At first site of this picture, my thoughts were as such: curious. I found that my eyes were immediately drawn to the young group and trying desperately to see what in the world the young man is holding. It sort of gave me the same feeling of when John Travolta opened "the briefcase" in Pulp Fiction. It absolutely drew me in and asked me to explore the painting for clues. I really enjoyed seeing this new (to me) piece of art. Here are the reactions of the VTS study I did with my advanced Graphic Design class:
Class Performance based on VTS/Post VTS Scoring Rubric
Observations
I felt the class as a whole scored very well in certain areas (based on cumulitive averages). The overall class average was 48 words per question. I found that I had to really push them to get a sound and solid result using a thorough regiment of adjectives. The class average was around 10 per question. I found that the assertions with and without evidence were much more excusable than that of conditional language, as my class did not write very structured answers, but mainly focused on a more descriptive approach. Upon discussing the artwork, the students began to have more revisions of thought, and really began to develop multiple interpretations of the piece.
Comprehension Strategies Used
I must admit that students I have taught at the High School level have had a difficult time purely visualizing things without being prompted. Maybe this is because they have the internet to help them get a visual of just about every topic that could be introduced, so the first step of imagination is interrupted. I have found, as mentioned that if a student is prompted and questioned in the right manner, they may be able to begin visualizing more effectively allowing me to make connections with them, and help in their efforts to move beyond their imaginary road blocks.
I was unable to predict the outcome of such a project, especially one as new to them as this was. We are not a class that focuses on writing so much (other than type itself...YEAH!!!!), but I do feel that the more of these I do, the more successful that I will become at facilitaing them, and they will become at giving me what I want to hear. My overall reaction to VTS Project 1 with Class - Pass with a C. I enjoyed the segment and time with the students assessing art.
Thanks for listening...Ragster out.
Off to a Bluegrass Show!
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2 comments:
Okay, I have some questions, so bear with me.
1. Did you have students respond to this image in writing? (I am assuming your answer is "yes." If so, YEAH!)
2. Did you discuss the work with them after the pretest. (I am hoping you didn't, but if so, I need to know so we can make some adjustments.)
I went back and checked and my Group B instructions were not clear on this. My bad. I had dwelled on the pretest instructions with my Group A members when I saw them in person on July 30, so the original written instructions for the pretest were not as detailed. I see that I should have been more explicit with Group B. Not your fault and not a problem at this point. We will just need to keep this factor in mind when analyzing your pre/posttest results.
Just for the record (and if you decide to do this again at some point on your own), the pre and post test image should be the same image, the title of the image and its artist should not be shared with students, students should respond to the VTS questions in writing only, and the test image should not be discussed between testings so that any gains can be attributed at least in part to the VTS treatment and not good student memories. Again, it is not your fault if any of these "rules" were not considered. It will give me the opportunity to see if these rules make any difference, so we'll look on the bright side!
Let me know if that is clear as mud!
(The class scored a passing grade of "C"...Can't wait to see how they finish out the semester!)
Interesting to see the difference in the word count between 4th grade and high school is not much different in the first VTS experience.
My fourth grade class wrote between 1 and 55 words. No prompting other than the question "what is going on in this picture". I would be interested in reading some of the high school responses.
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