BLOG TOPIC #9: Lesson 4

1st Place, Photojournalist of the Year 2011 (large markets)

Damon Winter/The New York Times

http://bop.nppa.org/2011/still_photography/winners/?cat=OPY&place=1st&item=276136

• Student Engagement & Learning:
• For this VTS discussion I divided my class up into two separate groups so that we could try smaller groups of 10 students instead of a big class of 20 students. I allowed my students to chose which group they wanted to be a part of thinking that if they were allowed to be in groups with their friends they would be more likely to participate.  Well this worked beautifully with one group and failed miserably with the other. I learned that my class has two groups of students and unfortunately they divided themselves into the students who participate and those who don’t. So the first group discussion didn’t go well. The students were very quite and asked me not to video tape. Even though I explained to them that I was the only person being seen on the video. Few hands were raised and I had to call on most of the students to participate during the the first group. The second discussion was completely different. The students were enthusiastic and eager to participate. Hands were raised and waiting on me to call on them throughout the entire discussion. So it seems that the students in the first group need the students in the second group to help carry them through a discussion. 
• Students from both groups noticed that there were soldiers in uniform and suggested that they were either on their way to or from the battlefield. Students in the second group questioned what the soldiers were riding in. They suggested an aircraft, a space ship, a submarine or some other type of boat and even a tank. Whereas the first group only suggested that they were in an aircraft. Students in both groups noted the red light. They suggested that it could be a warning light to let the soldiers know that they were close or that it was a light that couldn't be detected on radar. The second group noticed that the soldiers in the middle seemed to have better seats than those along the sides and suggested that maybe there was a rank difference between the men. They also compared the men along the left side to slaves. With my second group students I definitely am seeing more careful observation and deeper noticing but I did not see that with my students during the first discussion. 
• My students are absolutely expressing their observations conditionally as they are gaining experience. I am hearing a lot of "maybe", "might be", "could have" and "could be" from them.
• I am not hearing much flexible thinking from my students or at least they are not verbally demonstrating it. I do think that they are doing it because the same student will say contrasting statements at different points in the discussion but I'm not hearing much of the "At first I thought, but now I think..." type of statements from them. 
• My first group discussion the students hardly interacted with one another. It was evident that the students in the first group just wanted to get the discussion over with. The second group of students did interact with one another. They were respectful and listened to each other and were quick to add if they had an additional statement to tie in. This group of students is very respectful and democratic. 
• Varying the questions is becoming easier and yes I think that I was successful in doing so without altering the meaning. 
• I think that the students in the first group realized how much they have been relying on the other students in the class to carry the discussions and they also realized that I was having the same realization. The students in the second group learned that they liked being in a smaller setting. They told me that they discussion felt more natural and less forced in the smaller room with fewer people. 
• Reflective Practice:
• Well like I said previously, one discussion felt forced and did not go well and the second discussion was the opposite, it flowed and was very natural. I have learned several things. My first group of students needs my second group so I can either go back to discussing as a whole class or divide up my groups differently. I have also learned that my students like having the discussions in the media center conference room instead of the art classroom. It is a much more intimate space with a big table and chairs. I think that it is more conducive to discussion.  
• The prescribed teacher behaviors and questions are becoming more and more natural with each discussion. Rewording the questions is going well and I have been able to do so without changing their intent. I have not noticed any impact on the discussion from rewording the questions. 
• I was definitely surprised with my first groups discussion or lack thereof. I was really hoping that by being in a smaller group that those students would feel more comfortable to speak up and participate but that certainly wasn't the case. I will not divide my class up into these two groups again for discussion. 
• Planning
• I need to figure out a way to get my students from the first group to participate. 
• It may be that I have to tell them that I'm going to start taking participation grades for the VTS discussions. 

BLOG TOPIC #8: Peer Coaching

William Klein
Gun 2, Little Italy
1955

My focus class for VTS is a photography class of 20 upper level art students. The class is mainly 12th graders with a few 11th and 10th graders. I have had all of the students in class prior to photography. There is only one minority student in my class and very few in my school. We live in a very conservative, suburban community. Any chance I can get to open their eyes to new cultures or ways of thinking I do. I feel like my students are very sheltered in our community and I want to encourage them to look beyond themselves. 


I chose this photograph for VTS for several reasons. It is full of imagery that the students will be familiar with and can connect with. Most everyone has had an experience of a family snapshot or photo with siblings or cousins. The gun in photograph will obviously be a big topic of discussion and narrative aspect. I have also found that with my high school students the discussion seems to go a little smoother if the image is serious or somber in nature. If the image is funny or comical at all the discussion seems to go down the drain quickly.  

