Visual Culture

Anyone studying Visual Culture this semester? This postcard that came is yesterday's mail is quite likely the WORST advertisement I have ever seen. Seriously, did the designer concider content and context? Brings to mind, once again, my favorite quote from the Smith-Shank book, Semiotics And Visual Culture: Sights, Signs, And Significance introduction - "un-interrogated responses to visual input are dangerous to democracy."

VTS II – Blog Topic 11

Unit Plan on Story to Date
Introduction to story – watched video Tom Benton’s Missouri, VTSesqued aspects of the story.

VTSed a variety of images from different time periods, medias, and cultures including : Las Posadas 2000 Carmen Lomas Garza
Running for shelter during the air raids. Bilbao, Spain, 1937.  Robert Capa
Louis Lang (1814–1893), Return of the 69th (Irish) Regiment, N.Y.S.M. from the Seat of War, 1862-1863. Oil on canvas. New-York Historical Society
Detail from Column of Trajan
Students compared and contrasted Spring on the Missouri, Thomas Hart Benton, 1945 and Moving Day, Norman Rockwell, 1967

My students are familiar with VTS. They substantiate their responses without prompting. They are using more and more conditional language. Most students participate on a regular basis. Hands are still shooting up after I’ve said that I’m taking the last response. I am comfortable with paraphrasing and have become adept at using variations of the VTS questions.

How Might VTS support “Studio Habits of Mind”?
Winner says “Studying the arts is serious; studying the arts require visual thinking.” VTS is Visual Thinking! Maybe I’m stretching here, but I believe the open-ended format of VTS supports nearly all of the Studio Habits of mind.

The Soep article inspired my plan to conduct small group peer critiques on the rough drafts for their story tiles. As I have offered formative assessment this week students have expressed frustration. It was as though my suggestions to include specific details relevant to their personal story were falling on deaf ears. “What? I don’t know what you mean? I don’t know how to show that! I can’t use stick people?!” I was seriously wondering if I had selected the wrong project for this unit. Initially I had planned to have students pair-up with tablemates for the critiques. However, sitting closely, I believe they are already familiar with one another’s stories and I believe this could affect them being honest with one another. I’m working on a plan to group them randomly and am anxious to see how this experience turns out.

Ahoy!

Having just finsihed reading the book, Steal Like an Artist, (Thanks Kathy and Amber!) http://www.austinkleon.com/steal/

I headed to Gude's website https://naea.digication.com/Spiral/Spiral_Workshop_Theme_Groups// with theft on my mind. I was thrilled to discover a treasure trove of NEW and WONDERFUL curriculum ideas twinkling and sparkling and laid out for the taking! What a find, I'm not sure which to appropriate first!

VTS II, Week 11 - Read and Reflect

Five year old me on the far right, seated with my two
 younger brothers and holding my brand new cousin.

As a young child when my mother forced me to do something I did not want to do I clearly remember telling her,"When I get big, and you get little, I will make you go to bed early,""take a bath", or "not let you have candy before dinner". Whatever was being inflicted upon me I stubbornly insisted I would do to her whenever I was the one in power. (How this never ended with me getting a swift swat to the behind is a wonderment!)


As I read the Winner article I kept nodding my head in agreement. I have been guilty of laboring under the misconception for years that there is a correlation between the arts, attendance, and standardized test scores. I've spouted it forth to pretty much anyone who would listen! I've also maintained that the arts should not be required to support the core curriculum, that the worth of the arts should stand alone. As our culture returns to a visual orientation, the ability to comprehend, to think visually, is critical! From somewhere in the depths of my mind, I could not help but think, in the manner of five year old Sheryl, "When visual art is more valued that the so called core curriculum, I hope someone makes all of the classroom teachers support the art curriculum!"


So far, in my unit plan students have had the opportunity to use many of the ‘Studio habits of mind’. Before the end of the unit students will have participated in nearly all of them with maybe the exception of the community part of 'Understanding the Art World.'


