Monday, May 7, 2012

Week 11 Blog

Reflect on VTS experiences and VTS curriculum to date.
How might VTS support "studio habits of mind" discussed by Winner?
What insights, epiphanies, surprises, and questions did the Soep article elicit for you as you prepare to employ VTS as a critique method with your students?

Overall, I feel VTS has been a positive experience. I have been fretting recently over the structural and behavioral breakdown that happens during VTS discussions with my focus group. The students that are focused during work time stay focused during VTS. The students who need to be engaged inn highly structured activities start to disengage during our discussions. But most students are able to complete assignments with an understanding of why they are doing them. 

VTS may support certain studio habits of mind such as observation, reflection, envisioning, engage and persist, reflection, and expression. Students are asked to gather information visually, as well as building meaning from peer interactions. Students are asked to reflect in their language and interpretations when called on to provide evidence. Students must be able to see various scenarios in order to infer meanings in narrative artwork. VTS helps students persist when facilitators allow students time to reflect and form thoughts. It also allows a format for students to express themselves. 

The Soep article seemed to define critique as a teacher moderated assessment strategy that occurs when the students naturally start to evaluate shared cooperative work. I think I will use this strategy when the students do a group art project, conveniently taking place next week :)

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