Interesting Article

I thought this was interesting to read. I found this while doing research for the curriculum presentation. It supports what Pink was saying about the right & left brain way of thinking.
Forbes Magazine: article
How to Find Your Identity and Capitalize on It.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/09/26/how-to-find-your-own-identity-and-capitalize-on-it/2/

8740 Blog 7 Story

Story:

Stories are easier to remember- because in many ways, stories are how we remember. How very true I believe that statement to be. I can remember details of a story someone told me before I could try to remember a statistical fact told to me. Stories are how we all live our lives. We communicate through stories. When I ask someone how their day way, a story usually fallows. I enjoy listening to stories and telling stories.

“When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact… context enriched by emotion.” Pink describes how stories were used in business marketing. The real estate agent told a story about the people and the house she just sold to create an emotional response from the people who read it. It was her way to get new clients because she told a story about how she cares for the people and the memories they created in the place they called home. She told a story about the new neighbors and how they would care for the house just like the previous owners and create their own memories in the new home. People connect to stories and this real estate agent understood that.

This story reminded me of a stationary card that belongs to my soon to be mother in law. She lives and works out of Columbia so she has offered her extra bedroom for me to stay in while taking this class this semester. This stationary card was used as a thank you note. On the front is a child’s painting of a water lily. Nothing special, just  something that you would find hanging on a refrigerator of a loving mother.  I picked up the card to look at it closely and noticed on the back of the card was a picture of a little girl covered in paint and a biography of the girl next to the image. It simply stated that she has loved art for a really long time. She paints flowers and wanted the world to see what she created. So with the help of family and friends she began to print her painting on stationary to sell. This card was still sitting on the table for everyone to see because it told a story. It was not sitting there because of the content of the thank you. I asked about the note and she told me that she liked the story of the little girl and that because her name was Molly it reminded her of me!

It’s all about the stories and memories we create! WE ARE OUR STORIES.

Project Proposal

Art Impact on Commerce

For this project I would design and develop a full unit around the idea of how art impacts commerce. I would create a written unit outline along with all documents (instructions, project plan and assessments) needed to teach this unit to students. This thought came to me with the idea of making my students actual artists in the community and proposing their artistic skills to area companies. Students would be taught and walked though the design process of becoming a hired artist and working with real life clients. Students would use cross-curricular skills including public speaking and English writing. Visual Power Points would be turned in with examples of how art appeals to customers and how a major company uses its appeal to affect its business targets. For example, the Race for a Cure uses the visual art creation of the pink ribbon as its symbol of hope. That logo became so popular that it became a craze of wearable gear, office supplies, and even dedicated a full month of awareness. Another Power Point will be developed about teaching a student to act professionally when working in the real world and with a real client. Students would write proposals, meet with clients, design a portfolio, and create a business card. Every step of this process would include documents in the form of created worksheets, instructions, Power Points, checklists, and assessments.

8740 Blog 6 Design

Design:

Today we must all be designers. Design, just like art surrounds us everyday. It is in everything and it is everywhere. There is a fine line that is created between how we view what design is and how we view what art is. Pink describes this difference as utility and significance.

Design is a combination of utility and significance. I really liked his evidence of how business use design to differentiate themselves from another in a market place. Pink first talked about automotives and then moved into talking about kitchens. The kitchen to me is the heart of the household. Family gatherings, conversations, traditions, are created in the kitchen along with the food. It is a very important part of the home. Business thought of the kitchen and the goods and appliances that were designed for the space. He gave the great example of the toaster. The typical person uses a toaster at most 15 minutes per day. The remainder of the day it is on display. In other words, 1 percent of the toaster’s time is devoted to utility, while 99 present is devoted to significance. WHY SHOULDN”T IT BE BEAUTIFUL!? Although, I do not like to have clutter on my counter space in my kitchen, why shouldn’t something be designed to be visually appealing to the viewer?

Design in its simplest form is the activity of creating solutions. Design is something that everyone does every day. Good design can help heal a patient in a hospital, raise test scores, and help recycle. Bad design can change history. There could have been a different election result in the presidential elections in 2000. When looking at the photograph of the ballot that was offered for the residents to use in Florida, I was too confused by the design of the ballot. I would have thought that someone along the line of designers would have tested the design before it went out on the market for someone to use. Along with a bad design, there was also a bad business strategy created by the electoral board. They needed to have product testing before the mass marketing and use of the ballot.