After studying narrative in general , today I asked students to focus specifically on a story of change in their life.Today the first group of fourth graders used a simple graphic organizer to note details of their narrative, and to create a rough draft of their tile idea. I was quite surprised that two girls elected to tell / show the divorce of their parents. Additionally surprising, these two children sit across the room from one another, so it wasn't a case of one copying another's idea. I am used to girls of this age drawing pictures with hearts, flowers, and horses. I am NOT used to girls drawing pictures of arguments and documenting the pain of divorce. Wow, I don't think expression gets more authentic than that!


Next week we will conduct small group peer critiques on the rough drafts. I want students to have the opportunity to have others look at their drafts and to experience judging and defending their planned choice. I want their peers to see if the details of the rough draft convey the story being told.

Random VTS Musings, A Word to the Wise...

 First grade is getting ready to create clay animal sculptures. I thought it would be helpful for them to VTS an actual sculpture. I quickly executed an image search. The thumbnail size image of this one appeared perfect. Imagine my shock when I enlarged it on my SmartBoard! Yep, that ox-like creature has a large, prominent penis, and we are talking about first grade babies with no forewarning! AUGH!
I hesitated briefly, and debated finding another animal sculpture, but decided to forge ahead. There was much giggling, not because of the penis, but because the one animal has it's arm around the other. 'Maybe the ox is asking the rabbit to marry him?' a student observed. PEALS of laughter ensued. One student suggested that this was an animal park and another that perhaps this was a monument to two famous animals. Yet another observed that it looked like these animals were sculpted of mud. All in all, it was a very successful session, I'm glad I stuck with the image. By the same token, however, if at all possible, in the future I will attempt to preview every image on the SmartBoard during a time when no students are present!

VTS II - Week 10

The two images I selected for my students to compare were Spring on the Missouri, Thomas Hart Benton, 1945 and Moving Day, Norman Rockwell, 1967. I projected the two images onto my SmartBoard exactly as they are posted here. At first I did not ask students to compare and contrast, I wanted to see what they would do when confronted with two images. There was much murmuring, oohing and aahing when the projector first came on. I gave my normal introduction and then asked "What do you see happening in these two images?" Most students responded to one image or the other, two students made a comparison, and then the class reverted back to one image or the other. Finally, toward the end of our session I asked them to compare and contrast what they saw happening.

Using side-by-side viewing, or in my case top-to-bottom viewing, I felt that students did not have the time to delve as deeply for meaning. When I specifically asked students to compare / contrast though the conversation started to become really juicy. I wish I had asked them to do so earlier in the discussion.

When comparing / contrasting every student either inventoried, or substantiated their observation without prompting. They noticed:

• a good situation vs. a bad one
• rural setting vs. urban setting
• one scene depicts a departure, the other, an arrival
• one scene is lighter, the other is darker
• bad weather vs. good
• the possibility that perhaps slaves were escaping, the other scene portrays racial equality
• difference in the time periods
• the Benton image having two horses - one white and one brown, and the Rockwell image depicting two African American children and three Caucasian children.

I would use this technique again. While students didn't delve as deeply, I felt that the comparison allowed them to make some powerful observations that might have escaped notice otherwise. I believe that the success of a compare / contrast VTS session would depend on image selection.

My students seemed to focus more on the Benton than the Rockwell. I'm not sure if this was due to the image itself or the placement. Next time I would like to display my images side-by-side to see if positioning makes a difference.

VTS II , Week 10 - Read and Reflect

Tech nerd that I am,  I have created this popplet  to compare Rath's "thinking operations" and VTS. I believe that VTS completely supports Rath's theory on the development of thinking skills.

Wasserman's placement of theses thinking orders into a progression to create a "new curriculum model" is very similar to the VTS five stages of aesthetic growth.   Both focus on open ended investigation,  problem solving, higher- order questioning, and the development of deeper, richer meaning. Both would serve as excellent models for teaching every subject and neither require curriculum modification. The first two stages of Wasserman's model, and perhaps even the third, mesh seamlessly with all stages of VTS. The Fourth stage offers a very VTSeque example for formative reflection.

