Practice VTS Lesson

 

 1.    Did your colleagues notice what you noticed in the painting?

  

I chose Dad's Coming by Winslow Homer. The similarities between my colleagues' observations and mine were that the three figures were waiting, it looked like they were waiting for someone to return on a boat since they were looking toward the water, the figures were on a beach, there were boats and nets around and they were probably used for fishing. I was unsure if the oldest female was a wife or older daughter. I also thought the tide might be out since the boats were on the beach. I also felt that the people were waiting in a formal fashion - they had on nice clothes and were still and observant. My colleagues inferred a different narrative.They interpreted the three figures as a mother and two children waiting for dad to return. One person read impatience in the figures' postures. Another thought that maybe the dad had left the family, and that was why there were boats and nets being unused on the beach. 

2.    Did they notice details or offer insights you had not considered? How did you respond to these? 

One colleague noticed the connection between the white objects in the painting. She also remarked that the white sail in the center of the painting was the focal point. She added that a non-dominant part of the subject matter being the focal point was a good idea since it kept the viewer looking around the painting. I acknowledged her comments and summarized them, but didn't do cartwheels like I wanted to. Another colleague that the forms in the painting seemed really 3-D and kept the painting from feeling like it was full of flat space. I treated her comments the same. also. 

3.    How did you feel about facilitating this discussion and what did you learn from the experience?

I was really nervous at first, but got comfortable quickly. I was in my classroom, my guinea pigs were seated, and I had the lights off. I felt all their attention was focused in the painting. I observed that sticking to the questions, and letting the students reactions and conversations guide the flow of the discussion, was the best way to facilitate. 

4.    Were you surprised by anything related to this discussion? 

I learned that the science teacher across the hall used to paint, and was able to point out technical aspects of Homer's painting that I didn't notice, like the inconsistency of the painted water around the boat in the foreground - it looks lighter, and smudgy.   

5.    What would you like to work on in your next facilitation and how might you do that? 

I didn't go up and point to the objects on the screen. I need to remember to do that.

The feedback that I received from my colleagues was positive. First they commented it was a nice engaging activity, in contrast to the afternoon meeting we had just sat through. They also noted that I facilitated the discussion without being overbearing. One person noticed that when I summarized, I was rephrasing using art vocabulary. Another person said the summaries allowed her to stay focused as she was searching for other details in the paintings