Assessing, Reflecting, and Planning

Sorry, but there was a problem with uploading my video.  Wish I could share it with you guys.

Student Engagement Learning

• Describe student willingness to participate in the discussion. Are you witnessing change?
  -Students are VERY willing to participate.  They are waving their hands in the air before I can even get through the introduction and there are usually several hands in the air throughout the entire discussion.  The first couple of times we met a few of the boys were a little reluctant, but I think we get just about 100% participation every time now.
   
• What did students notice about the featured artwork?
  -During this session students noticed a lot about the action and conflict going on between a group of men on a submarine and a giant squid.  Some of the students seemed to be familiar with the story of 20,000 leagues under the sea, from which this image was taken.  Students took note of the unusual character of the submarine, identifying it with animal qualities and speculating as to what sort of creature it was meant to resemble.  Some students noticed the stormy weather conditions, but most were focused on the ensuing battle between sailors and sea monster.
   
• Are you seeing more careful observation and deeper noticing?
  -I do feel that the students are beginning to make some more interesting observations and are trying to flesh out the narrative of the images.  We experienced less of the "looking for pictures in the clouds" type of responses which have been derailing our discussions a little bit lately.  I think the boys have a better understanding now of what kind of responses we are looking for.   They seem to be most engaged by images that contain some sort of conflict, or at least, a lot of action.  These kinds of images illicit a lot of stories and speculation.
   
• Are students expressing their observations conditionally as they gain experience looking at art? (i.e. “It could be…” “It might be…” “It’s possible…” “I wonder if maybe…”
  -It seems like these students are right on the edge of using more conditional language.  I hear them saying "I think" and "it looks like" in a way that tells me they aren't being quite absolutist about their statements and that they understand that there might be more than one possibility.  However, so far I don't hear very much of this type of explicitly conditional language.
   
• Are students demonstrating more flexible thinking? (i.e. “At first I thought, but now I think…” “It might be…, but it could also be….”)
  -I have witnessed students doing this a little bit, especially in the form of agreeing or disagreeing with another person's statement.  I've heard some of the students say things like "I wasn't sure, but now I think I agree with so and so".
    
• Describe student interactions during the discussion. Are they linking their own responses? Are they respectful and democratic as they construct meaning?
  -This group of boys really does a pretty good job in this area.  Sometimes they have to be reminded not to scoff at one another's comments, but over the past few weeks I have noticed an increase in the instance of agreeing or disagreeing with one another.  Some of the conversations have gotten very interactive, but for the most part, this has been carried out respectfully.
   
• Were you able to vary the questions from time to time without altering the meaning? 
  -Yes.  I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the 3 question format and I naturally tend to vary question 2, especially, to be more specific to the initial comment.
    
• What do you think students learned from this discussion?
  -I think that some students who may not have been familiar with 20,000 leagues under the sea will now be more interested in that piece of literature.  The boys were really excited by this image and the narrative going on there.  I think, with the right images, the VTS sessions in general help to spark creative ideas.
   
• What did you observe that makes you say that?
  -I noticed, for example, when we were looking at the YETI images a lot of the conjectures and stories which came up in the VTS session were also showing up in their movie posters later on.  Sharing ideas this way in a group is a great way to get the ideas flowing.
  
  
  • Reflective Practice:
• How did the VTS discussion feel and what did you learn by facilitating the 4^th lesson with your students?
  -After reviewing the tape of this VTSing experience, I actually feel that my personal performance was a little weaker than it has been before.  Maybe it's because I went into this cold and it has been a while since I last led a VTS.  I think I was just a little rusty.  
  
  
• Are the questions and prescribed teacher behaviors becoming more natural and comfortable? 
  -In general, yes, the method is becoming more comfortable.
    
• Have you tried to reword the questions without changing their intent/meaning? Did the change impact the discussion in any way?
  -As I mentioned above, I think I'm pretty comfortable with re-wording the questions, especially question 2, without altering the meaning significantly.  Generally I will just say something like "what do you see in this area here that makes you say that there is a storm coming?", rather than the non-specific "what do you see that makes you say that?".
   
• Were there any surprises? Will these impact your practice moving forward?
  I was a little surprised when one student said "it looks like it's raining fire".  I'm always a little taken off guard when one of them makes a comment that seems totally off the wall to me.  My biggest challenge in handling this is just remaining neutral.  I noticed in this video (and I was aware of it when it happened) that I responded with "wow" instead of just my usual "good".  Just a small thing, but I realized it and felt odd about it right away. 
   

• Planning:

• What do you want to work on as you plan for future VTS lessons? How do you think you can accomplish that?
  - I think I still need to rehearse my introduction a little better.  I think I always feel a little rushed during the intro because these boys are familiar with the routine and they are SO excited to get started.