Has VTS had an impact on classroom management in my classroom? As I have said before, I believe that I can see an improvement in student behavior. I attribute this to:

• the way that VTS provides all students the opportunity to be heard in a non-threatening manner
• knowing that I hear what they say validates that I value their opinions, that I see them as a person.
• the fact that I feel closer to them through the act of them sharing more of themselves

Has VTS had an impact on maladaptive behaviors in my classroom? Some of my VTS sessions last 25 minutes and aside from being a bit wiggly, my ADHD children have no problems concentrating on VTS. I have also witnessed a growth in confidence on the part of several students. Prior to VTS one student, in particular, almost never contributed in class. If he did say something it was spoken very softly and when asked to repeat he would drop his head in an embarrassed fashion and mumble "never mind". One day he cautiously contributed to a VTS discussion, just an inventory observation the first time. I carefully gestured and paraphrased. The next time he offered an opinion, and now his hand is up all of the time, he substantiates his opinions, and he seems proud to share. 

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

In February Moonbot Studio's The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. Directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, the 15-minute silent style film celebrates the power of story. Tears came to my eyes at the conclusion of this remarkable video. I can't wait to VTSeque it with my students.



Thanks to my library media specialist BFF Brenna for sharing this video and all of her best finds with me!

VTS II Blog Topic 9

I’m a bit jealous of the classroom teacher when it comes to the interpersonal relationships and environment. Classroom teachers have the time that it takes, should they elect to do so, to really get to know their students. In my twelve years of teaching at a military school I can name on one hand the students I have been lucky enough to have K-5. Most of them are there for 2-3 years, others as little as 5-6 months. Never the less, during the 50 minutes every three days I usually develop an easy going rapport with my students. Students know my rules, most of which are based on respect – No talking when I am teaching, treat one another with respect, and respect both supplies and the art room. Humor has always been a favorite tool. I try very hard to see all of my students as humans, as having feelings. I try to treat them, as I would have expected teachers to treat my own children. All of this being said, I rarely have discipline problems …despite how it may appear in my video taped VTS sessions ;-).

However, since beginning VTS last fall I believe that I am more at ease with my students. Recently I have shared more and more relevant personal stories with my kids, it just feels natural. Whenever I do so it seems that every eye is on me, and that they are hanging onto my every last word.  This has been most effective with my fifth and sixth graders.

VTS has given me insights and glimpses of my students that truly foster closeness and give me a new respect for them.It also seems as though my students are more respectful of one another, especially in the grades where I conduct VTS more frequently.

Experts in 21st Century Learning agree that communication and collaboration are critical part of the equation. http://p21.org/overview/skills-framework/261. Yet, oftentimes, in this day and age our students have limited opportunities for conversation. They sit listening to a teacher cram test information into their brains all day, play games or watch TV all evening, and communicate in the form of social media and texts. I think our students are downright hungry for authentic discussion, and I think VTS is the perfect means for facilitating these interactions in EVERY classroom.

TEDeducation

As per Kathy's recommendation I checked out and subscribed to http://www.brainpickings.org/
I love this TED video I found there!

Now, to use this idea in a lesson...

VTS II Week 9, Read and Reflect

                               

In reading Hadioannou's article, Bringing the Background to the Foreground: What Do Classroom Environments That Support Authentic Discussions Look Like? I could not help but notice the similarities between the classroom of Ms. Enthis, referenced in the study and the classroom of a former colleague, Mr. Gann. My son had Mr. Gann as his fifth grade teacher, so I got to experience him from a parent’s point of view as well. Just like Ms. Enthis, this exemplary teacher refused to ‘teach to the test’. He taught with stories, humor, and really got to know each of his students, authentic discussion was his natural style. For many years after fifth grade, dinnertime conversation would revolve around a Mr. Gann story that our son shared. Year after year he was recognized as having the highest test scores in the district.

There is no doubt that this model of teaching is successful, yet why is it so rare?    Why is it so difficult to move beyond the pattern imprinted after 16 years as a student?  

