen well and was attentive and not disruptive.

Planning
I want to really try to stay neutral and use my word "good" with EVERY student next time.  I also want to be able to "wrap up" the discussion at the right time--yet still give everyone a chance to speak.  I want to discourage "silly" comments by acknowledging them the same as other comments and not letting the student get extra attention for the silly comment.  All in all, I thought it went really well and I'm anxious to see what happens next time.

Blog Topic #5: Portrait of Possibility

It has been difficult for me to choose just one student to identify as a student for whom VTS might be beneficial.  In my first blog entry I mentioned a student that would fit this bill ( and I still feel that way about him), but since then I have another new student in the class who has been difficult for all of the teachers in one way or another and I wonder if VTS can help him as well--in a different way.  So I'm going to use both of these students for my "Portraits of Possibility".

Student #1 is a boy who struggles academically and maybe a little socially too.  He is quiet and seems  to lack confidence in the classroom.  In previous VTS discussions he has rarely had anything to say and I think this is because he is afraid his comment might not be "right".  So I am hoping that I can draw him out of his shell a little so that he will contribute to the discussion and then when he does, reinforce his thinking by acknowledging his comment with the same degree of acknowledgement I give to everyone.  In time I am hopeful that he will look forward to VTS as a way to let his ideas be heard and validated.  By welcoming all comments, yet staying neutral, I think I can show him that whatever he brings to the discussion is important.  If this can happen with VTS then, according to Housen's and Yenawein's studies, it could transfer to his classroom work as well.

Student #2 has different issues that I also think might be helped by VTS.  As I said, he is new to our school and not only that, he apparently has been to seven schools--and he is only in 3rd grade!  (That should have been our first clue!)  In these first weeks of school he has given his teacher trouble by picking on other students, (sort of verbal bullying), and not being a good classroom citizen.  Yet, some students are drawn to him and are modeling some of this bad behavior.  He can also be a "know-it-all" and often acts bored by classroom activities. I think some of this behavior is a coping mechanism for him as he tries to fit in at yet another new school.  I think he wants to impress his classmates and these behaviors have become the easiest way to do that.  I think he may be more insecure than he lets on.  Anyway, I don't have him completely figured out yet, but I think he could benefit from VTS by participating in the discussions and contributing in a positive way.  I think my acknowledgement of his comments as important might give him the attention he is seeking.  By listening to his peers and taking cues from them I'm hoping that he will see that VTS is a way to get to know his classmates and they, in turn, can get to know him.  Of course, there is always the possibility of some silly comment from "left field", but in time he will see that those comments don't make him rise in stature among his classmates. I think he will see the value that I place in everyone's comments equally. I think he will also see that the other students are really trying to figure out "what's going on in the picture".

I'm anxious to see if either of these strategies work with these two students.  I'll keep you posted!

Blog Topic #4: Assessing, Reflecting, Planning

This is the image I used for my first VTS session with my 3rd grade class; Image #1, Lesson #1, grades 3-5, year 1.  I have used this image before and I really like it because it has so much to notice!  My students were really engaged with many hands up at once ready to answer that first question, "What's going on in this picture?".  They began, as I would expect, with comments such as, "the mom is sick", "the boy is playing with a ball"--in other words, listing the different objects and characters in the painting.  But soon they began to notice details that made various interpretations and inferences possible, such as,  "the mom is sick because I see medicine and a spoon on the nightstand", and "the grandma/ aunt is praying over the sick mom/daughter because she is using special leaves".  It was interesting to me that my students noticed the picture of the Virgin Mary on the dresser and the Cross over the bed, "so the people must be Catholic".  I teach in a Catholic school and my students are Catholic so this is a good example of students bringing prior knowledge to a VTS discussion to help figure out "What's going on in this picture?" They also noticed the pictures over the bed that "could be the grandparents", and the picture on the dresser that "could be the dad who got killed in the war because he is wearing a uniform".  They noticed the "old fashioned radio, so it was in the olden days"; "but not that old because the lamp has a plug so there was electricity".  So, I think the students are still Stage 1 viewers, but they are definitely noticing more details and creating a "story" to go with the image.

Most of my students were very engaged throughout the whole discussion--some to the point of distraction as they were carrying on their own mini-conversations and not listening as they should have been.  But for the most part the students listened to their classmates and often revised their ideas because of classmates' comments.  

I think my new students learned how to VTS and what is expected of them which I will reinforce at the beginning of each VTS session.  My returning students really remembered how to VTS and felt very comfortable looking and commenting without fear of being wrong.  Even the students who rarely spoke up last year had something to contribute this year.  It will take a while for the new students to feel that comfortable but I'm hopeful that by the end of the semester they will.  There was one new student who tended to offer some "silly" comments, and one new student who seemed completely bored by the whole process. I really feel that he just needs to understand that he "has the permission to wonder", as Yenawine put it, and doesn't need to find the "right" answer.  

I felt very comfortable with the VTS discussion due in large part to the fact that I have done it before with my students.  I use the questions as written and try to paraphrase and link when I can.  I try to remain neutral, although I'm sure that I can improve in that area and improve in general.  That is really why I am taking this class--to improve my VTS skills so that my students get as much from VTS as they can.

In future VTS lessons I want to work on staying neutral, paraphrasing and adding vocabulary, and engaging all students.  I think if I keep the discussion going well the students who are distracted and distracting will become more engaged. They will enjoy having "the permission to wonder"!

