Chicago

In the mid 1990s, then head of student and teacher programs at the Art Institute, Antonia Contro, asked Philip Yenawine, VTS co-founder, to conduct workshops for docents and teachers, most of them art specialists, in the then-evolving pedagogy that became VTS. Participants were enthusiastic about the way VTS engages students in the process of examining art, and funding was secured to produce a film, "What Do You See" which became a standard in docent training programs in museums across the country.

In 2004, the manager of studio and family programs at the Terra Museum of American Art, Dori Jacobsohn, invited Philip Yenawine to conduct teacher workshops, and in 2003, the Terra hosted a VTS institute for museum educators wanting to focus on school partnerships. At Columbia College, Dori began teaching early childhood education pre-service students, where she has incorporated VTS training into methods courses.

In December 2007, two Chicago Public Schools elementary schools on Chicago's Southside, Fiske and Fermi, began a Kindergarten through 5th grade school-wide implementation. The initial training took place at the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art. Following the success of the program in Chicago schools, Visual Thinking Strategies has launched a citywide Chicago initiative.

Chicago Schools that use Visual Thinking Strategies


Dori Jacobsohn
Regional Director, VTS Chicago
Email Dori