14

Portrait of Possibility

As I reflect back on my student P. he has come a long way from the beginning of the year.  He has matured over the first half of the school year.  I watch in the videos and in class as he has gained his voice and contributes to our VTS discussion.  He is still bursting with energy but I have noticed a subtle calming to his presence in class.   During class discussions, I have moved him to a closer proximity of the image and away from friends that might distract.  When reviewing the  videos of this class, I have noticed my redirection of this student.  I  have also noticed him giving lengthy statements and almost difficult to get him to stop.  He does seem to list but has been expanding his ideas.

One of my strategies was to ensure that I called on this student.  I did hear from him is every class...a few times I did call upon when his had was not raised.  I also tried to sit him or move him to a closer view of the image and especially away from friends that might distract him or vice versa.  He is still easily distracted and I often redirect him.  At times, I will find him squirming around and even facing in the opposite direction of the image.  I feel sitting him closer made a more successful lesson for him.  He paid closer attention when seated near me and the picture. 

In the last lesson, the scaffolding did not help this student who insisted a pair of shoes were ice skates even as I paraphrased other student comments.  I think differentiation has been successful.  He is comfortable sharing when he is ready and seems excited to share.  His had is often in the air several times per lesson.  I do believe that each lesson and image built and allowed him the comfort and confidence to share his ideas.

12

I just shared this image with my students today, so it is fresh in my memory.  In education we have to roll with it....and today I had to do just that.  A new student joined our group today.  He has been in the resource room for the past couple months until his IEP from another state could be updated.  He is very outspoken and I redirected him right away to raise his hand.  I also tried to call on another students that has not been very participatory and she told me right away that she did not raise her had.  Later on in the lesson, I encourage everyone that I can see they are interested in the picture and that it looks like they have a lot to share...she raised her had almost right after this statement and I made sure to call on her immediately!

Almost as soon as I started, I recognized that I should have prefaced the lesson by sharing with students that I would like them to mention one or two images and that we need to give others a turn.  Students continued to mention several items, which makes it more difficult to paraphrase and makes their turn longer, leaving students time to get restless. 

Based on the flow of ideas from students, I think this image was a success.  Students raised their hands and were eager to share.  I think the image, while realistic and kindergarten appropriate did challenge students.  Items such as the cart and the trolley along with curiosity about what the people were doing, captured student thinking.  I don't think the challenge was too great.  Students seemed to flow through their comments and listen to others. 

I did a lot of paraphrasing and connecting of student ideas.  Students had a lot of ideas for the use of the cart.  Students did a great job agreeing/disagreeing with one another in this lesson.  I feel I did a better job paraphrasing and connecting ideas and I think this helped with how students contributed during this particular discussion. 

I was surprised at how one student continued to hold on to the idea that the boy crossing the street was ice skating.  He shared how the boy was ice skating on the stone.  Another student politely disagreed and mentioned that the boy could not be ice skating on stone and even went so far as to  mention that this boy might roller blade but there is no ice to ice skate.  The student came up again and still insisted that the boy was ice skating. 
I was also surprised and continue to be impressed at how one particular student reads the images with such great detail.  She backs up her statements and gives a lot of correct assertions with evidence. 

I would use this image again and plan to use it on Friday with the other two kindergarten classes. 

11

I selected this work of art for it's colorful quality and it's realistic imagery.  I tried to select an image where my kindergarten students would recognize the people, buildings and curious to see if they could recognize the older models of transportation. 

I believe this work is appropriate because it has recognizable images and students will be able to identify what each person is doing.  Also, based on how students have responded to images that show a moment in a time gone by, I think they will pick up on the details in this image that show it is from the past.

I think it supports the VTS curriculum.  I don't think it supports anything particular in the kindergarten curriculum or what we are doing during our other art time.  It could possible support the literacy curriculum.  Students in kindergarten write stories using pictures and this picture has components that would tell a story.

I believe it will challenge my students to identify some of the obscure items within the realistic context.  The cart the woman is pushing and the sign near the truck and storefront will challenge some students. 

Since the images of people are in the forefront, I think this is what students will notice first.   Up to this point, imagery of human figures have really consumed our discussions in any VTS lesson that features people.  I also think the yellow trolley will capture their attention.  I think the recognizable components of the work will be something that any student in my class should be able to comment on during our VTS lesson.

13

VTS Through a Differentiated Lens

Kindergarten students come into the art room with different abilities, experiences, and readiness for school.

VTS meets students at their "rediness level".  Students are able to look at an image and bring what they know to the picture without being corrected or told their idea/thinking is wrong.  I can think of a specific student who told me that the bird in Picasso's Child with a Dove was a rabbit.  From her experience, a white animal was probably a rabbit.  She has probably never seen a white bird.  VTS meets students where they are and "bring them all to the same learning objective". 

VTS uses both an auditory and visual means to teach its lesson.   Students look at an image as a class and listen to answers of classmates as well as the paraphrasing that I provide.  Currently, I have a student named Sam and his family is Russian.  He is hard to understand at times and I have to listen closely to paraphrase his answer.  Students are able to understand better what he is saying by the paraphrasing that I provide.  He is also able to come up to the image and point out what he is referencing in the image. 
*Learners are  are working on reading the same image but are met with various levels of support through paraphrasing. 

