Photo Credit: NASA STEM Education is sweeping the nation. As a Boilermaker however, I'm a big fan of STEAM. The added benefit is ART. Art, really? I'm not an art teacher. I can't include art in my class. I teach math. I teach science. I teach high school. They already have an art class. I barely have time to teach the standards as it is... How many of these excuses did you just go through in your head? Well, I have a resource for you! It can be used at ANY grade level and ANY content area. I don't have the power to add time to your day, but this resource takes minimal time to set-up and adds quality to your lessons and classroom. Intrigued yet? What's my secret? VTS. If you google the acronym, you'll find it's a real estate service and way to convert visual files. VTS in our education realm however, stands for Visual Thinking Strategies. It is research-based and has been around for over 30 years, but hasn't quite become a staple in the classroom, yet! My Experience with VTS Indiana has an awesome art museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It is better known as the IMA - I know, another acronym! Last summer, I attended a 2 day introductory workshop. I got to participate in VTS, learn about it and lead my own. I integrated it in my classroom as part of the Viewfinders Program this past year and my students loved it. If you're looking for a way to engage that invisible student, voila! At first, they were a little timid and unsure about something new and unfamiliar, but after a couple sessions, they were pros and really wanted to share their ideas. We culminated our year with a wonderful field trip to the IMA for my kiddos to showcase their skills! www.imamuseum.org/events-programs/schools-universities/pre-k-12/viewfinders What exactly is VTS? VTS is a tool that turns a student's natural power of observation into a class discussion. Through a series of research-based questions, the teacher facilitates an open-ended discussion. It can be used at the beginning of the unit to gauge students' prior knowledge. It can be used at the end of the unit as an assessment to see what students how learned. It can be used in the middle of a unit to spark questions to continue to investigate. Check out VTS in action and get an introduction: https://vimeo.com/9827533 What are some of the benefits?
VTS Research -Based Questions -> Let's take a quiet moment to look at this image/object. 1. What's going on in this image? 2. What do you see that makes you say that _________________? 3. What more can we find? Bold Words In question 1, the words going on open up the floor for students to create a story and figure out what is happening. After question 1, you listen to the student and rephrase what was said. Be careful to use the words that the student provides. In question 2, notice that it says see and say, not see and think. The word see makes students support their statement with evidence. The word think is wrapped up in the idea of intelligence, which can be construed as right and wrong. Choose something the student said that you would like to elaborate on, to fill in the blank. In question 3, the word more gives the impression that there is more to be found. It stays away from the term else, which can make students think that you're looking for another, more correct answer. Now, what? LOOK at my image above. Try out VTS. Notice I did not include a caption. I would strongly encourage you to attend a workshop, so that you can confidently implement it in your classroom!! For more information, check out: vtshome.org/ Fun fact: It's the most popular feature in the New York Times Learning Network blog! vtshome.org/highlighted-projects/#new-york-times vtshome.org/highlighted-projects/#vts-in-science To use in math, take a picture of a student's answer or show their work under the document camera. Keep the name anonymous. It could be an example of the work you expect, showcasing different ways to correctly answer a problem or dissecting an answer to determine why it's incorrect. Peace, love and space exploration,
CAPCOM Conrad
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AuthorApollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator. Click Subscribe to stay updated!Archives
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