Final Presentation

Learning to think Communicate Through Art

VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES

Final Presentation LTC8915

Classroom Research

Jooyoung Ahn

Brainstorming

Why do I want to study this?

Research Purpose I have had my own VTS class with 5~6 Korean students at my place for over a year. This was the first experience for me to teach students as an art teacher. During this teaching experience, I have learned a lot from VTS instruction and my students. This experiences were very beneficial for me not only to have a better understanding about VTS but also to encourage myself to be an enthusiastic researcher. Some phenomena in VTS discussions made me curious and wonder. I felt like it naturally drags me into teachers’ research process. One of interesting things I found is that students’ interpretations and responses seem to be more profound, creative and critical as they have been more experienced with VTS discussions. And I was wondering. What happen to my students when they deal with more challenging images? Through this research, I tried to find out how my students think, feel and act when they need to discuss about more challenging image for their age and stage. I thought this research would provide a good opportunity for me to set up my own VTS image selection guideline for better educational effects.

What do I want to study?

What subqeustions do I have?

Research Question What happen to my students when I they deal with more challenging images? Subquestions Will students’ enthusiasm to participate be changed? Will students’ responses or interpretation be more profound or creative? How are discussion time changed? Does it take longer or shorter? Are there more various interpretations? Are there more active interactions? Will students provide more evidence for their observations? Does each student provide more responses or interpretations? Do students need more time to draw conclusions? Will students be more confident or self-assured about their ideas? How does students’ satisfaction change?

I defined the meaning of challenging images. According to the following criteria, I selected two images at different levels for each class. 1) More Complex- The image has more different parts which are often difficult to understand. 2) More Ambiguous- The image is unclear or confusing because it can be understood in more than one way. 3) Less Realistic- The image shows the people, things and situations which are less like people, things and situations in real life.

How will I collect Data?

How are the students responding to the lesson, question, or change?

What and how are

they learning?

What am I learning?

Design & Methods used Data Collection . Observation – I did note taking about what I observe during the discussion after finishing each VTS facilitation. It would be about students’ participation, interactions and responses. . Video Recording – It certainly provided a chance to learn and observe what I didn’t find during discussions. However, some of my students’ parents didn’t want to allow me to videotape their kids so I used this method limitedly. . Audio Recording – Audio recording was an also good method to collect data because it enables me to save students’ every response and talk. I mostly used audio tape recorder for this research. . Survey – I conducted student survey to find out students’ feeling, levels of enthusiasm and satisfaction after each VTS facilitation. . Interview- I interviewed with my students in order to evaluate the effectiveness of my lessons and gather students’ feedbacks.

Data Analysis My data would be not too much since I have a small group of students. I have read my teaching journal including my notes about each discussion. I analyzed audio files in order to get data related to students’ enthusiasm and excitement to participate. I compare and contrast students’ behaviors, responses, reasoning and interactions according to the images at different levels. I checked how long the discussions continue when I don’t stop the discussion. I analyzed how often agreements and disagreements occur during the discussion. I made charts based on student’s survey results. I combined every data and draw a conclusion of this research.

When I will complete the different phases of my study?

Timeline .September Sep 8 – First class (According to criterion, Complexity) Sep 19 –Second class (According to criterion, Ambiguity) Sep 25- Third class (According to criterion, Reality) . October Oct 13- Fourth class (According to criterion, Complexity) Oct 21- Fifth class (According to criterion, Ambiguity) Oct 27- Sixth class (According to criterion, Reality) . November Nov 4- Seventh class (According to criterion, Complexity) Nov 24- Eighth class (According to criterion, Ambiguity) .December Dec 1- Ninth class (According to criterion, Reality) I will finish analyzing data and summarize findings on the research until the beginning of December. I have work on the final project and share the research results with colleagues.

Who will help me

sustain this project?

What type of permission do I use?

Support and Permission I needed to get permission from my students’ parents every time I have the class. I also need to arrange class schedules in order to invite more students to my class.

