Guiding Principles 2
"Folk wisdom, poetic declarations, and developments in post-Cartesian philosophy have led to that familiar claim of modern aesthetics that beauty is in some sense "in the eye of the beholder." This focus on the viewer and on the interaction between the object and our perception of it has generated difficult questions that the field of aesthetics is still struggling with today."
Abigail Housen, VTS Co-Founder
Critical Thinking And Transfer
The structure of VTS fosters a viewing and learning strategy that is tailored to decoding meanings in art but that can be applied to other objects, texts, and experiences. The behaviors VTS nurtures – extended observations, drawing conclusions based on evidence, speculations, considering many possibilities, and learning to listen to, respect, and learn from the observations of others – are cognitive skills that are useful in many educational, and life, situations.
Learner-Centered
VTS allows students to examine and discuss works of art, prompted by questions selected to support careful, evidentiary looking. In examining the artwork, students apply their knowledge to understand what is unfamiliar. Teachers listen carefully to their students' comments and reflect on their thinking. VTS facilitation techniques require the teacher to focus on students' language and ideas, thus providing teachers with a window into student thinking.
Facilitated Discussion
Teachers are trained to implement VTS so they can facilitate a conversation about a painting or photograph based on three open-ended questions:
- What's going on in this picture?
- What do you see that makes you say that?
- What more can we find?
These three questions challenge students to look at a picture, explain their ideas, find evidence to support their opinions, and then study it even more closely. Teachers use a method of structured, yet open-ended, discussions of art, which stimulates the desired kind of thinking in every student. During the VTS discussion the teacher points to the areas of the painting that students refer to, while paraphrasing what students say and drawing connections between the comments of different students. This process validates individual views, demonstrates language use, and makes the group meaning making process explicit.
