Assessing, Reflecting, and Planning
Video A, Lesson #2
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| Choice A |
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| 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.
I think that was a smart choice forcing your students out of their seats to stand in front of the image. I think the engagement of your students would have looked a lot different had they remained in their seats. Paraphrasing definitely takes practice and I think it is the most difficult part of VTS. If you stick to the 3 questions and you seem to be comfortable with them, I think the mastering of paraphrasing will come naturally.
ReplyDeleteKenzie--it sounds like you are doing a phenomenal job. Keep it up. Proximity to the image definitely made a difference for my students, too, so I am glad that suggestion worked for you. It makes detail much easier to see and, I think, promotes a more comfortable group mentality that is really conducive to learning. I also love that you mention that your students have learned that it's ok to disagree. I noticed the same thing with my students, and they did so respectfully even without me telling them to do so.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the closeness to your image really helped a lot of your issues from last time. I think that just practicing VTS over the semester will help some of the students to come out of their shells and participate more.
Paraphrasing is always the hardest part for me. This week I accidentally changed one of the questions around by accident and it put my own spin on the image rather than restating what my student actually said. That's something that we all struggle with, which I am sure will also get better with more practice.
Kenzie, I think you did a GREAT job in your VTS video! You did an especially good job paraphrasing. I think you also did a good job of waiting on responses. Near the beginning there was a long period of silence without any responses and I'm sure you were getting worried that they were finished--but you waited them out-- and then the discussion really moved along with lots of responses--good job!
ReplyDeleteI'm also curious how you got your sound so good in the video? Did you have a microphone? I'm asking because my sound was not that good and I'd like to know how to make it better. I used an iPad to record--did you use something else? Thanks for any suggestions you can give.
Cindy I used a digital camera with a recording feature, and I set it on a tripod for my video.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that bringing them up close made a difference. I've found it's way harder to daydream or disengage when that happens. It will also help them build a relationship with you, which make it safe to risk speaking out. I think choice may have played a part here, too. That they are beginning to infer is a sign of growth, so another positive! Don't be too hard on yourself with paraphrasing. As your comfort and practice increase, I have every confidence that your paraphrasing will be the benefactor. GREAT job!!
ReplyDelete