VTS Final Proposal

     I have been working through this idea and ran it by Mary and am very excited.  I am doing an altered book/visual journal about the VTS process with my class.  The book will contain a double page for each student.  The page will feature a photo of them and have images which accompany them, visually documenting the changes I have seen in them through out this process. It will include things Ive learned about them along the way as well.  The exterior, cover, will represent the collective classroom.  I have started the book because I add images and such as we progress through the class, it is an evolutionary process.  My students know I am doing this and are just tickled to be the subjects of an art piece.  VERY EXCITED! :)

Blog #7

     What have I learned about my individual students to date? Having known most of them for so long, it is a rare treat to get more subtle and personal details through this process.   

     The kinds of things I am learning about them are intimate, such as the details of a room in their house, an experience with an Aunt or Uncle. Even what Morgan shared about his grandmothers dilapidated home. I am often charmed buy the personal associations they make with the images I show them and it certainly confirms my personal theory that there is no absolute truth, our world is formed through our experience of it and our reactions to it.

      I am also happy to report they refer to techniques we have worked with ourselves... or previous lessons and use appropriate language.  They are listening!

     As for the group dynamic, as with any group, certain kids tend to gravitate towards “like” kids. I already know this about them as the majority have been together for many years. What I enjoy about VTS is that it creates a level playing ground for everyone to participate, and no ones idea is “smarter” than another. Everyones idea is considered and respected.

      As for what I am learning about myself through this process, well, I am being quietly reacquainted with art in a delightful way. I have been teaching for so long and get so involved and swept away with the kids and projects and making art, I have not always taken the time to sink into a piece and just really savor all its possibilities.  This process reminds me that art can be a quiet place to reflect and ponder with out having to do anything more than see.  n essences, its slowed me down, something I am grateful for.

Midterm VTS Reflections:

Student Engagement and Learning

My students continue to approach the VTS lessons with enthusiasm.  The majority have their hands up right away and I notice they get frustrated if they have to wait too long to be called on.  

As they process the imagery, they are also weaving more and more personal experience into their interpretations.  They will point out a section, describe what they see and then explain a circumstance where they have seen or experienced something that was similar. For instance, we VTS’D “Isabellas two chairs”. 

Morgan pointed out the light reflection on the floor to the left of the composition.  He made the assertion that perhaps the wall had fallen away (also pointing out the peeling paint, green on walls that might be algae)  He mentioned his grandmother once had a house in the woods and that she stopped going to it and it eventually feel into a terrible state, such as a wall fell away and let a lot of light into an other wise unlighted room.  

     Students are relaxed and continue to interact much the same, sharing examples, agreeing with or adding to specific comments. My students are all very comfortable with each other.

      What my students are learning from this process is a deeper appreciation for the thought that goes into an artists piece.  I believe this is so because I often hear speculative comments about what the artists might be trying to do.  I am also happy to see excitement in their eyes when I pull the screen down.  They mentioned today how interesting the piece was even with out people in them.  The suggestion of people was enough.

     

Reflective Practice:

     This far, I have learned a few things.  First off, patience.  The patience to allow the free flowing ideas to really build and inspire the group.  It has been actually a joy to step out of the picture and allow for the million possibilities.

      I am very comfortable with the questions and prescribed teacher behaviors.

      I think sometimes students list of or say so much I may be missing something I want them to go back and explain....  I also find that with more and personal experiences being shared, sometimes its just the tiniest visual aspect of the composition they are referring too....  the personal experiences overwhelm the literal of what is present in the composition...  Will have to ponder that a little more.  

     I believe at this point I am competently practicing VTS, and am also confident that the longer I do this the more subtly dynamic it will be.

Planning for the Future:

     I am already trying some new ways of playing with this process...  Today after our most recent VTS, I had the kids” reverse” VTS with a personal piece they have planned out.  I found this very interesting because it was very difficult for them to apply the process to their own work, at least in greater detail.  However, I believe there is value in them slowing down and imagining ahead and then imagining more......  so we shall see.......

Week 7, Assessing, Reflecting and Planning Blog topic #6

Assessing Student Engagement and learning:

     My students were excited to jump right into this lesson.  They patiently waited while I fiddled with the camera and some studied the painting already up.  Almost every hand went up when I asked the initial question of “what is happening in this painting?

     Students began noticing the most obvious details first, the people behind the glass, what that might imply about the setting, they quickly noticed the repetition of this figures and made observations which might imply there was a mirror.  As this progressed details emerged that gave more clues to what kind of place this might be.  As the conversation continued, the mirror image was discussed from several perspectives, as too whether or not it was a full reflection, or partial.  Where the mirror might be placed and why. As they continued to look some noticed subtle differences in the figures, a different color shoe, or hair, and then this took them to the thought of repetition and what the artist might be trying to say about that.  Showing what happened, then what happened next and then next, or showing the same scene from different perspectives.  As we got further into the conversation, the focus revolved around the function of the repetition and the artists intention for its meaning.  SO both listing and interpretation occurred in our discussion.