Design is a fundamentally important strength.

Blog 8 Symphony

Symphony:

I know that this is an early posting of this chapter but I wanted to write about it while it was fresh in my memory. This is my assigned Pink Senses group therefore requiring me to read it before the rest of the class. So I guess this serves as a preview to anyone that reads my post early!

 

This was a hard concept for me to understand because of the word itself. I keep reverting back to a Symphony. A major work for an orchestra, instruments, usually composed in four movements, at least one of which is in a sonata form. So music. That is what I think of. Although, Pick refers to an orchestra in this chapter as a reference to his point, that is not what I think his meaning of this sense to be.

When Pink refers to Symphony, he is talking about the composition or seeing the big picture. He refers to symphony as the” linkage” of elements to create something new. It’s the way we view things to make a harmony or agreement of sounds, like in an orchestra.  The winds, strings, and percussions must work individually to create a sounds but also must work together to create the masterpiece of the entire musical piece. They see the big picture.

As an artist and art educator I really enjoyed how he used the example of drawing to be his way to explain Symphony. He stated that one of the best ways to understand and develop the aptitude of Symphony is to learn how to draw. Interesting right? He went on to explain positive and negative space. How as people we don’t really pay attention to the negative space around things. If we pay attention to the entire picture we may be able to see and learn more. He used the example of the FedEx logo. How in the middle is the arrow. I use this example all the time in my classroom. It always surprises me how many students has never seen the arrow before. But then again, I was surprised last semester when we talked about the Mizzou logo having the hidden mule.

 

Some favorite quotes:

"We must integrate our newly acquired understanding into a big picture" p134
"The ability to make big leaps of thought is a common denominator among the originators of breakthrough idea" p 136
"Sometimes the most powerful ideas come from simply combining two existing idea nobody else ever thought to unite" p 137
"Metaphorical imagination is essential in forging empathic connections and communicating experiences that others do not share" p.140

8740 Blog 5

Oprah interview:

It's great to put a face and a voice behind the man behind the New Mind book. I wish I could have seen him talk about all six senses that are in the book. Oprah only brought up and talked about three of the six senses. It was interesting to me how fast Mr. Pink was able to summarize each big idea. I read the Symphony chapter before viewing this video (Because it is my assigned group). He only stated about four juicy sentences about the Symphony sense. In the four sentences he summed up the chapter and touched upon the quotes I highlighted throughout the chapter. I think he brought and embedded the point in the symphony chapter that it is the artist that defines this sense. He stated this because an artist can see the big idea. They can visualize the start and the end and can see how the end product should look like.  He is a brilliant man!

Play:

It is refreshing to read something without the need to reread a chapter in order to understand what is going on. Pink is easy to follow and can tell a really good story while driving home his main points. Pink’s chapter on play summarized to childlike playfulness creates relationships. I also do not feel bad about playing video games now. He stated that we learn from them (got that mom and dad!) I am just kidding about the video games because I was never any good at them and my brother wouldn’t let me play with him. But now I know what type of learning experience I missed out on. Maybe after the chaos of this summer semester is over, I will take up playing video games in my free time to build on my “play” skills; sharpen skills and solve-problems.

Freedman Ch6:

After reading this chapter I came up with the idea to do my Curriculum unit on Identity. He talked about the construction of a range of art knowledge on page 115. He followed his discussion on the following page and in it was the theme of Identity. This is the theme I chose to use for the Critical Thinking class this semester. Hopefully if I can figure out how to use it in a format for this class I will have great exemplars.

8740 Blog 4

Eisner’s Chapter 5 captivated me. Although this was a really long chapter it had Photos! Yay! I love to learn about children’s developmental process. I have looked at the developmental process of children in the realm of creating art in my undergrad program. But during that study I never really looked at why a child creates a drawing at that developmental age they way that is socially accepted. Eisner addresses a lot of interesting viewpoints on this process but I think he said it beautifully when he stated, “ Perhaps the simplest though inadequate way to classify these theories is to divide them into those who argue that children develop primarily from the inside out, as contrasted with those who emphasize that they develop primarily from the outside in”.  I thought this was an interesting  new viewpoint. He went on to address the childs creative process. I highlighted the following: In the context of creation an idea needs to be formed; something must be created that gives point to the work to be done. Put another way, the person needs to have something to express, something to achieve, something to say. In my thoughts, a child needs to find a reason for what they are creating in order to create.

