I implemented the pre-VTS assessment with my group of 5th grade students. There are 12 students in this group and to be completely honest I chose them because they are a great group and get excited about any activities we do.
Commonalities I noticed in the students responses were that they were all very short and to the point. Most of them pointed out that the people were ice skating and a few may have elaborated and wrote the people looked like they were having a good time or have fallen down and may have mentioned a few objects in the background.
According to Housen's description of Stage 1 viewers the students "make concrete observations about a work of art that are woven into a narrative". My students made concrete observations but did not elaborate into a narrative.
I was surprised by the lack of writing I received on some of the papers. This is obviously the first experience these students have had with VTS and I think they will grow by leaps and bounds (at least I hope) within the next few months. This group of students love to look at art and really enjoy giving their opinions so I'm really excited to meet with them again next Monday to VTS our next image(s). I have already made plans with the 5th grade teacher to have make-up art for the 5th grade because we miss many Mondays.
It sounds like you had a great pre-assessment experience. Short and to the point is very characteristic of written responses of VTS novices. Two years ago when I did a pre-assessment w/ a 5th grade class and showed them Carmen Lomas Garza's "Curandera," one new student wrote "There is a girl who is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very sick." (They had been told by their teachers that word count matters on the MAP test!!!) I think you'll find it amazing how the collaborative discussion atmosphere makes their observations much more elaborate and detailed. Their ideas do piggy-back (or as Yenawine says "bootstrap") off of one another. I'm excited to see how this group progresses. I think they're off to a good start!
ReplyDeleteI hope its ok I jump in here as a newbie to the class. Sounds like a great intro for your class! I am curious, (in general for all art classes and teachers) How accustomed are students to writing in an art class? When I first started at my school, sometimes there was a perceptual hurdle to writing in a class they thought of as only drawing, and they failed to recognize the connections of processing thought in various modalities. I used to give them the metaphor of painting with words.... anyway, I look so forward to following the progress everyone makes as I am entering later and am behind!
ReplyDeleteI ,too, was disappointed by the lack of writing with my kiddos. The student who wrote the most in my pre-VTS assessment just found different ways of saying the same thing. I agree with Mary, they have this notion that quantity = quality. It's going to be fun to watch this process of growth unfold.
ReplyDeletePS Lucky you, I envy your class of 12!!!
@Amy
ReplyDeleteYes jump on in. Students in my middle school classed are accustomed to writing. We do daily bell work therefore they are required to write daily. Students in my elementary classes are not usually required to write. I chose this group of students because they are good about trying new things and will usually get excited about all the activities we complete in the school year.
@Sheryl
I completely understand you frustration. I can't wait to see the process of growth unfold. And yes...I love my small school and small classes! :)
Amy, the painting with words metaphor is great! I wonder, too, with the increase in text/image integration in postmodern art if more art teachers will do it....Just an "I wonder..." Caila and Sheryl, I can't wait to see the post-VTS assessments, based on the "short and sweet" pre-assessments you have described. They could be pretty awesome!
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