There was a more student interaction this time. They were actively listening to each others thoughts and often referred to something another said.  A few times students directly responded to anothers in general conversation. 

I found when this occurred the excitement level picked up, it didn't matter if was n agreement, or an extension of an idea, or even a contrasting point of view, the interaction made the process more exciting for everyone.

I believe my students are learning that when you take the time to really investigate something deeply, more is revealed.  As our conversation progressed, I was astounded at the minute details some of these kids noticed.  They really looked carefully and were not in a hurry/

Reflecting on Practice:

This discussion felt really good!  I tend to get as swept up in the discussion as the kids do so I often have to put myself in check and try not to stay from the appropriate facilitation.

            As I mentioned in my previous post, the pace the conversation took and the way students interacted, felt to me, as if they were addressing questions with out me asking.  I did, at times, bring them back to “what do you see that makes you say this... or some variation of that, often, they stated something already. OR, they would listen to someone else's statement about what they saw and then piggy back onto it with their interpretation. This seemed to happen due to the enthusiasm of the class.  I look forward to Marys feedback on that and will have to adjust things if I am incorrect.

I was surprised at the depth of observation, especially from a few of these kids.  I have several IEP kids who generally speed ten million miles an hour through assignments, yet one of these was the one who noticed some of the tiniest details. This of course impacted things for the good!

Planning:

I want to make sure that in my more relaxed state, I did not stray from what Yenawine and Housen would say is appropriate VTS facilitation.  Again, I look forward to Mary’s guidance. Im actually really excited about how I might extend these practices into the academic classes I teach.  I suspect I do already but in a different way?  I will be looking for ways I do this already and try to articulate it. 

VTS Week 6

Lesson 1 VS Lesson 2

  In brief, as I review lesson one and then compare it to lesson two, I find that from the start I was more relaxed and more playful in lesson two.  It has been such a long time since I have had to follow any sort of prescribed curriculum or technique that I got a little stiff and formal at first.

   Over all I feel both lessons went very well.  I found lesson two was faster paced and there was a lot more input.  I attribute this to several factors.

    First, I had my whole class present, twelve kids vs seven made a huge difference in how long and how far the dialogue went.  My first lesson was just under thirteen minutes while my second lesson was almost thirty five minutes.

    Second, I was more relaxed as I noted above.  In being a little more myself I know my students were also more relaxed and engaged.

    Third, my students knew what to expect and did not require much prompting.

     I had noted in my first lesson that after watching the video, I had missed linking opportunities.  I feel I did a better job with that this time around, and the kids were linking on their own as well.  However, as I watch (and am in the lengthy process of transposing)  I am noticing that my students, in the process of liking and extending meaning, were building off what others saw to explain why they thought something.  As their teacher, I did not continuously go back and ask them “what do you see that makes you say this” because there seemed to be a tacit implication with in the statements already.  I am wondering if this is a violation of VTS protocol?  Does anyone have any thought on this?

    As I began watching my second video, my first response to this was “I stink at this”  As I continued to watch though, I believe some of this process happened with out my stopping to actually ask the question because the bigger conversation wove this element into it.  Of course, maybe I am just hoping this is the case.  Mary, Ill look to you on that one!

     I believe this happens with my student though because we do have such a deep and long term relationship and relating is never an issue on any level. Eisner makes reference to this when it is stated “Schools, I believe, like the larger society of which they are a part, function as cultures in both senses of the term.”  Eisner. (referring to anthropological and biological)

     My school is indeed its own culture and fosters a deep sense of community where learning and exploring an idea is the norm. It is a shared way of life and co-existence with in the context of school.  My students are uninhibited by the constraints of typical public school culture. I am blessed as a teacher (and they as students) to have such an environment.

     I am looking forward to see where my students take the next few lessons. Both lessons they listed what they saw. Lots of conditional language and assertions with evidence (well.. over all...) My students pondered deeply what the artist was up to this time around, making speculations about what the artist might be trying to convey.  What I found particularly interesting, is they were so involved with the composition, setting, repetition of figures,  representation of time, etc.... No one talked about the mood of the painting.  In thinking about the VTS I did (not one of the assigned lessons) with “The Scream” Students were drawn more to mood.  In the realistic painting, they did not address it at all really.  I am very curious about this. So looking forward to the next lesson (as are they!)

Collage

I think most of you have seen this if you were on site, but for those of you who were not.  :)