Week 10

ü  Reflect on Wasserman through a VTS lens. Consider the following questions.

·      Which of Raths’ “thinking operations” are supported by VTS?

I think almost all of Rath’s “thinking operations ” could be supported by VTS. Some of them are directly and some are indirectly. It is obvious that during VTS, students will “observing, interpreting data, suggesting hypotheses, imagining and creating, identifying assumptions, comparing, making decisions, criticizing and evaluation”.

·      Relate VTS to the new “curriculum model” described by Wasserman.

I think VTS is kind of new “curriculum model”. In the first stage, students observe the image and collect data by list objects. In the second stage, they process the data by making narratives based on the objects what they just observed. In the third stage, they compare and relate different ideas from their peers to make decisions and develop new ideas. In the fourth stage, they reflect by giving reasonable evidences to support their ideas, and even continue thinking about the narratives they made after the discussion. In this way, VTS makes a curriculum that teaches students how to think, and develop their ability of thinking.

ü  POST your Image #4 on your blog

·      Critically evaluate Image #4 that you have just presented to your students

·      Reflecting on Yenawine, was this image an appropriate choice for your students?

I think these two images are very appropriate for my students. Since my kids are 8 years old, they love cartoon characters and have some experiences to read some stories. The image is related to the fairy tales they are familiar with. So they have a great interested in making narratives about the images.

·      Did this image motivate rigorous & engaging discussion for students?

I selected two images by the same artist, actually there are in the same series. They could make more narratives by comparing and contrasting these two images. As I mentioned, they love the cartoon characters in the images.

·      What kinds of things did you learn about your students’ prior knowledge, readiness, & attitudes that might help you plan for instruction?

I think students at this age will know these two famous stories. Although the main characters are missing (just have the outline), they can still infer from the background and realize it was this story based on their prior knowledge. And they will be curious about why artist left the position of main character white. In this way, they might find the intention of artist.

ü  REFLECT on Image #4 and the VTS discussion:

·      Would you use this image again to pre-assess this group of students?

I will definitely use this image again. Actually they are my favorite images among what I have already selected. Through discussing these images, students will know the relationship between memory and moments and better understanding of the big idea memory. It will also be very easy to put these images into artmaking curriculum.