Blog Topic #9

Teacher's Choice Proposal 

My focus class for VTS is an Intro to Art class at Fort Zumwalt East High School. I will be long-term subbing for this group starting in December. Therefore, prior to my VTS discussions, the students were new to me, and I was new to them. This class is made up of 9th, 10th and 11th grade students...some have an interest in art, and others do not. There are a mixture of personalities and abilities in this class. Some students still remain silent during discussions, and some willing participate each time.

Here are my 4 image choices I am deciding between for my teacher's choice VTS lesson:

Welcome Footsteps by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema 

by Gregory Crewdson

Soft Watch at the Moment of First Explosion by Salvador Dali

Girl at Mirror by Norman Rockwell

Blog Topic #8

VTS Lesson #3

This week's discussion with the Intro to Art students was another step in the right direction.
Here's how it went...

After asking the first VTS question, the students were quick to start answering. They noticed:

• The woman in the image is pregnant or has stomach pains...b/c she's holding her stomach
• The woman looks distressed...b/c of her facial expressions 
• The woman is dressed in red and stands out
• All the other figures are dressed in neutral colored clothing 
• It looks like the setting is in a subway station...b/c it's crowded and there are gates 
• The three men on the left appear to be in phone booths/stations 
• At first glance, there appears to be only one female figure...she is the focal point
• After looking closer. there are two more females in the image. 
• It looks like a mirror image or reflection...there's "repetition" 
• Everyone is looking/glaring at the female figure 

After these observations were made, there was a long silence that I tried to wait out. It didn't appear that anyone was going to raise there hand again, so I cheated a little on the last question and asked: "Can anyone tie this all together for us?" I asked this because this group of students make great observations, but no one attempts to find an overall meaning. After I asked that, one girl raised her hand and said, "Because the woman seems to be the center of attention, I think this image is about the [male gaze] and what they desire from women." How compelling! That was the type of answer I wanted to hear...an attempt at a deeper analysis of the image as a whole. Was it bad that I didn't stick to wording "what more can we find?" 

VTS-to-Date: Reflection 

• I think I am doing well staying neutral, listening carefully to the students, and keeping track of what's been said. For the most part, I am able to execute the 3 questions successfully. 

• From my first VTS experience with the professional peers, I have grown a little more comfortable and relaxed with each discussion. Also, my paraphrasing is gradually getting clearer and more fluent.

• I am pleasantly surprised that the students are improving and growing with me through each VTS discussion. 

• Room to improve...Even though there is a lot of participation, it is the same group of students who normally contribute. I am not sure how to reach out to the other students who keep quiet during the discussions. In addition, our discussions are full of observations in the beginning and then fizzle out, making for brief discussions at times. How can I get more hands to raise after asking "what more can we find", followed by a LONG wait time?

Blog Post #7

Why not tell? 

Parts 1 & 2 of "VTS & Information" described the speculation some individuals have about VTS discussions not providing viewers with accurate facts about the artwork. More specifically, VTS has also been criticized for not correcting "false" interpretations provided by participants. In the reading, VTS supporters rebutted by describing the findings from museum educators. When given the background and facts about a work of art, students (of all ages) were able to take in the information, but not retain it. Many times, the audience's viewing level is below that of the artwork they are learning about. Rather than teaching specific facts about an image, VTS seeks to teach students how to read an image. Therefore, the purpose of viewing art is not to be able to regurgitate truths about it, but to be able to analyze visual texts and to make inferences based on evidence.

I would explain "not telling" to an administrator by focusing on the type of learning skills VTS fosters. By coming up with their own conclusions, students are being held accountable for their investigatory learning. They are problem solving in order to answer the open-ended questions that VTS asks. Problem solving is a 21st century skill that aligns with the Common Core, and thus serves a purpose in the class room. In addition, VTS discussions promotes teamwork and collaborative learning. By listening to peers' contributions, students are able to learn from one another and work together to reach a conclusion. Giving the students "right" answers does not allow them to consider multiple possibilities.

Blog Topic #6

Assessing, Reflecting, and Planning

Video A, Lesson #2

Choice A

Choice B

I gave the students of the choice between two images (A and B) to VTS. I asked them which image they found more interesting...they chose option B. 

Assessing Student Engagement and Learning

• The student engagement in Lesson 2 was significantly better than Lesson 1. I had the students stand up and huddle around the image, rather than having them stay at their seats. Because of this, I noticed more students actually LOOKING at the image. Overall, there were more responses and more students who participated. 
• Students noticed: 
• The men could be coal miners...because of dirty clothes and light on hat 
• The men could be painters...because of the ladder and [paint] cans in the background 
• They could be on a lunch break...because of their relaxed body language
• Their facial expressions appear mellow/unenthusiastic 
• They could be building something
• The man sitting looks like he is shining his shoes
• Setting could be in the forest...because of the trees in the back
• It could be snowy...because of the white patches on the ground and roof
• It could NOT be snowy...because the white is an aesthetic choice made by the artist to create contrast
• The students' thinking was comprised of a lot of "on the surface" observations, but I did notice more inferences being made in this discussion. 
• I think the students learned that there can be a lot of different opinions and interpretations within one image. They demonstrated diverse thinking. The students also learned it is okay to disagree. For example, one student raised her hand and said she disagreed that it was snowing in the image. 

Reflecting on Practice

• Although not perfect, this discussion felt much better this time around. I think the students' proximity to the image and the image choice were the KEY to the improvement. The student were more interested in the image, and they therefore had more to notice and talk about. Because they were standing close to the image, they were less likely to be distracted by other things in the room. In addition, the group was able to hear each other's contributions more clearly. 
• I was able to stick to the three questions pretty well. I thought this time I was able to utilize the second question "what do you see that makes you say that" in a productive way. I do still think my paraphrasing could be clearer and more elegantly stated. This is something I need to work on. 
• I was pleasantly surprised that more students participated in this discussion. Lesson 1 was a bit lack-luster, but I think we are now on the road to improvement! 

Planning

• I would like to work on my paraphrasing and linking for futureVTS lessons. In addition, I want to work on how to gauge the end of the discussion. It is hard to determine when the conversation is dead, or when I simply need to wait out the silence. 
• To accomplish this, I want to try waiting for a longer period of time before cutting off the discussion. To help my paraphrasing, I think more practice will help.