Week 1: Reading reflection and Self-assessment

1. Big Ideas and Artmaking

The Big idea is always the core of art works. I consider it as the soul of artwork. It let artmaking be meaning-making rather than simply the crafting a product. Many professional artists created body of work based on one big idea, and it made these works more powerful and profound. To understand this, students will read artworks in a new way. When we are doing VTS, they will relate details in the image to the big idea, and build more narratives. And they can also develop an art-making project based on one big idea they are interested in. When they do this, their works will not limit by technical skills, formal choices and materials. They can express the essential questions in any way they like. They can think about one question really deeply and do art in a meaningful way.

2. Personal Connections

I always consider artmaking as a kind of personal expression. Because if your artwork is not related with your life, if it has no connection to what you are interested in, you won’t have passion to do it. And if no passion when doing art, it will hardly do a great work. So when we introduce big ideas to student artmaking, we should encourage them by asking questions as: How does this idea related to my life? Where am I in this idea? What would I want to know about this idea? Also, we should offer some related essential questions to expand their thoughts of this big idea. On the other side, we should let students know, a great artwork is not just connected with personal things, it also care about larger ideas, the common human experience. When expand the personal into social, more people will be touched by the work.

3. Building a Knowledge Base for Artmaking

A solid knowledge base is the foundation of exploring big ideas deeply. I think the requirement maybe too high for young students have so many knowledge base before art-making project. (There’s a start list at page 42.) But I think it will be a good idea if we plan a unit investigate one big idea, know the history and other knowledge around it first, then begin the artmaking project. One thing I will take use from the book is I will plan some activities to stimulate students’ prior knowledge, such as discussion in a group and do a paragraph writing. It will let their dormant and inert knowledge put in use. And I also think VTS will do some help during the process. When we VTS one image based on a big idea, we can see many details in this image related with the big idea. We keep asking “What more we can find?” And in artmaking, we do it in a similar way, when we ask “What more can you say in this image?”, it pushes them to think deeply and add more elements in their artworks.

Visual Thinking Strategies II

SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

Video # __3_ submitted by _________Chuting Cao_____ Date __Dec. 7, 2012__

INSTRUCTIONS:

View your own VTS lesson video critically. For each student response, place an “x”  to document each facilitator behavior as it occurs from left to right. If a behavior does not occur during an interaction, leave the column blank. If a question or teacher behavior is not appropriate (ie Q#2 is not necessary if a student lists a simple observation w/out interpreting), place “NA” in

the corresponding column.

Example:

The example below indicates that, after asking Question #1, the teacher gestured to area being discussed by the responder & paraphrased her/his comment, but failed to ask for evidence (Q #2) and did not ask Q #3 before calling on the next student.

Response	Gesture	Paraphrase	Q #2	Gesture	Paraphrase	Q#3
Example:	x	x
1			x	x	x
2			x	x	x	x
3	x	x	x	x	x	x
4	x		x	x	x
5			x	x	x	x
6	x	x	x	x	x	x
7	x		x	x	x	x
8	x	x	x	x	x	x
9	x		x	x	x
10			x		x	x
11			x	x		x
12			x	x	x
13			x	x	x	x
14			x	x		x
15		x	x	x	x
16			x	x	x
17
18
19
20

Reflecting on practice:

1.    Based on the data recorded on the table above:

·      Which facilitator behaviors are you using consistently and well?  What impact is this consistency and skill having on the discussion?

Through the assessment, I found I always asked them the second question “What can you see makes you say that?” whether they make a narrative or just list an item. I think it is good for them to practice describing an object by asking this question. It will also help them build things when making art. When they make narratives, the second question will help them find references and help them do the logical thinking.

·      Which facilitator behaviors are you omitting or using less consistently or successfully?  What impact is this having on the discussion?

I am so surprised that after I asked the first question, I rarely paraphrased the responses, but moved on to the second question and paraphrased directly. I thought maybe I wanted them found the reference so much that I omit this part, and I thought it was more important to paraphrase the second part. But I think I should work on more on the first question, point the part they mentioned and paraphrase it, it will help a lot for them to find the references.