 

Eisner started talking about the stages of age that a child starts to draw new things within a image. He started by saying that “Children cannot know what they cannot see, and they cannot see without knowing, for seeing itself is a way of knowing. Wowza… I like!

I took multiple notes as he addresses the images and pointed out different things within the age groups. He wrapped up the chapter with the following,’ Techniques represent ways of doing something, but techniques also reflect ways of thinking about the things to be done… it is a mode of thought.” I found this to be interesting and enlightening. I always am lax on grading technique and the way a student present a new skill on a project. I grade them according to the effort and the way they try to master the technique. So if they do not master the technique, does it show a lack of thought in that project?

 

Freedman addressed interpreting visual knowledge. I was not as invested in this chapter as I was in the Eisner chapter. From the notes that I took the main idea that I received from this chapter is following. Students relationship with visual culture will help them view, make, and respond to the world around them. The response is a personal act that helps form ideas, opinions, and beliefs. Through interpretation visual culture in a visual art curriculum, students will be enriched, think critically and reflect/interpret .

Response is a culture and a personal act.

Seeing is a selective activity shaped by the framework that serve as screens in our consciousness.

The arts help us become aware of ourselves. Indeed, at their best we use arts to remake ourselves.

Artists, through their work, can change our way of seeing.

8740 Blog 3

After ending class today with the discussion of the "Neighbor" exhibit, I went home and did my own research on this exhibit. I watched some more YouTube videos and examined closely the work itself. I am concerned about the boundaries that this artist took to cross into privacy issues. I am angry for the subject he chose to shoot. However, I find the work to be beautiful and mysterious. I am intrigued with it. How far can someone push the privacy line? I think he went too far but the outcome it great. I can not wait to start class with this tomorrow and hear what others are thinking!

The Man of Steel article frustrated me. I am not sure if this was its purpose but I did not like some of the opinions that this review author freely stated. I feel that others have the right to view something and like/dislike but it should not necessary be stated. for example: "so much meaningless art", They're still not appealing"... Humm, I just don't know. I also needed to look up an actual photography of the work to have an understanding of what she was trying to say. Shouldn't a writer be able to make the reader picture the image in their mind without the need for a visual aid? (Sorry... just what I am thinking in my tired state of mind. Don't get me wrong because I am a visual learner and love images with text. ).

to be continued....

8740 Blog 2

That was a lot of information to digest. In my head I made a lot of connections to the group discussion we had today in class!

I started off reading the two Barrett articles. They had a lot of overlapping information but the whole time that I was reading thought the articles… my head was screaming “VTS does all of this!”. What a great teaching strategy we are given and taught to by Mary Franco. I will never look at an artwork again and not run through the VTS questions out loud or in my mind. I will also never create a piece of artwork that is meant to be viewed without thinking about the VTS questions.  Barrett talked about interpreting art and creating discussions around an artwork. He presented a list of principles that should be considered. Interpretations should be given with reason and evidence (is that VTS or what!).  He also stated that there is “no one true interpretation of an artwork” but the interpretation should be compelling, original and insightful. It also does not need to be what the artists intended it to be.  Opinions may change when a interpretation is shared because it may be persuasive. Barrett stated that interpretation in Art Education came to being with concern with making meaning in art. Anyone can create meaning when interpreting a piece of work.

Interpreting art lead right into Freedman’s chapter with his discussion of finding meaning. The overall understanding that I took out of this chapter was the following. Art is the formal qualities of the work itself but it includes the experience you, as a viewer, have while interpreting and finding meaning in the work. That meaning and interpretation can be different then another viewers or even the artists.

I was drawn to one particular idea the was repeated in this chapter; personal experiences and life experiences creates extensions of  interpretations outside the art work, making meanings and connections. This idea leads into Eisner’s chapters about world environment and experiences.