VTS is authentic discussion, participants share from a personal point of view and responses are considered and debated in a safe, comfortable, environment. There is no one preordained conclusion to reach. Reading this study I wondered if, and I think one of my classmates already mentioned this as a possibility, would it be effective for me to present my students with a range of images and allow them to select which ones we would VTS? This would certainly be a way to ensure that we were exploring areas of interest. GLE’s, assessments, curriculum, processes and techniques would surely settle into place. Hmmm, why is it that my plan to take baby steps often end up as running a marathon instead?

Ashes and Snow, The Nomadic Museum

http://www.ashesandsnow.org/en/home.php

I can't wait to share this site with my students - wonderful images for VTS, great potential for the exploration of several Big Ideas.

Gotta Love It...

Here's the Oreo portrait one student sculpted at home. Look closely and you'll see a big green tongue sticking out of that cream filling face. ☺

VTS II Week 8

VTS has become one of my favorite activities. I teach 470 students, K-4 on a three day rotation, 5 & 6 on a four day rotation. All classes are back-to-back. If I need to use the restroom I have to call the nurse. However, no matter how harried the day has been, VTS gives me a chance to relax. I think I've commented before, the entire process is a challenge that I truly enjoy. It's like a game where everyone wins. I love watching my classes as they collectively uncover meaning. When a students comments on something no one else has noticed I usually hear a whispered, "OH! That's good, nice job". I VTS with grades K-5 regularly and 6th grade occasionally. I've VTSed everything from tea-cups, to the Post-It War, and all points in between. I find myself doing a solo VTSque of tabloid covers while standing in the check-out line at Wal-Mart. (I've visualised inviting others to participate, wondering what kind of responses I'd hear.)



As far as my unit, the only frustration I have is with timing. It's been difficult for me to see exactly how all the pieces will fit. Since the culminating project is clay I am somewhat limited time wise when it comes to the actual production. I was afraid my fourth grade students were growing bored. We had VTSed three images, done a little bit of writing, and a few preliminary sketches. I kept dangling the promise of the clay tile, but six weeks can seem an eternity to a 10 year old. Then, I discovered the Oreo cameos of Judith Klausner. Students spent two fifty minute class periods experimenting with relief techniques on sandwich cream cookies. (One boy even brought in a portrait sculpted of the seasonal green cream filling that he had created at home. I'll bet parents are wondering about the art room happenings at Partridge Elementary!) Hopefully this experience will have added to their knowledge base and tide them over for a bit longer. I think I'll have to wait until the end of this unit before I can say if I would make any changes.

 

VTS II Week 8, Read and Reflect

Improving Student Dialogue About Art Through a VTS Lens

Barrett says "...learning to talk thoughtfully about art is especially valuable, perhaps more valuable than learning to make art." As I said last week, I am to the point where I, too, hold this to be true. Already having established this connection with Barrett, I approached this article with gusto. Let's see, establish a theme, yep, check in the box, VTS establishes a theme. No side conversations, yes, Houssen and Yeanwine would agree, attention should be focused on the speaker. Wait, ' I do not say things like,"There are no wrong answers in here - this is an art class." OUCH! While conducting VTS we don't add the 'this is an art class', but interpretation -  meaning making, is OPEN. Barrett claims to "..want to teach people to read works of art" and stresses that educators avoid dogmatic approach in the interpretation of art, yet, goes on to prescribe some very specific prompts for description, interpretation, judgement, and discussion.  While VTS is certainly no free-for-all experience, viewers are encouraged to freely interpret. They are, then, expected to back up their beliefs. Barrett says "works have rights". Houssen and Yenawine say that even the most outlandish responses will generally be grounded in meaning for the viewer should he or she be given the opportunity to explain their response.

