For me, education is a system of relationships which are based in shared experiences created by a teacher and students. Students come to a classroom with their own experiences and perceptions which are based in the history and inherited ideas passed on by family and life. The teacher comes to the class also oriented in their own point of view from years of accumulated experience.
A “good” educator is able to open their heart and mind to make room for the varying responses of each student, find ways to validate and link experience and perception without creating a predetermined expectation for outcome. It is process, not product that becomes the learning ground. This is very much how I see the VTS process.
If we all take a startlingly different path to arrive at a place which is similar in theme but unique based on our own interpretation and expression, we have an opportunity to deeply learn about each other (and possibility) along the way. This applies both to looking art art work as well as the creation of it.
In designing a unit per-say... I find it nearly impossible to plan out something that may or may not work with the body of students I may have. Therefore, I believe the way I teach has parallels to the VTS process. When I introduce a “big idea” I wait for the responses of my students and then the class becomes more of a conversation. In someways, Housen’s statement in reference to how she began her research reminds me of this “ I decided that the researcher should abandon predetermined notions of what to expect in the aesthetic response” (page 5) Although I may have an intention behind a unit, I abandon expectation of a particular outcome. I watch and listen for their responses and through out discussions I assess what might be needed or how to guide the next step. I ask myself, “What do they need and what do I see that me makes me think that?” There are some classes that require less from me as they take off working, others prefer more interaction and guidance. I teach on their Que, with out imposing my ideas about what I think they should do. I resonated with Housens fourth assumption “that good teaching is more than imparting pre-digested information which is not relevant to the student” (page 4) I try to make everything they do connect to them in some way. They determine what is important.
I have always taught this way, even at the start of my student teaching career. I came up with a big idea and would initially work backwards and ask myself, what do they need to know to tackle this idea and would start there. From there, depending on momentum and need, I would build on experience and introduce questions and art etc as a mode to stimulate more idea and imagination towards the big idea. This was from asking myself, ok, what do they need and what do I see that makes me say that.
There are of course “stages “ that my own students go through when learning/teaching this way (although I could not identify them because I have not consciously considered this before now) but intuitively I know this to be true as I watch their work and responses become increasingly more sophisticated as they mature.
So based on ALL of that thought and response to the reading, my plan in the last trimester is to offer a class called “Altered Books, Personal Mythologies” I realize finding images may be more challenging if I am going to stick with the recommendations of Housen and Yewawine. However, I believe I can find enough that will suit the pure VTS process and many others which can combine that with more didactic teaching.
This will likely morph several times before the beginning of the term ... however, here is the first draft.
Big Idea: exploration/expression of the authentic self, the students inner life.
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?
Studio Activities: (potential) will depend on the group and what they come to the table with.... others may emerge as we go.
-Time line of memories, researching important events in our lives (written narrative)?
Themes for pages might be:
Earliest memory
First day of school
Peers
Family
Current state of affairs
foreshadowing the future
rights
rights
Pages will be mixed media, collage, drawing, painting oil pastels etc.
Artists I like to use in general are Dan Eldon. He was a journalist and kept his own personal mythology of his travels and experiences. Not the best VTS material, but fabulous resource. Candy Jernigan is another. Teesha Moore publishes a "Visual Journal" like magazene which is also a fabulous resource. That being said, after googling thousands of images, I did find several that met more of the criteria for a VTS piece but in altered book/visual journal style.
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| Amy Brickman |
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| Shauna Palmer |
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| Unknown |
Questons to others:
Do you feel the presence of words on a page will be a distracting influence to the meaning that the students derive? I am not certain of this only because I know my kids and they have a tendency to question what they see.... Many are closer to stage two viewers than one, but for the ones, maybe the two's will help them transcend any tendency to get stuck on a word....
If anyone has some favorite visual journal artists/altered book artists, pass them along!
Other thoughts on themes for pages?