Although I felt that I already knew a lot of what Eisner was stating about the teaching of art and what arts teach and how it shows, I like how it is all stated with an art classroom in mind. My undergrad work was done strictly in education leaving out the art factor. It’s refreshing to read about a art environment and how art teaches our students and the affect of the learning. A quote that I laughed about was on page 48. “ the surest road to hell in a classroom is to stick to the lesson plan, no matter what”. I thought this was funny because it is very true. I don’t think I have ever truly stuck to a lesson plan! Although I might have this “great idea” it never works out that way. Anyways….

The following list are ideas that were stated in these chapters that resonated with me.

Helping students find a voice and helping them find a way to say it in the arts. P. 51

The entire last paragraph on page 57 reminded me that teachers are important. And on the following page reminded me that you need to love your job and art to teach art… and that I love my job! “

The choice of material that I assign to a project, “imposes its own possibilities” p 79. I need to remember to think before I limit in order to not limit the imagination and the possibilities that another art making material might have.

I connected back to Barret’s articles on p 89 and the idea of VTS andhaving studnts taking and describing what they see in art work; in their own and in other works.

8740: Blog 1

Sorry for being late to the party again!
After an overwhelming night of reading and taking notes, I was exhausted and couldn't imagine opening the computer to write my Blog post. SO here it is.... fashionably late, right?

Imagination first:

I found this book to be inspirational and full of great ideas that I will use in my classroom for projects. The introduction gave examples of how the imagination and ideas of possibility were murdered. It  gave me the opportunity to think back on ideas I have had in the past and purposed that were shot down. How does that happen? and Why? In my teaching, when I ask if I can
have permission to do something and the answer was "no"; What difference could I have made in a student, my teaching style, or in the school community? Oh the possibilities!!!
Practice 12: Make a Gap: Obscure part of the picture.
I was drawn to this practice do to the fact that it reminded me of my students. They are fascinated by Op Art. I have some Optical Illusion art books in my classroom and the student pick them up all the time. They seem to like to be tricked and to look at something that may have a different illusion to it. In this practice, it referenced the four pack man shapes, positioned so that their open mouths form the illusion of a rectangle. Positive and Negative space- something that I am required to teach. I would have student draw an image and leave out a section of the image. This would leave room for the viewers imagination to fill the space. For example, If I was drawing a portrait of a person; I might leave out the inside of the eyes. What would it do to this image?! Would someone view it as evil and imagine red eye coloring?

Eisner, Learning in a Visual Age, and Freedman all mush together in my brain. Here is a short summery of what I thought to be important and highlighted while I was reading.
The one quote by Eisner, that I highlighted and put stars next to was on page 13. "The curriculum is a mind-altering device. We design educational programs not merely to improve schools, but also to improve the ways in which students think." What we do in the visual classroom is important. What we teach them in our classroom will effect their future. I went into teaching thinking about making a difference in my students lives. I never really thought about how much of a difference what I am teaching them can alter everything about their future. PLEASE don't get me wrong.... I know I make a difference in everyone of my students lives. I can sometimes see the difference. I can feel the difference. And I live the life as a teacher for that experience.
Imagination seemed to be a big theme in these chapters. I have struggled in the past to get students to use their imagination to come up with project themes. Because I have student, at the high school level!!!!, step into the art classroom for the first time in their educational experience.... they do not know how to think creatively and take chances. (Some private schools do not have an art teacher!)  This just shows how important an art experience is for everyone in the development process of thinking.
The idea of what art can bring to a students learning experience that other subjects can not bring was another theme in the chapters. Although I know how important Visual Art Education is in a students curriculum, others sometimes do not believe in it as much. Its always nice to have articles and books that supports how visual art makes a difference in a students educational process on the back burner, just in case I need backup to support what I am doing in my classroom.

VTS Final Summative Assessment Description

I created my final summative assessment final of VTS this semester into a viewable piece of artwork. This artwork sums up my thoughts and feelings I had throughout the semester. I want to first start off saying that when I created this project; I was in a frustrated and stressed out state of mind. My seniors are days away from exams and graduation on May 17^th with underclassmen not far behind with the end of the school year. Because of this, students are at a point where they are quitting and behaving poorly. In the past week, five students were suspended and one was expelled. The one that was expelled was a senior. I can say that frustration and stress is running high within our school and within my coworkers. On top of my work situation, graduate coursework has boiled down to a sometimes unmanageable workload adding to stress and frustration. Good thing art creation is a therapy and I can express what I am going though!

