Week 12: Assessing, Reflecting, Planning

o   Reflecting on Yenawine’s article on image selection, was your Teacher’s Choice image an appropriate choice for your students, considering their age, stage, interests, and needs at this time? Explain why or why not.

I think my Teacher’s Choice image is a very appropriate choice for my students. According to Yenawine’s article, there’re some special considerations for young viewers. My choice image has something familiar to them that they can name, count and list, such as food, fruit, instrument, teapot and door. And there’re people in different gentles and ages. What they are doing are some actions they can easily interpret. It is very realistic, so they can make up stories by observation these things. And for my students, they have a little experience doing VTS now, so I selected an image including more details. And there’re lots of people, it has many possibilities to make different narratives. It is a painting from ancient China, so it can broaden their horizon to other culture. The image is a Chinese traditional painting, my students are very interested in it and familiar with this technique. Moreover, they has other curriculum related to it.

o   In what ways did the image challenge them?  Was the challenge too great, too little, just right? Explain.

There are a couple of things happening at the same time in this image. But the main thing is every one is listening to the music carefully in this feast. Some of them maybe very far from the instrument, but they are still listening, I think it is just right challenge, in this VTS, they noticed that a girl was playing instrument, and everyone was having a feast, they were going to have dinner. It is very close to find everyone is listening the girl playing music before dinner.

o   What features/aspects of the work of art and its narrative did the students notice? What intrigued them?

They noticed a family or family and friends were having a feast, someone was playing an instrument, it was in someone’s house, there were many rooms in this house because they found a bed, someone was knocking at the door in order to join the party, there was a painting on the screen and people were going to have dinner. The thing intrigued them was some people were far way from the one playing music, but they were still listening it carefully.

o   What opportunities for SCAFFOLDING did this image provide? How did you and/or students address and support those during the VTS discussion?

I think there are some opportunities for scaffolding, but since my English is not good and some of the words seem not to have the one in English, so I missed the chance. Actually, the instrument is called PI-PA, it is a Chinese traditional one, and the painting on screen is called Ping-feng, and there’re some other special containers on the table have their own names. I think if I do it in Chinese with Chinese students, I will do it much better.

o   Were there any surprises?

They are very focus and patient to find every detail they could name. And they connected some ideas to make new narratives and make up interesting stories.

o   Would you use this image again with a similar class of students?  Explain.

I think I will certainly use this image again with a similar class of students, especially Chinese students. We can see the original piece in the museum and talk about Chinese culture, it will be a good chance for them to develop in language, the knowledge of culture, critical thinking and cooperation.