Introduction & Literature Review

Literature Review Introduction I believe I started my life as an art educator since I entered art education graduate program at University of Missouri-Columba. One of the most interesting things I have encountered during the graduate program is Visual Thinking Strategies. I have been completely fascinated by it because VTS is very new and different in many ways from what I have learned and experienced in art education. Therefore, one of my goals after graduation is to bring and introduce VTS to Korea. This is the reason why I have focused on VTS in my master’s program. While I was taking the courses, VTS1 and VTS2, I have had my own VTS class composed 5~6 Korean students at my place. This was the first experience for me to teach students as an art teacher. During a year, I have got a great impression from VTS instruction and my students. It has provided a chance for me not only to have a better understanding about VTS and students’ aesthetic development but also to encourage myself to be an enthusiastic VTS researcher. Especially, some phenomena found in VTS discussions made me curious and anxious to keep studying. I felt like it has naturally dragged me into teachers’ research process.

Between Stage 1 and Stage 2 viewers One of the phenomena I found is that students’ interpretations and responses seem to be more profound and creative and their enthusiasm to participate is higher when they worked on more challenging images. As they have been more experienced with VTS discussions, they seemed to enjoy dealing with deeper meanings in works of art. Theses improvement kept impressing and making me wonder. What is happening to my students when they deal with more challenging images? What makes them more interested and excited? According to Housen (2001) who is one of the founders of VTS, there are five distinct patterns of thinking that correlated to the amount of exposure subjects have had to art. I believe my students are now between Stage 1 and Stage 2 viewers. Stage 1 viewers are storytellers. Using their senses, memories, and personal associations, they make concrete observations about the work of art which get woven into a narrative. Judgments are based on what is known and what is liked. Emotions color their comments, as viewers seem to enter the work of art and become part of the unfolding narrative. Stage 2 viewers set about building a framework for looking at works of art, using the most logical and accessible tools: their own perceptions, their knowledge of the natural world, and the values of their social, moral and conventional world. The viewer’s sense of what is realistic is a standard often applied to determine value. As emotions begin to go underground, this viewer begins to distance him or herself from the work of art. (Housen, 2001) The information Housen has derived from studying viewers’ thinking enables me to link image choices to beginning viewers’ interests, strengths, and areas of potential for growth.

Abigail Housen is co-founder of Visual Understanding in Education and co-author of the VTS Curriculum. Housen has been involved in aesthetic research for 30 years and received her Ed.D from Harvard in 1983. She was professor of Art Education and Director of the Graduate Program at Massachusetts College of Art, and has served as consultant and evaluator to numerous museums and schools. Housen's research into the stages of aesthetic development provided the theoretical foundation for VTS. Her longitudinal research studies on the impact of VTS have shown that, in addition to growth in aesthetic understanding, VTS supports the growth of creative and critical thinking skills, which transfer to other subject areas.

Abigail Housen

How to select appropriate VTS images From my experience, my students seem to be more excited about more challenging works of art which are more complex, ambiguous or less realistic than the images they initially dealt with. I assume that it might be because they have made significant progress on aesthetic development. This is what my research needs to prove first. Then it needs to suggest what kinds and levels of works of art are appropriate for my students. It also enables me to establish my own VTS image guideline which efficiently stimulates my students’ aesthetic growth and thinking skills. In order to have better understanding about image selections before I select my own VTS images for the research, I took carefully look at Yenawine’s study for beginning viewers again. According to Yenawin (2003), the works of art for beginning viewers need to contain distinctive characteristics such as accessibility, expressive content, narrative, diversity, realism, series and themes. I think I basically need to follow his suggestions for image selection since my students are still beginning viewers even though they are the slightly more experienced and slightly older. However, what he points out while explaining about VTS sequences for beginning viewers made me confident about the purpose of my research. Once a selection is made, putting the images in a sequence leading from ones that are simpler where there are clearer and fewer possible meanings, fewer details, less density of content and working toward more complex one where there is greater ambiguity of meaning, where ferreting out signifying details is more time consuming, where more of the meaning is communicated through style and materials than through iconography or subject, where symbolism and metaphor are more important. (Yenawin, 2003)

Philip Yenawine is co founder of Visual Understanding in Education (VUE), a non profit educational research organization that develops and studies ways teaching visual literacy and of using art to teach thinking and communication skills. Director of Education at The Museum of Modern Art from 1983-93, he worked in 1992-94 as consulting curator at the Institute for Contemporary Art, and during the academic year 1993-94, as Visiting Professor of art education at Mass College of Art, both in Boston. Yenawine is the author of How to Look at Modern Art, Key Art Terms for Beginners, and has written six children's books about art.

