VTS2 Final presentation

VTS2 Unit

Big Idea: exploration/expression of imagination, the students inner life through personal mythology.  

Concepts: I like the idea of personal mythology because middle school students are in such a transitional place in their lives.  They are leaving childhood and entering early adulthood.  Its an uncertain place to be. The big idea combined with the format of an altered book gives them a place to explore who they were, who they are and who they are becoming.  It is open ended with no wrong answer and emphasizes process over product. It most certainly links to something that matters to them....  :)  It includes exposure to mythology, writing and deep exploration of art materials.

Essential questions:

What is a myth? (In the field of folkloristics, a myth is defined as a sacred narrative explaining how the world and humankind came to be in their present form)

What is your own sacred narrative?

How do artists share ideas of personal meaning?

How do our own personal experiences define who we are and how we see the world?

Cross-Curriculuar Connections

Exploration of greek mythology.

Several short creation and nature myths were read and examined.  Hermes, Zues, and Prometheus.  Students then responded in writing to several questionsregarding the content of the myths, and then began exploring their earliest memories with an emphasis on personal characteristics which define them and imagination.

Studio Activities:

Assignments are a statement or question for which they respond visually. 

 There is consistent media criteria which is to employ the use of at least three materials, incliude text, consdier the entire composition and work with layers and transparencies.  Some of these become more improtant than others as the studio activity progresses and the emphasis might be different each time.  Studio wactities are span 3-4 class periods.

Journal assignment #1

The cover of the journal should reflect the answer to this question:

What is your mythical power?

This is based on writings and readings done prior to this assignement where Greek mytholgical creation stories are shared and reflected upon.

Journal assignment #2

Roots of imagination

Journal #3

How will your mythical power serve you and your immediate community?

Journal #4

The dark side of power.

Journal #5

How will you nurture your imagination as you journey into adulthood?

VTS Images:

#1  ARTIST:  Unknown

Rational:  This was the first Image for this group, many of whom had never participated in a VTS discussion.  I selected it because it had enough identifiable imagery that the students would be able to make interpretations based on experiences, but it was also quite ambiguous .  I also selected it because the nature of the class was also exploratory in terms of idea as well as material usage.  This had enough of both I hoped they would be able to weave a story from it with out a literal narrative.  It was a Very successful VTS session, even if it did get off to a slow start.

# 2 and an extra (presented mid way though studio time)

ARTIST: H Kopp-Delaney, Digital Artsist with an emphasis on the mystical. "Untitled" German.

Rational: I Vts'd this first one before beginning the covers of their journal (they had yet to know the assignment)  I selected it because I was hoping they would see that combining images in unusual ways will create meaning.  Because both these images focused on the mystical, I felt they were perfect for examining as we began our exploration of repressing the mythic with in ourselves. 

 # 3 Shown mid studio time..


















































ARTSIT:  Amy Ruopp
Cover to my Altered book. "Empathy"


RATIONAL: At this stage in the game I know we will be using their work for a VTS peer critique.  I am a firm believer that we must walk out talk and model what we ask of them.  So, I used my own cover.  It was an interesting process because initially there was some reluctance to interpret and they played it safe by just saying what they saw.  (This occurred a first with the peer one but  we moved through it much faster)  This gave me a great opportunity to emily that pesky third question "what else do you see happening in this picture:  Eventually they realized all was safe and they were not going to offend me and we had a great VTS session.

 

Teesha Moore #5A

Teehsa Moore #5B

ARTIST: Teeha Moore, Untitled, American.       RATIONAL: I selected Teesha Moores pieces because of the whimsicle qualities. SHe also has a very distinct style which makes her work easily identifiable. Each of these pieces has a distinct mood.  Each of these pieces incorporates text and this is an element that I am asking my students to incorporate more and more in their pages....  In terms of VTS, they tied the two together and created all sorts of interesting narratives.  I really like the side by side and feel it offers even more dynamic possibility when using VTS strategies. These images were used before introducing the third assignment. 

#6 ARTIST: Emily, 7th Grader RATIONAL: These are two pages from Emily's Altered book. I used these for the peer critique VTS style. It was an incredible experience.  Although there was a little bit of hesitation at first, and again they seemed to regress slightly to Stage one, that third question really got them going especially after one of my students made reference to this students mythical power.... then the conversation took off.  I was able to employ VTS with in the context of experience which was exciting... :What do you remember about this students mythical power that makes you say that?"  It was a wonderful VTS session and all the students asked me in the following weeks if we were going to use a students again.  I wish I would have had more time and we would have!                                                               

#7 Artist:  Alizare, untitled, Iranian. I selected this as  an extra image to do with the class because it does two things.  It incorporates realistic with completely unrealistic  elements, and  it  was mysterious in a "dark" way.  This led into the next assignment which was to illustrate  "the dark side of power" This VTS went well.  I have found that each selection has inspired the students when I later give them the assignment. 