Blog Topic #3, Pre-VTS Assessments

Let me preface this whole discussion by reminding you that these 3rd grade students have done VTS with me since they were in 1st grade, so even though I did these pre-VTS assessments with them before doing any VTS with them this year, they have done VTS before.  There are three new students in the class however, who have never had VTS before.  That being said, from this class of 21 students the pre-VTS assessment reflections ranged in word count from 18 words to 120 words! (Interestingly,  two of the new students had high word counts of 57 and 70.) Over half of the class's word counts were in the 30-50 count range.  Even though many of the students wrote a lot, most of what they wrote were simple observations with quite a few detailed observations as well. The student with the most words, 120, had 8 simple observations and 9 detailed observations, but no interpretations w/or w/out evidence. By contrast, the student with the least words, 18, had 1 detailed observation, 1 interpretation w/out evidence and 1 use of conditional language.  Generally these students were providing me with a "list" of what they saw which would put them right in Housen's Stage 1--"list makers--making simple, concrete, observations." I think for 3rd grade students, this is just what I expected.  (Actually, I was very impressed with with many of them!)  My 120 word student wanted to write more the following week because she felt like she wasn't finished!

I did have 9 students give interpretations w/ evidence such as: "The man is painting a picture, I figured it out because I saw a paintbrush", or, "The dad is painting a picture of the mom and baby because the dad has an easel and paintbrush and the mom is posing."  Still, they are Stage 1 viewers because they are creating a story with their observations.

I did have one student who "blew me away", however.  Her comments were hard for me to classify because they were neither simple observations, nor were they supported with evidence, but they were definitely her unique interpretation of what she saw in the image.  Here are some examples: "The fur on the cat makes art look so fun."; "The baby's eyes glow in my mind.";  "It takes love to believe in this.";  "The colors glow when the man paints.";  "There is love in this house.", WOW!  I showed this to her classroom teacher  and she seemed "blown away" too!  

Most of the students responded to the image much the way I expected them to--with a list.  But I was surprised that some of the students really took a long time to write everything they saw.  I think this has a lot to do with an emphasis on writing in our school's curriculum which is reinforced with their experience with VTS.

Blog Topic #2: Professional Peer Feedback

On Thursday I invited any faculty who could to stay after school for a short VTS lesson.  I had nine teachers show up.  Some had no idea what VTS was, and some had seen me do it with students before.  I used the Winslow Homer painting Dad's Coming.  The actual discussion about the painting only lasted about six minutes, but then we had an additional 10-15 minute feedback discussion.  The teachers in attendance ranged from pre-K-8th grade so they brought many viewpoints and experiences to the discussion.  Most of their comments focused on how VTS could help students with  skills needed in other areas of the curriculum such as:

- "This is really the same process as taking a reading or text and putting it in context and backing it up with evidence."
-"Learning how to gather information from what they've got, (in any subject), is a skill that students need to develop and this is a non-threatening way to develop that skill."
-"This is especially good for LD kids because there is no text to scare them away from figuring out the story."
-"Good way to get kids talking about pictures and that helps with story writing."(from the K teacher)
-"Forces us to really LOOK at the picture."
-"Listening to others can spur you on or make you think something new."
-"VTS is a good opportunity for everyone to contribute."

One teacher whose students had VTS with me last year has noticed that her kids are more receptive to talking about art on their visits to the St. Louis Art Museum.  (They participate in the ABC program at SLAM). She feels they open up more in talking about art (with the docent) than they did before they had VTS.

As far as their critique of me, they said I was nonjudgmental in my facilitation, although we all agreed that it is especially hard not to get excited about a particularly "astute" observation!

Since these were adult viewers they had very good comments about the painting and really backed up their comments with evidence before I had to ask the second question.  In the end, most wanted to know the artist and title--I did tell them!

I did give the group some background about VTS and Yenawine's studies, but really I think everyone saw the impact and benefits VTS can have in their classrooms without needing much information from me.  Their comments just underscored what the readings to date have said--that VTS reaches viewers where they are and gives them a strategy to learn to think, listen, respond and problem solve.

VTS Blog Topic #1

I teach Art to grades Pre-K through 8 at Christ, Prince of Peace School in Manchester, MO.  This is in  west St. Louis County for those unfamiliar with the St. Louis area. It is a fairly affluent area and most of our students have had the benefit of some kind of "schooling" since they were 3 years old.  I have chosen to use the 3rd grade class as my focus group for this VTS class.  I see these students once per week for 45 minutes for Art class.  My VTS sessions are going to be in addition to our regular Art time as I have arranged with the classroom teacher a time when they can come into the Art room just for VTS.  This way they can look forward to VTS and not feel like it takes away from their short time allotted for "art making" each week.

I've chosen the 3rd grade partly because there is only one 3rd grade in my school (whereas there are 2 classes of other grades), and partly because of their location in the building right next to the Art room so it will be easy for their teacher to get them to my room.  But also because of a few students in the class who I feel might really benefit from the "permission to wonder" as Yenawine puts it.  There are 22 students in the class; 10 boys and 12 girls.  One little boy in particular, Student H., is very quiet and almost seems fearful of speaking sometimes.  He is a twin and his sister, Student M., is in the class too but she is much more of a leader among the girls.  A little background about Student H. and Student M., their mother died suddenly right before they entered Kindergarten at our school, so as you can imagine this was a very traumatic event for these children and that is one reason I think Student H. is so quiet and unsure of himself.  I'm hoping through VTS that he finds his voice and becomes a little more confident to express what he may be thinking.

There is also a new student to our school in this class and I think VTS will be a good way for him to express himself to his new classmates as well.  The class also has a good number of very confident and very verbal "over achievers" or perfectionists, (as I like to call them), and I think they can benefit from the idea that there is no one "right" answer when we have a VTS discussion.  All in all, I'm anxious to see these students get excited about looking at these images and "the permission to wonder".