VTS is in agreement with many of Barrett's suggestions: the environment for viewing should be suitable, the works appropriate, and multiplicity of voices essential. In fact, Barrett has some excellent suggestions for improving student dialogue. In my opinion, however, when viewed though the *rosy VTS lens, Dr. Barrett's suggestions lean toward the dogmatic approach that he, himself advises against. Do we have faith in our students ability to construct meaning, or do we authoritatively guide them into the meaning we feel appropriate? Do we, as Barrett suggests, end a viewing session with the notion that students have made conclusions in regard to a piece - possibly signifying that they have discovered all there is to discover, or, do we take the VTS approach and leave our viewers longing to approach the piece again?

* I mean that - rosy- in an awesomely GOOD way!

Oreo Fun

This week my fourth graders had a great time creating these Oreo portraits.(I thought it would be fun play prior to creating bas-relief tiles.)We used toothpicks and thin wooden dowels and the cream filling from two cookies. The technique was a bit tricky, downright frustrating to some, but eventually almost everyone was able to sculpt a tasty masterpiece.

VTS II Blog Topic 7

                                              

Robert Capa, Running for shelter during an air raid Bilbau, May 1937

Image Number 3

My students have grown to accept the VTS experience as a regular part of what we do in the art room. They settle into place quickly, and despite the fact that this target class is almost ten students larger than my last one, nearly every student contributes. 

 The meaning of the Garza piece, my first, was more familiar, more easily interpreted. I believe this photograph is more complex, there are viewer details, less density of content.

 Students pondered  the time period, the setting, the place, the mood, and the event. 

My first image was a painting which did not give many clues about a time period. This image, a black and white photograph definitely alludes to a different time in history.

My students enjoy VTS, there are always hands in the air at the end of the session. Photographs always seem to create added enthusiasm. Perhaps it is as Yenawine suggest, they are easy to enter and especially accessible.  I was pleasantly surprised just how close students came to the ‘truth’ of this photograph. They realized that this was probably a city in a different country, during a different time period. They commented on a sense of urgency, a feeling of unhappiness.

We’re not really into the art production phase of this unit yet, but students have a clear understanding that art can communicate a story and that the relief tile they create will be telling a story.

Since beginning this unit I believe that my students are listening more closely to one another. They have learned that it is acceptable to scaffold their thoughts  and likewise, that it is acceptable to respectfully disagree. They are beginning to substantiate their opinions with evidence without my prompting.

 

VTS II WEEK 7 Read and Reflect

Mural detail, PF Chang's

 This semester I have fallen into the habit of reading the assigned chapter or article and then thinking about it all week. This week it was the opening sentence of  Barrett’s writing “About Art Interpretations for Art Education” that has resonated with me loud and clear. “…I have come to believe that the most important thing I do as an art educator is to involve people in the interpretation of art.” What a profound statement, and you know what? I believe I feel the same way. What a radical change for an art teacher who, not more than a year ago, only used fine art examples in my lessons occasionally, and almost never in a manner which involved students making interpretations! When I did invite interpretation it involved the use of a prescribed method, which, as Barrett says have the disadvantage of simplifying complex material.

The 17 Principles of art interpretation go hand-in-hand, or would it be more apt to say ‘eye-to-eye,’ with the learner centered, meaning making VTS discussion. Barrett and Housen are in complete agreement that the act of interpreting an artwork involves thinking and telling.

Multiple interpretations and Controversial Art gave me more pause for thought. To me, controversial art is like having a sore spot in your mouth. You know it’s going to hurt when you put your tongue there, but you just can’t help but go there anyway. If I am repulsed by an encounter with controversial art, it is easy to turn my head and block out any response. However, eventually, no matter how hard I try not to, I will consider it again, just to see if it still makes me feel the same way. I appreciated Barrett including the written responses to Serrano’s Piss Christ. It was easier for me to understand my own beliefs after taking in the interpretations of others.

At the beginning of VTS I Mary predicted that class participants would become VTS missionaries, going forth and spreading the good news of VTS with the world. I’m afraid I’ve taken it to another level. I now see myself as a VTS junkie, always jonesing for my next VTS fix. Friends will attest that quite recently after lunch, to the delight of two and the dismay of another, I conducted an impromptu VTS session on the panoramic mural at the Kansas City Plaza’s PF Chang.

Meaning making, isn’t that what life is all about?