Week 11

ü Reflect on how VTS might support “studio habits of mind” discussed by Winner.

As Arnheim wrote in Visual Thinking: Both art and science “require precision, order, and discipline because no comprehensible statement can be made without these.” The goal of art is, in a deep sense, the same as the goal of science—both seek understanding, albeit through different methods and resulting in very different products. In Winner’s article, he was talking about there are at least eight types of “studio habits of mind”, and it maybe can transfer to other areas.

I think the habit of observation is clearly important in all areas. When students learn to draw, the first thing they should learn is to observe. “Learning to see is learning to draw.” Drawing is about relationships between space and negative space, between light and shadow, between angles and proportions. And then integrate these relationships into a whole. Therefore, learning how to draw is a great way to expand our capacity for symphony. Related to VTS, observation is crucial to begin the discussion. We observe every detail in the images, and put them together to make meanings. This obviously developed the central skills of visual literacy.

The skill of reflection is also important in ant discipline. One side of reflection is about self-evaluation. In art class, the teacher often ask students to step back and focus on an aspect of their work or working process. These questions will help to foster an inner reflection. The other side of reflection is to evaluate others’ work. Both of them give students opportunities to think about how they could improve. In VTS, students have the chance to listen to others’ opinions, it makes them think about the image in another way, and think over what they were thinking. Is this possible to connect others’ ideas with mine to make it better?

During the VTS, I can easily to see the development of expression and the understanding of art world. In my opinion, these “studio habits of mind” can all be transferred to other area, and it is one important reason why we teach art. VTS is certainly a powerful tool during the process.