#8 ARTIST:  Archan Nair, India "Imagination":
RATIONAL: The final assignment for the term was , how will you nurture your imagination as you enter adulthood...  (This was assigned after we VTS'd) I thought this image would be wonderful.  It was.  They saw a million things I didn't even see, and there were many things we didn't get to because we had to stop after 25 minutes.  






















Lesson Sequence:


Day 1: VTS Image #1
Day 2-3: Greek Mythology
Day 4: VTS Image #2
Days 5-7: Studio Time (VTS image 3 in here)
Day 8: VTS image #4 (my cover)
Days 9-11 Studio Time
Day 12 VTS Images 5A & 5B
Days 13-16 Studio Time
Day 17 VTS Image # 6 (Peer crit, 2 images, another side by side)
Day 18 VTS Image #7
Days 19-22 Studio time
Day 23 VTS Image #8
Days 24-28 Studio time/final crit.






*State Standards. This is not something I have or follow.  They are incredibly restrictive, and being in a charter school where I design my own curriculum, I have far exceeded expectations.  I once looked at a friend of mines curriculum and its any wonder imagination thrives at all.


As this term winds down, I feel this Altered books class has been extremely successful.  ALl the students produced wonderful images at the place they are at and each student feels good about what they re doing.  The climate was wonderful, a lot of sharing and a lot of talking about what they do.  The differences between my first VTS image and the last was pretty amazing.  Many subtle shifts in how they looked at and talked about he art work.  


Not too many revisions other than I might resend differently with a different group composition.

Summative Image Assessment.

 5/22/12

This is the final VTS image I used with my Altered books/personal mythology class.  It was selected to inspire ideas for their own final journal entry which was to examine what in themselves they will need to nurture to keep their imaginations in full bloom as they enter adulthood.

    I believe this was an excellent choice. It had enough familiar imagery as well as surprises that my students could have easily talked the entire class period.  As it was I stopped them after 25 minutes so we could get started on our final assignment of the year.

I was extremely pleased with this VTS experience.  There were notable observations on the uses of color and technique which influenced their interpretations.  They also started sharing their interpretations and automatically explaining what they saw that made them say that. They also linked on their own....

I was also thrilled as we talked afterwards about the assignment, how many of them “linked “ ideas from early assignments right into this one. They are really  are beginning to understand that idea and expression are a continuum. Each feeds into the next and it is also cyclical, going back into previous ideas to support budding realizations.  I had to smile when I gave them the assignment of “what will you do to keep you imagination alive?”... one said “keep talking with Ms. Ruopp!”  :)

Read and Reflect # 15 VTS 2

Read & Reflect/Blog # 15

Fascinating.   Im reading this article and my world makes a little more sense to me....LOLOL  Seriously though, Im reading this and I am trying to apply its principles and theories to a particular student I have (who also happens to be my 11 year old daughter)  

I am wondering if it is possible to simultaneously be highly creative and then, ricochet back into rigid linear type thinking, being uncomfortable with the sensations which accompany creativity and  can that dichotomy exist in a single little  person? And as a teacher (and her mother) how do I address all of it in a learning environment.

Anyway....Inspiration.  Yes, perhaps that is the peak of the creative process...  I do see this in kids... they have a brilliant idea, so big and beautiful and in their passion to express it, create it they become frustrated and forget the joy of the process.  I agree that sometimes the final product can be a let down... as an artist I experience this myself and I see it so clearly in my own daughter.  However, what I also observe is the magic of process.  This is hard to see when your in the thick of it. The process itself becomes food for inspiration.  As a teacher, guide, fellow artist, this is what I try to model for them.  The joy of an unanticipated happy accident, the freedom to shift the original idea to something new as it grows. 

I used an analogy the other day in a painting class.  One of my 7th graders was working on her watercolor and exclaimed in frustration, this is terrible and I dont want to finish it.  I smiled and asked her to consider her painting a toddler.  Toddlers are incorrigible, uncontrollable and hard to manage.  Just because a toddle breaks things and doesn't follow directions and makes all sorts of social blunders.... the parent does not give up on her.  We give her the space to grow and take the time to guide her.  I tell them the artistic process is like raising a child (or a puppy)  and it takes time and investment and not to be too quick to judge....Not to give up.... give it the space to grow. In this, they find support for that inital inspiration. It gives them a different way to think about the process.  It becomes about an interaction with material and idea right there in the moment rather than some sort of far away big idea that has little to do with the moment they are in.

Blog # 13 VTS 2

Summative Image Selection

      I selected this image (out of many possibilities!) because it fits with the final assignment for the class this term.. As the class has progressed, the big idea has evolved to include the concept that imagination empowers our sense of self which weaves the stories/myth of who we are.. The final assignment will focus on what each student needs to feed in themselves to keep their imagination alive. 

