Integrating Arts Education

My school was involved in a three-year collaboration with a local, Seattle museum. We, the teachers, learned about and taught a program called VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies), a K-5 program that uses fine art images of growing complexity that encourage our youngest learners to describe what they see.

Older students are challenged to explain their inferences, connect their thinking to others, agree and disagree respectfully, etc. The kids, believe it or not, love the opportunity to talk about art and what they think is happening. They don't always get enough time to talk. The most exciting observation for many of us was that many of our students who don't necessarily shine in core academics could share their thinking and shine with VTS. The questioning and teaching is quite simple, though the paraphrasing of what students say takes practice to master. We ask these questions: What do you see? (K-2) What is happening in this image? (3-5) What more can we find? (K-5) and What do you see that makes you say that? In this video, some of my esteemed colleagues are teaching their students a VTS lesson either at the museum, on the free end of year field trip (perk!) or in their classrooms. I got to participate because the creators wished to show how bilingual educators might use this program, in a multi-lingual classroom. You can try these questions in your own classroom with any images (historical, literary, etc.)! I'd love to hear if you try it.