I chose to create my artwork on a gray sheet of paper. I felt that because gray is the true neutral; I could add light and dark aspects to the drawing. I also crumpled the paper into a ball and then smoothed it out before I started drawing on it. I did this because I felt that this semester, for me alone, was rough.

I then created a roller coaster ride in the middle of the paper. I created two tracks. One is blue and one red. I created two tracks to simplify it representing one for my students and one for myself. The tracks loop around and around and then intertwine. The tracks go in the same direction because both my students and myself are trying to reach the same goal in VTS. The end of the track has a list of words that I believe VTS taught us throughout this semester’s ride. Some words that were included were “Brainstorming”, “Evidence”, “Connections”, “Learning” and “Understanding”.

Around the roller coaster track, I included colored circles that represent the students in the class. At my school, each class is assigned a class color. (Freshman=green, Sophomore=yellow, Junior=blue, and Senior=red). Each of the color circles represents one of the twenty-five students in my focus class.

I named the ride the Venture Track Scrambler. I wanted to include the word VTS on the project in some way. I highlighted the VTS in Venture Track Scrambler in a different color to make it stand out amongst the other letters.

On top of the roller coaster track, I drew a video projector. I wanted to include the projector because without it, I wouldn’t be able to perform the VTS lessons with my students. I colored the projector with black and white charcoal. The black and white signifies the dark and the light side to some of the VTS lessons I had with my students. The first time I created a VTS video with the focus class, it was one of the worst I did this semester. Later in the semester, students knew what to expect and the VTS lessons became better. It is the light at the end of the tunnel, to sum it up. I was able to learn from my students throughout the VTS lessons. I enjoy learning form my students’ everyday and especially when my students were able to surprise me through the VTS process.

            Next to the video projector, I drew some students. These students represent my students in my VTS focus class. The students are eager to participate in the VTS lesson. They are wearing uniforms, like they wear at my school. The students want to answer the VTS prompt questions. I wrote out the VTS questions along the edges of the project page. Without the VTS questions, the procedure and the critical thinking would not exist. I felt that it was proper to include them in the final project.

            The last thing I created on my final project was the swirls around and overlapping all the aspects of the project. This semester was a whirlwind.  It felt like I was being pushed and pulled in different directions. I was multitasking, overworking, and stressing out throughout the duration of this semester. I wanted to portray the tangle of tasks I took on.

t-test results and reflection

Paired t test results

P value and statistical significance:   The two-tailed P value equals 0.0046   By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be very statistically significant. Confidence interval:   The mean of Pre minus Post equals 29.00   95% confidence interval of this difference: From 10.02 to 47.98 Intermediate values used in calculations:   t = 3.1876   df = 20   standard error of difference = 9.098 Learn more: GraphPad's web site includes portions of the manual for GraphPad Prism that can help you learn statistics. First, review the meaning of P values and confidence intervals. Then learn how to interpret results from an unpaired or paired t test. These links include GraphPad's popular analysis checklists. Review your data:

Group	Pre	Post
Mean	67.88	38.57
SD	42.66	18.38
SEM	8.71	4.01
N	24	21

I gave the post test assessment to my students today during class. They were already working on their exam project and were told to take some time to fill out this assessment worksheet on their own time, during class. It was like pulling teeth! They have limited time left in this school year to get all of their work turned in. I think a lot of them wanted to work on their art exam and not worry about this worksheet. They would rather receive no grade for completing the worksheet then take time away form their project. I guess that is a good thing. Right?!
The students filled out the worksheet for me but, in all honesty, did not give it the time needed. When I collected the post assessment at the end of class, I was discourage by what I saw on their paper. Tonight when I got home to read their responses and fill out the scoring rubric, I was pleasantly surprised with what I was reading. Although the word count was lower then the pre assessment, the quality of thought was much higher. They were making connections in bullet points and drawing arrows to the picture itself to present evidence.
Overall, VTS has taught me how to look at a piece of artwork differently. I ask myself the questions as I look at artwork. I think my students are doing the same thing.