Mid-Term VTS Reflections

The Fortune Teller, Robert Doisneau

• Student Engagement and Learning

-I'm not sure if it was because of the first day back from fall break or because of Halloween being just around the corner but my students were very chatty for lesson 3. They were very willing to participate. I allowed the students to vote on which image they wanted to VTS. I showed them three images which I had previously chosen and let them chose which one they wanted to discuss for lesson 3. They unanimously chose The Fortune Teller. They loved her. They loved her so much that they kept just speaking out loud one after another forgetting about me making it difficult for me to paraphrase and point out their observations.    So I ended up having to paraphrase and point out multiple students statements at one time. I also had to keep reminding them to raise their hands and allow one another to speak. The discussion certainly went off on tangents that the students had not done before but I think part of that was the creepy nature of the image and the fact that Halloween was right around the corner. These tangents brought a level of unintentional humor to the discussion as well which was a first. 
-I have noticed that the students seem more secure in their individual responses and are more willing to go out on a limb. 
-I've only seen the quality of the discussion improve slightly but I feel that it will continue to improve with more experience. 
-The student interactions during lesson 3 were great. They were involved and listening and even in some cases trying to out-do one another by seeing something else. The group dynamic is improving with each discussion and helping to included more students with each discussion. 
-The students are certainly learning to look and listen much closer and better than they ever did before and I think that VTS has encouraged them to think outside of the box as well. Since we have started using photographs for our VTS images I have also noticed the students paying attention to the composition, lighting, and other things that we have been working with in photography class. 

• Reflective Practice

-Teaching VTS has taught me to speak less and listen more. This was not something that I did before and I'm not sure why because the students have so much of value to say. 
-I was getting better with the prescribed questions and behaviors until my students bombarded me during lesson 3 and then I felt completely out of control. But yes I do think that I am comfortable with them during most lessons. 
-I was challenged during lesson 3 when my students were eagerly speaking and forgetting about my role in VTS. I didn't want to discourage their enthusiasm or their observations but at the same time it was difficult for me to speak and paraphrase and point out their observations. 
-My surprise during lesson 3 was the students reaction to the image. They loved it and because they loved it they ran with it and it was difficult for me to keep up. 
-I feel confident using VTS and my students are confident with it too at this point. 

• Planning for the Future:

-I would like to try to VTS with a smaller group, maybe half or even a third of my class. I feel that several of my students aren't willing to speak in such a large group discussion. 
-Because I am doing VTS with my photography class I think that I may try to set up a schedule were certain groups will stay in and do VTS on different days while other groups are out taking photos. In theory it should work. 

BLOG TOPIC #7 - MUSEUM VISIT

Alvan Fisher

1792-1863
The White Pony
1838

I was able to do my museum visit at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee http://www.huntermuseum.org/.
The weather was terrible that day so I only had three people able to meet me but it still worked out great. My sister and my two nieces had a great VTS discussion of Fisher's The White Pony.

• How did your museum experience differ from your experiences with digital images and/or prints?

There were several differences being in the museum with the artwork rather than in the classroom with a projection of an image. First of all, being in a museum sets a tone for both myself and for the participants. It automatically puts me in a happy place and in an observational mode and I think that it did the same for my participants. There is no substitute  for being able to stand in front of the actual artwork and know that you are seeing exactly what the artist intended. Knowing that the colors are correct and the seeing the actual texture on the canvas provides for a deeper, richer opportunity for discussion in my opinion. That is not to say that a great discussion can't take place in the classroom with a projection of an image but again there is no substitute for seeing the actual artwork in person. I noticed that at the museum the participants spent more time studying the artwork than my students do in the classroom. 

• What benefits would a museum VTS experience have for your students?

As I said above there is no substitute for seeing artwork in person and I think that my students would benefit from a museum VTS experience for a couple of reasons. I certainly think that if I could take my students in small groups that a museum VTS discussion would really further our progress with VTS. Just as my participants at the museum did I think that my students would study the artwork more and be more observant at a museum therefore the discussion would be deeper. And for many of my students who have probably never been to an art museum it would be very beneficial for their first visit to involve a VTS discussion. I can't image the impact a VTS discussion would have had on my first art museum visit.

• What obstacles would need to be overcome to make a museum VTS experience possible for your students?

