Portrait of Possibility-Revisited
The student I focused on that I believed would benefit or be challenged by VTS proved to be a difficult selection. I spoke about how "student A" appeared uninterested and lacked motivation. The first VTS discussion he stared off into space and had his head down on the table. Choosing a student was difficult because I do not get the luxury of seeing the class regularly and developing close relationships. After choosing student A, I concluded that expecting a lot of growth in a short period of time was not exactly realistic. I was able to observe his behavior more and speak with the teacher. He has a history of underachieving because of minimal effort. Student A needs consistent reminders to stay on task during class on a daily basis. He is a student that, more often than not, has an "attitude."
Needless to say, using VTS to reach student A (to benefit or to challenge) proved to be an uphill battle. My strategy was first to carefully select images that were more engaging and interesting. I did this with Mary's assistance as she provided me with images that were more suitable for high school students. I also chose my teacher's choice image with this particular group in mind (including student A). The next step was to eliminate student A's temptation to zone out, put his head down, or work on other things during the VTS discussion. I did this successfully by having the whole class stand up and huddle around the image. This helped ALL the students with engagement, not just student A. I continued to do this every discussion. Now, student A was forced to look at the image, but he still did not participate verbally. However, even though he was not contributing to the discussion, it is possible that he was actively listening. Student A stayed silent throughout all the discussions except for lesson #4. During that discussion, he made one small comment without raising his hand. Although the observation was not very profound and he mumbled it unenthusiastically, it was still progress.
In the future, I think that developing a stronger relationship with student A, in addition to more VTS exposure, will result in further progress. It is indeed difficult to target certain students when VTS calls for us to facilitate neutrally. With time and a better understanding of the process, I believe student A will continue to benefit from VTS...allowing him to find interest and encourage his participation in class.
It is indeed disheartening to see a student, week after week, fail to enter a VTS discussion. Still, as you have insightfully expressed, the fact that you got him to stay awake and attend is progress and even his one comment is monumental! (A small crack in the iceberg!) It would be interesting to know if his response just slipped out! That might mean he was intentionally holding back all semester, but found some aspect of the image or the discussion just too compelling to remain totally silent. You are right about the importance of relationships, too. They could be at the heart of the issue. It would be interesting to know what kinds of relationships he has with other members of the class. VTS is, after all, social in nature. If he doesn't relate to other members of the class positively or at all, that could explain part of it. He could also be using silence to mask insecurity. High schoolers have been indoctrinated with the idea of "one right answer" and if this student is an underachiever, he has probably had abundant "failures" in the eyes of peers. As gentle and welcoming as you are, by not being his full time teacher, the student-teacher relationship that makes risk-taking safer just wasn't there. Not your fault at all; just the reality of the teaching arrangement. You did a fantastic job in spite of it!
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