Forum 4 - Kirah Johnson

Visual Thinking Strategies in the classroom:

I actually was very encouraged reading these articles and watching the videos. This gives me terminology and a "backbone" for a practice I was unconsciously already doing as part of my morning meeting.

Each day I pick a visually interesting image -- either unfamiliar to the students or lacking context or zoomed in , etc.

The students are prompted to observe the image and have a class conversation using the stems "I see..." "I think..." or "I wonder..." It's a great way for students to share out, in general, but I'm always impressed by the details they notice and the connections they make to other content. It's a low floor / high ceiling entrance to our day. So happy to have evidence based backing to this!

This webiste it all about VTS and models language teachers should / should not use to grow this skill:

https://www.usf.edu/atle/teaching/visual-thinking-strategies.aspx

Kirah,

I love the idea of using an image in circle time every day.  That's a great way to get students talking about what they are seeing.  You could even tie it in to social emotional learning if you use an image of something sad or confusing.  Students see so many images every day, especially on TV or online, yet they don't know how these pictures make them feel because they do not have a word for it.
Thank you for the example of how to integrate art into a typical daily activity!
Shannon Benjamin

Kirah,
I really like the idea of using a piece of art during your morning meeting. Morning meeting is such a powerful tool to get students discussing their thoughts and feelings and adding a visual aspect can only help students get their ideas across. I also believe that adding art into morning meeting may be helpful for some students who may have trouble participating.

Kirah,

I like your idea of the sentence stems to initiate conversation between students, this would be very helpful in my primary classroom during out morning meeting time as well. I like the website that you shared and I too agree that it is nice to have evidence behind this practice and how beneficial it can be to students.

I had learned about doing a picture of the day during a breakout session at a conference I attended. I remember the presenter talking about using pictures that included diversity of holidays or places the students might never experience. It gave the teacher a starting point to expose the students to other cultures. I am glad you brought this idea back into my head! What a great way to include VTS in the classroom every single day!