There are a few obstacles that I would have to work out to make a museum VTS experience possible. The main issue is the number of students that I have. In order to have a discussion we would have to break up into many small groups and I would need several teacher and parent chaperones for supervision. I would have to get permission from both our school and from the museum. Our school has asked us not to do field trips during the school day this year so I would have to work out a time when the museum is open that the students could go. It would take a lot of juggling to make it work.

• Students always respond to art based upon their own experiences and based on what is important to them. What have you learned about individual students in your class to date?

I have learned that I have some really smart, interesting individuals in my classroom. I also have some very very shy students and some characters too. I've been surprised by a couple of my students vocabularies during the discussions. Some of them make it difficult for me to rephrase their statements. 

• VTS is conducted within the context of a group. What have you learned about your class thus far?

My class is a mixed bag of students from 10th-12th and it has become obvious that they don't really know one another very well and therefore are not comfortable with one another. I think that this was part of the problem with the discussions in the beginning because no one wanted to speak out loud. They were very insecure and uncomfortable with one another to begin with. As the semester has progressed they have settled in and are more comfortable. They are a smart group but certainly not a very vocal one but they are getting much better at discussing with one another. 

• VTS facilitation is a multifaceted instructional method; one important facet is that it requires that you reflect metacognitively upon your practice. What have you learned about yourself through the VTS process?

I have learned that I am more reflective than I thought I was. I have never been the type to keep a journal or blog. I have never been organized and consistent enough to do so. This process has been good for me as a teacher. I will say that I wasn't a fan when I first began but as I have continued and practiced and been successful with my class I absolutely see the benefits of VTS. Through VTS I've learned that I need to talk less and listen more. I've learned to let there be more no right or wrong answers. I've also learned that a discussion doesn't have to be a critique. 

BLOG TOPIC #6



W. Eugene Smith

Untitled (Dr. Certain after the loss of a patient),   1948



• Assessing Student Engagement and Learning:

-The students were very willing to participate in the discussion. Only a few students sat without participating. Towards the end I did call on them and they each spoke and made comments once they were called on. There were several students who spoke many times. They were revising their comments, adding to their statements, noticing new things in the photograph and responding to other students.  I wouldn't say that they dominated the discussion but there were certainly some students who  carried the discussion more so than others. 

-The students noticed so much in the photograph. They noticed that the man was either a Doctor, Surgeon, or Dentist. They noticed that he was in a kitchen and debated on whether this kitchen was in his own home, someone else's home or a kitchen in a hospital or doctor's office. They noticed that he was drinking tea and smoking a cigarette. They noticed his wrinkled brow and stance as well as his distant stare. Several students suggested that maybe he had just had a long day or maybe he was at the beginning of what would be a long day. One student suggested that maybe he had just lost a patient or come out of a long difficult surgery. One of my students said that she thought the whole image looked like a 1950's TV show because of the lighting and setting. Another student suggested that maybe he has just gotten home to find that his wife has left him because he isn't wearing a wedding band. Another student noticed the time on the clock on the stove and determined that it was 11:00 at night and backed this up because there was no light outside the kitchen window. 

- A few of my students listed their observations but most of them interpreted their observations. I think that there were more interpretations with this VTS lesson because the students are becoming more comfortable with the process.
-During the discussion the students were very respectful of one another and allowed each other to speak freely and to do so without interrupting. But at the same time the students were really good about paying attention to what each person had to say and therefore they were able to actually have a discussion linking from one students observation to the nexts. I think that the students saw how important it was to listen to each other and they learned how much more that saw from their peers observations.
-The discussion concluded after about 15 minutes when I was starting to hear several repetitive comments and no more hands were being raised. I thanked the students and congratulated them on a well done discussion. 
- I certainly think that the students finally trust that there are no right or wrong answers and they seem much more comfortable with the process and the discussion. As I said earlier I think that the students are learning to listen to one another more attentively during the discussion. They are learning that each other's observations are enlightening and can help them to see something they themselves would have never noticed. I say this because I did notice them listening to each other much more and their comments were based on one anothers. I would also see students' eyebrows raise or see students look when I would point out what another had noticed.

• Reflecting on Practice:

-This VTS lesson was by far the most successful one for both myself and for my class. I felt like this was finally how VTS was supposed to work. The discussion felt genuine from the students not forced. With this much more successful lesson I've learned the practice from the previous lessons and modeling has been helpful and has paid off.
-The prescribed questions and behaviors and are coming much easier to me but I could certainly use more practice. I noticed that during the lesson before I began to rephrase a student's statement I responded to him by saying "Interesting". Other than that I was able to stay on script.
-The only surprise was how well the discussion went and that will certainly help to improve future discussions.