Pre-Post VTS Assessment Photo

Proof of performance of the VTS Pre & Post Assessment with my focus group.

Summative project photo

Blog Topic #13

VTS has provided differentiation for all of my students in my focus class. This is a class full of students that very in learning needs and learning methods. As I have stated in the past this class has about 1/3 of the students with a learning profile provided by the Learning Consultant. It also has about 1/4 of the students in honor classes. This makes differentiation strategies a must in my teaching methods.
Concerning VTS, it provides differentiation in every lesson. For example, just in the content of the discussion, students present ideas through auditory explanations and visually through my finger pointing. I also scaffold vocabulary providing students new vocabulary reaching readiness levels.
Through the process of VTS, students are able to learn from one another. Advanced learners can provide insight to struggling learners to extend their thinking skill and their ideas. This is a way of differentiated instruction creating a learning experience for all learners. We can meet students where they are in their learning style and challenge them to enhance there skill level.
I have seen VTS reach to my struggling learners. They are now thinking differently about a work of art by trying to figure out what is going on. They learn from their classmates and are not afraid to give their own opinion now.
Students are excited about a work of art. They like to look deeply into an image and find its meaning. Students discuss their art in different ways. They want to create something that has meaning to the views and their self.

Blog Topic #12

 Reflecting on Yenawine's article I felt that the image of choice was age, stage, and subject appropriate for my students. According to the article, I believe my students are at a Stage II because they are beginning to deeply understand the VTS process. This image challenged my students to find the meaning and the story behind the photograph. I think that If I were to pick a different image I would change the current image to one that has more of a story. I felt like my students were lost in the image trying to find the meaning and "What is happening?"
My students noticed a lot of the aspects of the artwork. They focused on three main things in the image. They noticed the mannequin, the background building and the man smoking a cigarette.  I believe that the mannequin with the smashed face intrigued them because they wanted to know what happened to it. They couldn't find enough evidence to support what actually caused it to break. They were also interested in the background. They wanted to know where this took place, what type of building it was and who is the man in the mid ground.
Students were able to scaffold off of one another. Students heard and saw things that they hadn't before due to other students opinions on what is going on in the image. They were able to change their train of thought and add to the conversation. I was able to add to the conversation by reciting and scaffolding the vocabulary so students have a better understanding of the conversation we are having.
As stated above, I would change the image if I were to do this again with a similar class.

Video #3 Lesson#5 (Teacher's Choice)

Here is a link to my last -teacher choice- VTS video.


http://youtu.be/qJf_Mkta18Y

Blog Topic #11

     

   

            I selected the above artwork because I think my students are more interested in photography. They seem to make more connections and present better evidence when the artwork that they are VTSing is a photograph. I believe that this artwork consists many layers and different meaning. Therefore, the artwork is age appropriate for my high school students. High school students also like to talk about shopping and about aspects of life that may not be addressed everyday like smoking. Although photography is not in my focus class’s content focus, I think the process of VTS supports any project. I think this artwork will challenge my students. There is not a true story written out. They will need to look for evidence to support thinking. Students will need to listen to their classmates’ ideas to build upon meaning.

I think the focal point in the artwork will intrigue them. The mannequin with a broken face and the man in the background not seeming to care about it being broken will become a narrative. I also think they will focus on the location of the surroundings in the artwork.

I will see how it goes! I am excited about this choice!

Blog Topic #10

My students were very willing to participate during this VTS. Some students started talking about the photo, with each other, before the projector warmed up. I was pleasantly surprised about that. Students noticed objects and predictions that I never thought about. Students pointed out that the house might belong to the focused upon woman because she was comfortable with getting ready. This is a great example of careful observation and meaning making. Unfortunately the screen came across very dark when projected for all the students to view. This disabled the students for noticing some key objects, like the camera the man is holding in the background. When watching the video, I noticed that some of the students wondered and predicted (with evidence) situations going on in the artwork.

Student linked ideas to one another. They also expanded on an idea that a previous student made. They were respectful to others comments and not afraid to correct an idea. They were funny and uplifting to one another. They did joke about the plant comment a student made. I think they did this because they knew we were talking about what was going on and not about individual objects to point out. I think the students gained a better understanding for the artwork. They were able to make connections and come up with a story line for the artwork.

