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Pre-Test Image:
A Meeting, 1884 by Maria Bash
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The VTS pre-test went well but I feel like they wrote very little. Most students wrote between 40 - 100 words with very few adjectives, 1-6. I was expecting more conditional language but found very little. As far as assertions with and without evidence they were about half and half. I found very little revision of thought maybe because they were writing rather than discussing. There were few multiple interpretations in their writings. As far as the comprehension strategies some used visualizing with very few questioning. I did see some students making connections but most were inferring.
Here are some statements that they wrote:
"It looks like an older schoolboy showing younger boys the things he's learning or even showing off a little."
"To me it looks like a group of younger boys meeting up for something they probably shouldn't be doing...because of the scenery around the boys. The fence makes it look as if they are in an alley. It just simply looks sketchy to me."
"A group of young boys are talking and coming up with ideas to have fun. There is a big city around them so they have a wide playground"
There were a lot of commonalities among my students' responses. Almost all of my students referred to the boys in the image as having a meeting or gathering. Most of my students' responses referred to the boys in the image as classmates or neighborhood friends. Another commonality in their responses was that the older or taller boy was showing something to the rest of the group.
Looking at the description of Stage I viewers my students certainly fit the description of storytellers. However, I saw very little emotion in my students' writings.
I wouldn't say that I was surprised by anything during the pre-VTS assessment but more so disappointed by my students' efforts. They are used to writing in art classes and used to looking at art so what we did wasn't completely foreign to them. I really hope that discussion goes better than the writing in terms of their participation. Actually, I was surprised by how few adjectives they used in their writings. That did surprise me.
I would say that I am not having a problem connecting with your disappointment. Some of our children might benefit from going back to the pen and paper exclusively.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving the background information on your class. It's a great size for this new venture and research. Hopefully the relationships established in Art I with them will eliminate self-consciousness that could inhibit initital discussions. You should settle in quicker than you would with a brand new group of kids who don't know one another.
ReplyDeleteDon't be concerned with the sparse, bland writing in the pre-assessment. This is normal, regardless of age. You were insightful when you speculated that the lack of revisions in thinking could be the result of writing in isolation. I think you'll find that the group dynamic, which gives students the opportunity to bounce ideas off of one another and see things through someone else's eyes will lead to heightened interest and consideration of multiple possibilities. If the images we have selected are appropriate and compelling for your group, I think you will be amazed at the rigor of the ensuing discussions. We'll work toward that anyway!
Great job! I look forward to hearing more as you implement the lessons!
Hi! I'm so curious about the writing aspect of this! Especially with the secondary students as there are other considerations influencing the writings of younger students. I commented on another blog about this as well and am curious about students relationships and perceptions on writing and its influence when processing visual information. That old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words, does not seem to hold true when translating to verbal... Although I would argue it does when discussing.... Especially for the reasons Mary states above....
ReplyDeleteMuch of what you report I found is similar to what my middle school kids wrote as well.
I look forward to hearing more and sharing!
:)
I found a huge difference in having my students write about the piece (my 4th graders are my focus class) and having students of any age discuss artwork. I think the ping of ideas really helps them. I'm exciting to see how our post VTS writing assessments look after they experience the magic of VTS. I know I am surprised at how my own thinking process has developed after practicing VTS during my summer class at MU and throughtout the semester.
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