Philip Yenawine

For the more experienced beginning viewers There should be some differences between the less experienced beginning viewers and the more experienced beginning viewers even though they all could be categorized in same stage. The differences could be influenced by viewers’ ages as well as experiences. I think my students have almost moved to a group of the more experienced beginning viewers according to Yenawin’s description. The more experienced beginning viewers likely have a strategy for looking and will use it: they are likely to give detailed observations, will listen to other’s points of view, and will explain their answers as a matter of course. They will not be content with listing what is concretely before them, but will be filled with stories. They are likely to incorporate interpretations offered by their classmates into their own thinking. (Yenawin, 2003) Influenced by Yenawin, I believe, for my students who are more experienced beginning viewers, there is justification for selecting images that are more complicated, perhaps slightly more ambiguous, but that still can be “decoded” from the group looking together seriously and searchingly. Through this careful attempt for selecting images, I expect I as a facilitator could stimulate students’ aesthetic growth as well as their interests.

In terms of that, during this research, I will introduce some fantasy and surrealist paintings where the technique admirably represents the physical world, but the subjects push the imagination. I will also slightly increase the density of information and details which contribute to the story and may complicate it. However, as Yenawin recommends, I will choose the images which stay within the realm of the familiar in all cases and the character and personality of people comes richly into play, as well as complex settings. Observing students attitude and taking students’ survey which provides useful information such as students’ enthusiasm, interest, confidence, satisfaction, difficulty and thinking level, I may be able to find how my students develop their own aesthetic thinking skills and what kinds of images are more appropriate for my students, considering their age, stage, experience and interest.

References: Housen, A & Yenawine, P. (2001). Assessing growth. Visual Understading in Education: New York, NY Housen, A. (2001) Eye of the beholder: Research, theory, and practice. Visual Understanding in Education, pp. 1-26. Yenawine, P. (2003). Guidelines for images for beginning viewers. Visual understanding in Education, pp. 1-10. Yenawine, P. (2003). Jump starting visual literacy: Thoughts on image selection. Art education, 56(1), 6-12.]

Data Analysis & Interpretation

The First VTS Class on Sep 8, 2012

Image Selection Criterion - Complexity

Image1- More Complex Louis Lang, Return of the 69th (Irish) Regiment

Image 2- Less Complex Norman Rockwell, Checkers

Observation . Discussion about Image 1 As soon as I showed the image, “Wow” students exclaimed. One student said “There are too many people!”. Another students said “It is so complex and crowded!”. When I asked the questions, students keep silence. They seem to need more time to think about. At first students focused on simple observation without deep interpretation or creative and critical thinking. As discussion continued, students started to focus on several certain relationships and situations in the image. Active interactions between students were continuously found. Arguing, agreeing or disagreeing, students started to develop ideas. Some ideas were very creative and brilliant and some points they dealt with were going to reach agreements. Most students were anxious to get a chance to speak. After 50 minutes of discussion, I let them know the discussion need to be done in 10 minutes. Some students were still enthusiastic to participate. Several students tried to summarize what they found. A few students didn’t participate in the discussion.

. Discussion about Image 2 When I asked the first question, most students raised their hands to get a chance to speak. I could hear one student said “It is easier than the previous one!”. The student who first spoke explained what she found in the image with logical evidences. They seemed to be more comfortable with the image2 compare to image1. While a few students suggested simple observations related to figures’ clothing, posture and background information, several students made up whole stories based on what they found in the image and their imagination. There were enough interactions but wasn’t strong arguments or disagreement. Some students seemed to lose their interests. Girls were more active than boys. At the end of the discussion, Only two students actively participate in the discussion. The two students extend the story based on their imagination. The rest of students lost their interest.

Student Survey The right is a student survey document. I made the questions 1, 4 and 9 in order to measure students’ enthusiasm to participate. The question 2, 3 and 5 are about students’ interest. The question 6, 7 and 8 were made to see if the image are challenging or not. I made question 10 to measure students’ thinking levels. The question 11 and 12 are about students’ confidence and satisfaction about discussion.

