Blog Post #2

I thought the article, Eye of the Beholder was enlightening for the background to VTS and how each step is carefully researched and sequenced to develop each student's aesthetic experience.  I wish I had read this article sooner.   It also gives support to the simple line of questioning and how the process is part of the development.  I have tried to explain VTS to colleagues, 3 basic questions while looking at an art image, it seemed over simplified and didn't get to the richness or do justice to the learning and development that was happening in my art room.  I believe this article/research makes it easier to explain or at least certifies what I am doing (not that I needed it) is powerful.

 

How does one create, or support, first-hand experience and discovery?

We begin by setting up an environment of group discovery. This means

providing both a stimulus (an art object or reproduction of one), a way to focus

attention (namely, carefully crafted questions) and a process (of dialogue) that

keeps attention focused in a desired way and allows a course of puzzling and

construction to unfold. In this way the learner gets a lot of “time on task,” plenty

of opportunity to try to build meaning one way and then another. He also gets

exposure to the thinking of peers, which can accelerate shifts in his own

thinking.

Chapter 4.  Once a big idea is selected, it is up to me to thoughtfully work through the image and be prepared for the ideas of my viewers.  I must understand the "link" between my images and the big idea.  Just because a person is showing emotion in an art image, it might not be the right image to convey or get my students to think about Empathy.  Students may go beyond or not even reach the intention of the image which I selected to get to the big idea.  

My big idea is Empathy.  This has been a goal for our students over the past couple years and works within our 5 character traits:  safety, kindness, cooperation, respect and responsibility.  I will be working with kindergarten students so I need to prepare and connect Empathy for the students with the work of our "Meramec 5" and the work we will view in VTS.

 

On a more basic level, I want students to identify qualities of empathy.

*Put themselves in some one else's shoes.

*look for facial expressions

*look to see how someone might be feeling.

*identify various emotions.

*look at clues in the image to determine what might be happening/happened to a person.

I feel the big idea goes beyond it's "obvious aspects"  I also see flexibility in students identifying various scenarios where the subject is showing emotion.

I have started to collect images and continue to search specifically for artwork that my African-American students will connect with and hopefully encourage them to contribute to our discussion.  I am think of two students in particular.  I am collecting images here:  
http://pinterest.com/eliwill/vts-love-empathy/

I welcome suggestions of specific artists or works that might apply to the big idea of Empathy.