      This image was created digitally by the artist Archan Nair (India) The image itself is more literal but also completely embodies the idea of a child's imagination.  For each of us, imagination is a little different and the image flow from the bubble contains many possibilities with even more potential interpretations.

       It is appropriate at this time because through out the term we have looked at various images which were introduced to not only to introduce idea, but also  to inspire experimentation with material  This image, being the final one for the term has a more narrative quality which I feel is important for the ending of their stories of personal myth.

       There is no right answer or response to any of the assignments in this altered book class, there are only honest responses.  So no matter what they do with this image or assignment, if they are responding honestly, they will have achieved the understanding appropriate for them in this moment.

All my altered books classes can operate on a continuum.  So this image could fall anywhere in any time line depending on the class etc.  However, I feel it is an excellent image to conclude this particular class with.  Lets hope Im right!

Blog #12 VTS 2 Peer Critique

Blog # 12

Peer Critique: 5/8/12

Teacher: Amy Ruopp

Student:  Emily Grade 7

She was not present for the critique. I did a side by side of two pages which dealt with the same assignment.  

This day over half the class was out on a field trip, so only ten students were present.

WOW.  It took a few minutes to get into the meat of the discussion, but once we did, they got it.

At first, I think they were hesitant to discuss too much of what they thought it might be about.  They instead, focused on the composition.  This is different than what they usually do when they are looking at an “artist” example.

Eventually, Sky, an 8th grader was brave enough to mention the mythical power she knew       this student was working with.  Once she did that, she started to weave a story which connected the imagery to the idea.

The strengths of the VTS process with in the context of a critique is that they look at more than the story.  They start to see why an artists does things, not just what they do. 

It was a building process, but after they broke down the literal objects in the composition (almost threw them back into a early stage one viewer) they then moved into more of a why and the story.  I think doing this more often will make the process easier. The first time is always a little scary.

             I found that using this as a critique, I also had to question  (in VTS style) a little differently.  For instance, when Sky started to make connections to Emily’s big idea, I asked her what she remembered or knew about Emily’s Mythical ability that made her say that.  So she had to qualify her comment not only with what she saw, but with what she also knew based on an interaction with another student.  It was interesting.

The only weakness in my opinion is that with another less narrative or open ended assignment, technical problems might be harder to address... however, I think with practice this could be resolved in some creative manner. 

My students are pretty used to VTS now, and used to talking and sharing in general so this approach worked well in my situation.  In someways, the more general questions make it feel safer since no one has to come up with a “right” interpretation.

I do think sometimes a photo loses something in the translation. After we were done talking about the artwork, they asked to see the real journal and it was there further discussion spontaneously occurred as some of the finer details lost on the screen because evident close up.  I might try doing some detail photos or partial compositions.

Trailer for VTS

My final project/presentation will be in a sort of imovie format.  However, because of my late start due to my schools trimester schedule, I will not have it complete in time to send (or be there if I manage the drive)  SO heres a teaser....   tee hee hee.....

R & R #14 VTS2

Anything that empowers the teacher( “creative choice” )and the student in the context of the teaching and learning is good.

I completely support the concept of a curriculum which stresses “essential understandings” rather than specific projects. 

The idea of interdisciplinary integration is one I also support, although I dont believe the authors examples go far enough beyond “idea”.  Its fabulous to study population and then consider what might designers do in the future if they dont have the space, but I would challenge the art teacher to go further, team up with the math teacher and figure out how much space (area etc) people actually take up, (compare different countries etc) how many can live in a building, design a building, using two point perspective (or three) and then a city which incorporates the actual mathematics and scale factor.  YES  its more work and takes longer, but then they truly integrate multiple skills and thinking processes together WITH the creative process.  Math can be creative, social studies too.  Of course, Im speaking to middle school on... It supports the idea that interdisciplinary integration is research.

I really identify with the Phenomenological approach especially at the middle school level where a students life experiences are changing and in many ways accelerating into adulthood.  Sometimes I read all these theories and such and many of them are similar with some rearranging.  

“The time has come for art educators to move beyond traditional teaching in the visual arts and strive to develop their own pedagogical approaches to curriculum,, instruction, and assessment that draw inspiration from best practice and contemporary curriculum research” Popovich, pg. 38  YES

These past few weeks I have been attempting to put into words what I do here at my school for the purpose of writing an NAEA proposal.  I must admit it has left me dumbfounded and flummoxed each time I make an attempt.   I don’t use an art curriculum of any kind.  I have developed my own completely from scratch based on what I believe my students need. I invent new classes each year.  This article has inspired me to consider what “essential understandings” am I offering my students in a curriculum.