Student Survey Results & Findings

The results of students’ survey seem to correspond with my observation I mentioned in the previous post. The chart would be somewhat difficult to understand at a look since it just has simple figures of the survey. I think I need to get the average of some items which have several questions. Then, I could make a graph or something which is easily recognizable.

The Second VTS Class on Sep 19, 2012

Image Selection Criterion - Ambiguity

(Left) Image1- Less Ambiguous Seymour Joseph Guy, Young Girl Reading

(Right) Image2- More Ambiguous Octavio Ocampo, Skull

Observation Discussion about Image 1 Most students raised their hands when I asked the first question. The first speaker talked about his observation with evidence. As the discussion continued, students’ observation moved from the figure to background. Most students talked about things on background such as furniture, wall paper, and carpet. Based on the background information, a few students tried to figure out the period, figure’s status and race. Girls seemed to be more excited about the image than boys. There is only few disagreement or refutation about observation and interpretation. After 20minutes discussion, students’ enthusiasm to participate seemed to decrease. At the end of the lesson, only two girls eagerly participated in the discussion. Several students tried to summarize their interpretations. The boys seemed to lose their interest in the discussion. It took 25minutes until the class was over.

Discussion about Image2 Most students focused on female figure and noticed something strange is going on in the image. One student pointed out the shapes of bread in background look like skulls. Agreeing with his observation, most students were getting more interested in the things in the image. As the discussion continued, they seemed to be very anxious to participate. Students all noticed that almost everything in the image seems weird. Being impressed by the student’s finding, some students tried to explain me how the figure could look like a skull. Students’ participation was better and excitement was higher than the last lesson with Image 1. Some students were making up unique stories based on their imagination. It took 45minutes until the class was over. After the discussion was over, a few curious students asked me about detailed information about the image.


Students were more interested and enthusiastic to participate when they dealt with Image 2 which is a more ambiguous image. Some students felt the image 2 was more challenging and their satisfaction was comparably lower when working on Image 2. I believe this is because image 2 has more ambiguity so students weren’t able to be confident about what they have observed or interpreted. I also found a few things while listening to the recordings. Students used their imagination or fantasy when they work on more ambiguous image so various interpretations were found during the discussion. This would be somewhat related to students’ interest and enthusiasm to participate.

The Third VTS Class on Sep 25, 2012

Image Selection Criterion - Reality

Image2- Less Realistic The creation of the birds, Remedios Varo

Image1- More Realistic Little girl feeding bird, Harry Roseland

Observation Discussion about Image 1 When I showed the image, students didn’t seem very interested. However, they were soon anxious to participate. As the discussion continued, students started to discuss about the main figure’s information such as age, her family’s financial status or situation. Students continued pretty much logical discussions and their reasoning skill was certainly improving. Some students’ keen observations made me surprised. Girls’ concentration on the discussion was better than boys'. At the end of the discussion, students seemed to reach rough agreement on several points. Then most students seemed to lose their interests in the discussion. However, two students still wanted to continue the discussion, synthesizing their own points. It took 30 minutes to finish the first VTS discussion.

Discussion about Image 2 The first speaker noticed and pointed out things in the image seemed strange. Interested by the image, students tried to find out what the main figure is. Students were very interested in guessing what the bird like figure is. Students also focused on the strange objects in the image and tried to find out what they are based on their imagination. Students didn’t seem so confident that they easily accept others’ opinions without arguing. Because of that, students kept being influenced by others and changing their interpretation. As the discussion progressed, students tried to make logical evidences for their interpretations. Students enjoyed dealing with the image, making up their own narratives. Boy students’ participation was much better in this discussion than those in the previous discussion. Until the discussion was going on over 35minutes, students’ participation was pretty active.


Most students answered that their enthusiasm to participate and their interest in discussion were higher when they dealt with Image 2 which is less realistic than when they worked on Image 1. Also, most students agreed that Image 2, less realistic image, was more difficult to interpret and it required higher level of thinking skill than Image 1 did. Students’ answers on the question related to confidence showed that they were more confident when they worked on Image 1. Most students answered that they are satisfied by both discussions. In conclusion according to the results, my students could take more educational advantages in many ways when they deal with less realistic image than realistic image.