• Planning

- As I plan for future lessons I want to make sure that I have images that will be appropriate for my high school photography students. I have learned that this is a big part of a successful discussion. In order to do this I may let my students choose between two or three images that I have chosen for them for the discussion so that they feel they have more of a choice in the discussion.  I also want to continue practicing the prescribed questions and behaviors so that they are second nature to me during the discussion.

Week 6: Lesson 2- Success!

W. Eugene Smith

Untitled (Dr. Ceriani after the loss of a patient),   1948

Up to this point the VTS lessons have been like pulling teeth with my high school photography class. So for lesson 2 I spoke with Mary Franco about using different images and she sent me some photographs which were great. I also had my students sit closer to the image that was being projected and sit together as a group rather than sit individually at their desks. I also gave each student a photocopy of the image so that they had something in their hands to look at. I think that all of the above attributed to a much better VTS experience for myself and my students. 

In addition to the above I spoke with my students prior to lesson 2 about VTS and we looked at the image from lesson 1 again. I modeled for my students what my own responses would have been and at that point I asked them how many of them had been thinking the same things that I had said but they didn't say it out loud because it had to do with race. Most of my students raised their hands. I also asked them based on my responses how many of them had thought of other things. Many of them raised their hands again. I continued to look at the artwork and make comments and I purposely let some of my comments be on the edge of what my students would consider school appropriate because I wanted them to know that they could speak freely and I wasn't going to judge them. I wanted to model for them that there was no right or wrong answer and that this was a safe environment to have an open discussion about art. I don't know if this was appropriate or not but I really think that it helped my students to feel more comfortable speaking their thoughts aloud. 

Back to Lesson 2, it was successful. My students were engaged and participating and their discussion was engaging and thoughtful. I was very proud of them. I feel like I still have some work to do. I feel that I need more practice so that the process is more automatic. I just want to feel more polished. Overall I am happy and pleased with the progress that has been made. 

I apologize for the delay of this post. We actually did Lesson 2 in class on October 5th but I've had some technology issues that have kept me from posting. 

BLOG TOPIC #4 Lesson 1

“Michael and James” 

by Steven Assael Lambdin

Assessing Student Engagement & Learning:

• Student willingness to participate in the VTS discussion was minimal. I have 20 10th-12th grade students in the class that I am doing VTS with and only about 7 of them were freely speaking aloud during the discussion. Is it ok in VTS to call on students who are not participating and ask them to participate?
• Students noticed that the child was either sick, injured or dead. Students noticed that the man was in some sort of uniform, maybe a fireman, and that he was carrying the child away from smoke. 
• The students stated their observations. There were no interpretations. I think that my students were still too uncomfortable with what we were doing to make interpretations. Hopefully with practice that will change. 
• There were little to no student interactions during the discussion. They seemed uncomfortable. 
• The discussion concluded awkwardly when no one else would speak. I asked several times if anyone else saw anything else and kept getting silent stares. So I just recapped on what had been              discussed. 
• I hope that they learned that I wasn't looking for a correct answer and that VTS is truly meant to open discussion. I hope that they saw the format and will feel more comfortable speaking aloud and discussing next week. Although I worry that adding a camera to the classroom may make this even worse.

Reflecting on Practice


It was as uncomfortable for me as it was for the students. I struggle with not speaking about the artwork and not prompting the students to see things and think about things that they might be missing. It is very hard for me to stick to a script and remain neutral especially when very few students are participating. I've learned that I need to practice and figure out a way to encourage whole class participation in the discussion. Maybe I need to make it less formal. Instead of having them sitting at their desks maybe we will practice sitting in a group in the floor or even going outside. I did use the questions and prescribed teacher behaviors but I would not say comfortably and I'm sure that my students pick up on my being uncomfortable and they are in turn too. There were no surprises just disappointment. I hope that this gets easier for both myself and my students. I hope that this initial experience doesn't make my students dread VTS in the future. I know that I need to practice and I think that it will get easier for me too once my students are more comfortable with the discussion aspect of it. 


Planning
I need to practice and I am going to watch some more VTS videos to help me prepare. I am also thinking about changing the environment that I do VTS in. My classroom is really big. So I may go with a smaller classroom or even chose an outdoor space that feels less formal to the students and might be more conducive to discussion.