            I felt that this VTS lesson went smoothly. They were better at responding to what is going on instead of listing objects. I think they were able to do this because I prompted them back to the first question of VTS a few times. The questions are becoming more natural to me. Although, I still have them posted so I can refer back to them if needed. I would like to work on the length of the discussion as a whole. I think the students stop at a point they think they are finished. I hope that they could look harder and think deeper to strengthen the conversation and meaning making in the future. 

Video Lesson #4

Here is a link to my YouTube Video of VTS Lesson #4- Video #2:

http://youtu.be/LgqS8w1FFfA

Blog topic #8

After my 3^rd VTS session my students were more engaged and willing to participate. I think this happened because they are now familiar with the VTS process. My students knew what was going on and what I was looking for when I asked them the VTS questions. Students whom did not participate in the past were now raising hands to share. (Although, my “Big Mike” is still not participating… still working on that home front). Students are presenting evidence without me asking for it. The discussion has now moved for pointing random things out to actually trying to support what is going on in the picture. I think this change because I now prompt them back to the first question more often.

I think my students are learning how to look at an image and find meaning in it with evidence. I can see that some of them are using the VTS in their own art making. I think that because it is a group discussion they are now not afraid to ask for someone else’s opinion in their own work.

I am becoming comfortable with using VTS in my classroom. I can see the positive benefits it is having on my students. As stated above they are working on their own work, with a viewing process in mind. I am still challenged with the fact that this process is new to my students and myself. Although they know what is expected now, there is some resistance with some of the kiddos. Snow days, breaks, and professional development days have completely interrupted this semester’s lesson plans. I am still struggling to fit in material and VTS lessons. But because I enjoy learning from my students and looking at an image from a different point of view; I look forward to using this strategy in all of my classes next year. I will have time to lesson plan and implement VTS in lessons now that I will have time to plan them with lessons during the summer. 

Blog Topic #9

Tiger Gamblers. 2001. Henri Cartier-Bresson

Title Unknown. Nils- Erik Larson

The high school class that I am working with as my focus group, really enjoys photography. They like photography because they respond to it better then a painting or drawing. During my last VTS with a photograph, my students participated and were fascinated by what the artist presented. I think my students are very connected with photography because of the technological society they live in. With photo Apps like Instagram and SnapChat, they are interested in what an image might say to them. That is why I picked a photography image for them to VTS.

I believe that this image has many layers that my students can look at and think about what they might be viewing. This image presents many different pieces of evidence that they can present to rectify their opinions.

VTS Lesson #2

http://youtu.be/XCht91fQsM8

I've just uploaded a movie to YouTube!
You can check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCht91fQsM8

Blog Topic #7

Common Core:

Because I am in a private school we do not use the vocabulary Common Core very often. We have set school curriculum and standards that I follow. During my undergrad studies we talked more about the Show-Me standards. I currently hold no attitude towards Common Core.

During Kathy's class when Mary visited we were able to look at VTS and the Common Core. I was educate about the Common Core and how VTS addresses all levels of learning in the Common Core structure. This shows that VTS is a great teaching method and it reaches to all students hierarchy of thinking.

Blog Topic #6

This class was actually really hard to work with during this VTS. We had a bad start to the class with 5 of the students ending up with demerits and one having a detention assigned. I think this had major influence to the discussion. But so goes teaching!

The students notice what I believed to be the overall theme of this painting. After awhile the students seemed to loose interest. It might be because of my choice for picture to VTS. Some students were very sidetracked at the end. They started to list what they saw. I think this happened because I did not refer back to the first question enough. I needed to make sure that they were to talk about what is going on in the picture. That was my mistake.
The students did interact with me and they did well with staying on task. I have a group of "squarely" boys that got off track. They seemed to be making stuff up and feeding off of each other. They were also the ones I corrected to be respectful and quiet down.  But then again, they were some of the first to jump into the discussion because they wanted to state their opinion.
The discussion concluded when no one else had anything to say. I think they could have done a lot better, but I believe that because we had a very rough start to the class the mood was not very positive. It was just ONE OF THOSE DAYS... to say the least!

