Blog Topic #5 Portrait of possibility

    A student for whom I believe VTS might be both a help and a challenge will be called "B".  B is a second grader who is an ELL student and a SPED student.  VTS helps many ELL students widen their vocabulary and understanding.  I think him being SPED only gives him room to grow.  When I gave him the pretest he sat there and didn't write anything for a long time until a para sat next to him and helped him understand what it was he was supposed to be doing.  Many students had a hard time with the format of the picture and them a second page with lines.  Many just wrote on the first page under the picture and didn't understand how they could keep writing onto the second page. 
    He is a student who doesn't really talk or even answer many questions.  I've never been sure if this is because he is an ELL student and doesn't know what I am saying, is quiet, or because he simply doesn't understand.  He did show promise when he said that the people in the picture were a mom and dad, although getting him to write it down was a huge challenge.  One of the other specials teachers mentioned noticing him talking more this year instead of just the constant humming he has always done.  He seems to be blossoming as a second grader.
    My plan for B is to have him front and center when we are VTSing.  He is easily distracted so this might help.  I also will try and call on him even if he isn't raising his hand.  My goal will be to hear from him expressing his thoughts.  Since this isn't written, which is hard for him, hopefully it will be more natural for him to speak his mind and let the words flow freely.  He could easily expand his vocabulary though this process and the community that is his class.  I would love to hear him verbalize supporting evidence for the things he notices on the artwork and since this is verbal and not written it should come a little easier for him.  I can't wait to find out what is going on in that brain of his.

Side note.  I did VTS with another 2nd grade class Friday and they blew my socks off with the things they noticed and how they gave supporting evidence, sometimes without even being prompted.  The coolest part of the conversation was when they acknowledged what another student had said and gave more supporting evidence. (I agree with what A said and I noticed this to go along with her idea)  Several students chimed in with evidence, it was wild!  They even disagreed with each other in a respectful manner on another part of the picture.  Just thought i'd share!

Danielle

Blog Topic #4

Assessing:  Student engagement was high in lesson 1.  I heard from almost every child.  I had my second graders come sit on the floor in front of my smartboard in hopes of keeping their attention better then 20 feet away at their tables.  I had many raising their hands and some students who needed to be reminded not to talk or interrupt.  The students did an excellent job noticing details in the artwork "The Child's Bath" by Mary Cassatt.  They began with the obvious then moved to the floor and background.  They talked about how maybe she was amish because of her dress, how she may have been poor because they were using a bowl to take a bath.  They discussed how she was sitting and if she was sitting on the floor, books, or a chair.  They noticed the rug she was sitting on.  Some of the students thought they saw stairs in the background and a rope, another thought they saw glass as a banister around stairs.  The students had detailed observations and supported their ideas with evidence quite easily.  They were thinking deeply about this image and also pulling from their own experiences to create understanding.  I can tell they were listening to each other talk because they were making meaning influenced by others statements.  They did well raising hands and taking turns.  I also noticed when they took what someone else said into consideration but disagreed and offered their interpretation.  I think the students learned from this discussion that there were no wrong answers and felt more comfortable sharing by the end of our first lesson.  I observed the quiet children raising their hands and sharing toward the end of the discussion.

Reflecting:  I think the VTS discussion felt very comfortable for both them and me.  Nothing was forced and the ideas flowed.  I learned that there was nothing to be nervous about and they have so much more going on in their heads then I would ever otherwise know.  I was able to use the questions and behaviors comfortably.  I found myself trying to skip to the second question without paraphrasing so that is something I need to slow down and make sure I practice.  I think that if I skipped paraphrasing that it sped up the discussion and didn't allow enough time for the students to ponder what was said.  I was surprised at the detail and depth of the students discussions, especially compared to their writing.

Planning:  I want to work on paraphrasing moving forward as well as beginning to link observations.  I think I can do this by practicing, proceeding slowly through the process and not rushing it, and by practicing my listening skills.

Blog Topic #3

I gave the 2nd grade class their pretest and it was a challenge to gain their attention.  They didn't want to stay quiet for anything and they required a lot of coaxing to answer these questions.  It was especially challenging for some of my sped students.  The majority of the class had simple observations only.  Only a few had detailed observations, Interpretations with and without evidence.  One student said he is painting because I see a paintbrush and a picture.  I recognize the simple surface level observations that are appropriate for young viewers.  After being asked to provide evidence and continue our sessions it should be easier for them and they should be able to notice more things.  I recognized many stage I viewer comments in my students answers.  I see a man painting, a cat sleeping, a mom holding a baby.  I'm not sure how many were stage 2 comments.  I did have a student say that is a mom and dad, which might have been stage 2.  I was surprised how hard of a time some kids had writing.  I am unfamiliar with what is typical 2nd grade writing.  I was also surprised that they had a pretty easy time sharing evidence when prompted in our conversations about art but have such a hard time writing it down.

Blog Topic #2

I had a small group of teachers and paraprofessionals attend my VTS "dress rehearsal".  I choose the image "Dad's Coming" Winslow Homer.  It went a little faster then I thought it would.  The teachers were a little silly and had a hard time focusing.  The first comment I received was that they thought it was relaxing and calming.  They liked to think about and get to hear the different ideas and thought this aspect would be great for the kids.  They really liked that the kids would have to think about "WHY" and getting the kids to think more deeply.  The teachers also said that they never would have thought that deeply or spent that much time on the image without the additional questioning.  They noticed things they hadn't seen at first.
The readings have helped me to understand what level the viewers are at or what to expect when working with adults versus children.  I saw the community idea at work while they were swaying others perceptions and ideas.
One of the first questions was "who painted it and what is the title?"  I am glad we covered how to deal with these kinds of questions.  I was surprised how hard it was to get the adults to look a little harder, notice more details and keep going.  They wanted to conclude this image before they really looked at it and I found myself asking what more can we find several times.  I think that goes with the older viewer who is looking for the "right" answer instead of seeking more possibilities.  The group also came to their conclusion quickly bringing in their own experiences and interpretations.