22.    What did you learn about your own practice while watching this video?

I didn’t realize a lot of things before I did this assessment, I think I should do more gestures and improve my skills to paraphrase the first responses to help them move on to the second question.

3.    What did you learn about your students’ engagement and/or participation while watching this video?

Since my group is really small, they have lots of chances to talk. They are really patient and focus on reading pictures, and they also enjoy doing VTS. They even offered more narratives than bigger group did.

4.     Did anything surprise you as the result of watching this video?

The students always surprised me by reading the picture so detail with amazing insight. And I was surprised I often omit the part of paraphrasing the first response.

5.   Did the video reveal anything you might need to work on and how do you think you might be able to accomplish this?

As I mentioned before, I rarely paraphrased the first responses, and moved on to the second question and paraphrased them directly. I think I should get used to point the part as they noticed at once, and improve my paraphrasing skills to help them find more references to support their narratives. It is also important for me to improve my own language and help them with vocabulary.

Final Project

Week 15: Pre and Post Data

Although the paired T-test results said that this difference is considered to be not quite statistically significant, I still feel my students improved a lot. I don't know how this statistic works, maybe my sample is too small (I only have two students, so the df is 1), and this effects the result. Maybe it is just the exact result. Anyway, I can see their change clearly. They made more elaborate narratives and more creative interpretations, they identify themselves better, respect each other more and learn more things about art history and other cultures. Their other teachers in elementary school said they are the best writers in their class.(They are just in 2nd Grade and can write a lot.) I don't know if it is all VTS's function, but I think VTS certainly helps a lot on this.
I also learnt a lot from leading the VTS discussion. My skills of paraphrasing become better, I know more to select the image for different needs and also know more about art. This even improve my language, I mean my second language English. I really love VTS and will do this with more people.

Week 14: Portrait of Possibility Revisited

·      During Week #5, you were asked to identify a particular student for whom you believed VTS might be a help, a challenge, or both.

o   You identified  VTS attributes that might have been beneficial to this student. Was this assessment accurate?  Why or why not?

I think the assessment was accurate. The twins may have the problem with identity, so they always want to show the different parts from each other. So they argued, the competed and do not listen to each other.

o   You developed a plan or strategy for addressing the needs of that student specifically with VTS.

Ø  How did that plan or strategy play out? 

During VTS, I always remind them of paying attention when the other is talking. Tell them they could not begin to talk until someone finishes his talking, “when you listen to others carefully, others will also listen to you carefully.”

Ø  Was is successful or unsuccessful?  Explain.

I think it was successful. Now when one kid is talking, the other will listen carefully, and when he finished, he will say “It’s your turn”. They became more respect others’ ideas, they began to say “I think he is right” , “I can explain his idea” rather than always insist themselves. They tend to cooperate with each other. The phenomenon is they always built up ideas by connecting their ideas together. They became to know and understand although they have something in common, but they still have something unique originally. VTS really helps a lot to identify themselves.

Week 13: VTS Through a Differentiated Lens

·      Consider the Tomlinson & Johnson articles through a VTS lens

o   In what ways has VTS provided differentiation for students of all abilities and needs in your focus class?

After reading the articles, I really feel the one created VTS is super smart. Because trough differentiated lens, I find a new way to understand why VTS is a strategy that is so useful to develop students’ abilities in every aspects. When we select the VTS image for certain class, the differentiation has already started. We always choose the image for appropriate age, abilities, interests and needs. It is good for students to have the chance to develop and have some challenges. I let my students do VTS as a part of my art- making class, it really give them more options to create different things and meet their different needs.

o   What have you observed in your VTS teaching that makes you say that? (In other words, provide 2-3 thoughtful, reflective, and concrete examples!)

I am so lucky to work with two gifted two kids, they develop fast (although we just meet every two weeks). Every time I find them surprise me in certain area, I will choose a more complicated image to give them the right challenge. It is easy to handle just two students, and can always meet their needs in order to let them improve more. When they doing art making, I asked them to talk about what they have learnt in VTS image first, and put this element into their art making. This really gives them more options and let them do the things they are more interested in. I think the differentiation makes them love art more and develop a lot.

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.