I have paid closer attention to the image selection this year.  The images of VTS do reflect various cultures and environments.  Each image provides and eclectic view of people, places animals and objects.  Students are exposed to such a variety of rich imagery.  What image sparks one student, may not entice another.   Last year, I recall many of my student who live in the city were excited by the image Boy’s Sunday Trip...many students responded to the city and gave many concrete examples of city details.  It is interesting how students do respond to culture specific images they recognize.
*Differentiating the learning environment by "providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings. 


*VTS "provides effective learning for varied individuals."
*VTS provide "similar amounts of effort".

I agree with the above statements but wonder about the students that don't participate.  I understand that they are still absorbing the lesson and will respond when they are ready.  Is there a way to ensure all students participate?

9

Douglass Square
1936

Allan Rohan Crite 
American, 1910–2007

St. Louis Art Museum

I started my selection by searching the St. Louis Art Museum Collection.  I wanted to find images that students may have the opportunity to see in person. 

From the St. Louis Art Museum website, I started with the American Collection.  I focused on realistic images that were "fairly obvious".  Because children 5-7 do not tend to "seek meaning" or "interpretations",  I did not branch out into images that were cultural or abstract.   I also considered my younger audience and the diversity of my students.  I chose images that my students who live in St. Louis City would recognize as well as those that live in subdivisions.  Since my students have been able to distinguish between a time gone by or as they have said "olden days" in previous VTS lessons,  I am curious to see if they will pick up on clues that these images are also from a time that has passed.  I believe that the image above and the images below have concrete objects that students will be able to identify, even if they are no longer common place.  These images are not overly complicated but have items that I believe students will be able to name, listing is common in the primary VTS viewer.  They also have actions such as reading, walking, and sitting that should be familiar.  I am intrigued to find out how facial expressions or mood will be read in these images, if at all.   The images are colorful...not so much "cheerful" but inviting to the younger viewer.  The images are painted which Yenawine suggests is age approriate and recognizable to children.



I am curious to see what everyone thinks of these images for the younger viewer.


Other VTS Kindergarten/ Key Stage 1 images.

Woman Seated on Sofa in Interior
1912–14

Frederick Carl Frieseke 
American, 1874–1939

The Front Parlor
1913

William McGregor Paxton 
American, 1869–1941

#10

Student willingness:  As I watched the video, students were very willing to participate.  This has been the case all along.  Kindergarten students are eager to share and often over eager.  Some will go on and on and this has been an area I have been addressing.  My current goal is to have students give a single answer or limited answer.  I have students that can go on and on.  I also noticed that if students give brief answers, it might help my paraphrasing.  I have found in reflecting, that by the time kiddos that rattle off a list of items, I have a hard time paraphrasing everything they have mentioned. 
I have a strong inclination that inclination that if I limit their answers, I will have kids more engaged and I will have less wiggling around.

This class was very interested in the water spigot.  Some thought it was to press fruit into cider and one knew that it was old-fashioned and pumped water.  I thought this was interesting because my other classes were interested in the houses, the fence and the animals.

I am not seeing a lot of conditional language but I am noticing answers that seem to be more elaborate and less of single word statements.

I have not seen flexible thinking yet...or maybe I have missed it.  Are kindergarten students going to show this this soon?  I am trying to recall from my prior VTS work if flexible thinking was done.

I seem so concerned about students being polite and disrespecting kindly at the beginning of my practice.  Students are very cooperative and respectful of one another.    I have not had any arguments or disagreements during our discussions.

I did not do a very good job of varying the questions.  I have tried to implement the "what makes you say that" statement slowly into the kindergarten lessons by feeling if they are ready for this question.  I seem to be stuck on the exact phrasing and it was hard to break out of the script.


I have been watching my time and I think students are gaining stamina.  I see many students engaged for a longer period of time and less movement.  It's hard to correct/redirect students while listening to a student intently so as to paraphrase.  I think they did a better job of listening to one another because they were building and agreeing with statements from other students. 

#8

Students are starting to give more as they answer.  I still get a lot of listing items and specifically students listing multiple items.  Willingness seems to be better as students get used to our routine.  I have scaled back our time on the rug since several students get "squirrelly" the longer we sit.  I am trying get them to build endurance as we sit on the rug.

*Should I allow one student to list and list several items that he or she finds in the image?

*Should I limit students so that others get a chance?

Individual responses are richer or at least for kindergarten, we have gone beyond one-word answers.

I have noticed that the listening portion is an area we can work on.  I feel I am making progress at paraphrasing statements.  I have some students repeat and name items that have already been addressed by  many students.  It leads me to believe that they are more focused on participating than listening to others.

*How do I build their listening skills?  I have to remind myself, they are only 5 and 6 years old.


I think students are learning that they are "thinking".   Students are starting their statements with "I think...".  Students are also comfortable with no right or wrong answers.  Students are not corrected.  Students are free to say what they think and I believe they recognize now that they are "thinking" by their current statements. 

#7 Common Core Survey

My experience with Common Core is very limited to this date.  I have an anticipation of them but very little knowledge of what they are exactly.  I believe they will be be a national standard and replace the GLE's.  I also understand that M.A.P. is being redesigned due to the CC Standards.

My knowledge is a lot of hearsay.  I have not been given a lot of information from my district.  I believe any information would come from our curriculum committee chair. 

I don't really have an attitude one way or the other towards the CC Standards further than I hope it will keep any state/district/ or school from allowing students to slip through the cracks.  As it pertains to art education, I feel that as long as the standards include the arts and do not eliminate or devalue the arts, I would support them.  Every child deserves a high quality education.

The literacy component and support that students receive from VTS would support CC Standards.  Since I do not have a lot of information on CC Standards, my answers are not informed.