I was comfortable teaching in the VTS style. I was more concerned if the camera was recording. I was afraid that I was going to be looking at myself the entire time because I set up my iPad to record. I covered the screen with paper so I wouldn't become distracted. So when I hit record, I wasn't really sure that it started. There were no surprises during this VTS.

I want to work on the picture that I will pick for the next VTS. I don't think my students were as interested in it as I thought they would be. Next time I may choose one of the photographs.

Time

How we view time,

While looking at the images of Annette Lawrence's work and thinking about time, I pondered how I use my time during the day. I thought about my overload of work, school, social life and started to stress out over my time management. Then I thought about my artwork and what I was thinking about doing for my overall project for graduation. I was already thinking about capturing moments in time while working on an art project. I have created a rough example of this already. I was drawing and while drawing, I snapped a photograph of the entire piece once about every 5 minuets. Each picture was a representation of my process and my drawing. It was a time capsule back into my drawing step by step. I put the picture together in iMovie and created a slide show. You can view the slide show in about 3 minuets. In those three minuets, you can see the process and the final image.

I can capture time. I can show time slowed down. And I can fast forward to the final moment.

Week #5

I have a student that is currently in the class that I am preforming the VTS assignments in, that has become “my project” for the semester. Lets call this student Mike, due to the fact that he reminds me of the main character in the movie The Blind Side.  He is quiet.  I believe that he is smart, but doesn’t give effort in his schoolwork. He is kind to everyone he talks to and he is tall and big; getting the picture. But unlike Mike in the movie where he found his place playing football. My Mike loves to draw. He carries around a notebook that he is always doodling in. All his other teachers tell me about his notebook. When I see him siting alone at lunch, he is always drawing in it. I take the time to sit down with him and page through the book. He loves to draw cartoon stories. I have asked him to take the time and draw out a comic for our school’s newspaper, but he has not yet. He was very excited that I asked him to draw for the newspaper, but he missed the deadline. I am determined to get him to draw one by the end of the school year. Anyways, With VTS, I believe that it might give a voice to Mike. He struggles with writing and in his Pre VTS assessment he only wrote down thirty words. He was very exact and did not explain a lot of details. I think that with VTS Mike can voice what he sees in the image. He can be guided by the group’s opinions to form and alter his own. I would like to see him participate in the group VTS but I am not sure if he will. I will try my best to make sure that he has every opportunity to voice his thoughts. I will make sure that he is sitting within the group and not on the group boundary. Like I said before, I want Mike to succeed in school and if his outlet is through drawing, I want to present every opportunity there is for him in my classroom. 

Week #4

After having my student fill out the Pre-assessment to VTS, we completed my assignment to introduce VTS with a discussion. We used the same image that they filled out on paper. We walked though VTS and talked about the questions. We then preformed a VTS of the image. The students were very willing to participate in the activity. They noticed details in the image and pointed out things that I did not see myself. Some of the comments made students change their opinion about what was happening after someone else pointed out something in the image. A few students participated more then the rest of the group, but that’s what I was expecting. After telling me what was happening they have very good evidence towards why they felt that way. Students were respectful towards one another’s thoughts. They corrected themselves when they were talking out of turn. The discussion ended when no one else had anything to say. We talked about the image for about fifteen minuets. Following the VTS the students wanted to know the name of the image and the meaning behind it. I told them that I would look up the name for them if they would like me to as soon as they start their projects. I also explained to them that there is no written meaning for the image unless the artist themselves wrote it down. Most of the time in art, it is up to the viewers to form their own interpretation of the artwork. They did not like it that I did not have the “answers”.

I was actually really nervous to preform this VTS. I got over that really fast because standing and teaching a group of teenage students is my job and I do it every day. Overall I thought that this activity went really smoothly and the students impressed me with their observations and own thought for the VTS image. I became really comfortable with the VTS questions and my students picked up on what I was asking after a little while. I felt that I stuck with the questions throughout the VTS and thought that I was good at rephrasing what the student said for the group. I was very excited and happy with the way that the VTS went. I was also happy that the students were curious about the image even after the VTS session. I am happy to be learning more about VTS and how it helps me and my students view an image and fully understand and see what is going on.