The Fourth VTS Class on Oct 13, 2012


Image1- Less Complex Kevin Carter, “Struggling Girl”, Sudan 1993

Image2- More Complex “Children Labor for Gold”, South Africa 2009

Observation Discussion about Image 1 When the first image showed up on the screen, most students seemed to be surprised. Especially, girl students were very interested in the image. They expressed their sympathy. Most speakers initially recognized two main figures, the vulture and child. Interacting with other speakers, some students started to point out not only detailed information the image contains but also their supposition influenced by their own experience and knowledge. In the middle of discussion, building the ideas, most students were very enthusiastic to participate in the discussion. They seemed like they are finding hidden treasures. At the end of discussion, a few students wanted to develop their previous interpretations while others pointed out small and detailed information in the image. It took 40minutes to go through the discussion and students seemed to be very satisfied by their discussion.

Discussion about Image 2 At first, most students tend to focus on understanding big picture or what is really going on in the image instead of small and detailed information in the image. At the middle of discussion, students tried to explain each object with evidences. Their reasoning and keen observation supported each students’ interpretation about the image. There are almost no disagreements between students and students seemed to be excited to build ideas through active interaction. Through group discussion, they tried to figure out some major points and they seemed to be more excited as the discussion continued. The discussion continued for over 40 minutes and most students didn’t lose their interest and concentration until the end of the discussion.


I found many different aspects from the results of the previous class. First of all, the level of students’ participation, interest, difficulty and satisfaction when they dealt with the less complex image are very similar to when they worked on the more complex image. There were no distinct differences on all factors. The level of student’s confidence is lower when dealing with more complex image. Thinking of the results of students’ survey, I found one important point I need to ponder. Unlike my assumption, students’ enthusiasm to participate, interests when dealing with simpler image can be as high as when they dealing with more complex image. Even if the image looks simple and easy, it could challenge and engage students if it has interesting connotative narratives and is open to interpretation.

The Fifth VTS Class on Oct 21, 2012


(Left) Image1- Less Ambiguous

(Above) Image2- Less Ambiguous

Observation Discussion about Image 1 As soon as I asked them the first question, most students raised their hands to get a chance to speak. Students were very eager to get a chance to speak. Trying to understand the relationship between the girl and the men in the house, students suggested various opinions about the relationship. They were very excited and inspired to discuss. This group discussion seemed to not only make each one’s interpretation improving but also make a good picture through group meaning making process. Students spent pretty much time understanding the relationship. Even though students didn’t seem to reach an agreement, they were influenced by others’ ideas and respected them. It took 40 minutes to go through the discussion and most students really wanted to know what is really going on in the image after the discussion.

Discussion about Image 2 Unlike the first image, my students didn’t seem to be very interested in the second image at first. Providing various evidences in the image, the students was assured that it might be Christmas season. A few students talked about the girl’s feeling, making connections with her facial expression and the background information. One thing sure is that students’ level of interest and thinking skills were getting higher as the discussion continued. I was impressed by their discussion because they showed good critical thinking skills even though the image is not challenging enough, considering their stage and level. At the end of discussion, while a few students seemed to lose their interest, other students tried to synthesize their ideas. The discussion continued for 35minutes.


Looking carefully at my field note, recording summary and students’ survey results, I could draw a conclusion that the levels of students’ interest and enthusiasm to participate are higher when they dealt with more ambiguous image. Students enjoyed the discussion with more challenging image even though they felt some difficulty in the image. I couldn’t find certain tendency in terms of levels of satisfaction and confidence. Unlike I expected, there were also no significant differences in terms of thinking levels. Based on my observation, as my students are more experienced with VTS discussion, their critical thinking skills are distinctly improving. Therefore, they might be capable of making deeper interpretation even when they are dealing with less challenging images.

The Sixth VTS Class on Oct 27, 2012


(Right) Image1- Less Realistic (Left) Image2 – More Realistic

Observation

Student Survey Results & Findings The level of students’ enthusiasm to participate and interest were higher when they are dealing with less realistic image even though the image more challenged them. Since the less realistic image efficiently stimulate students to have imagination or creative ideas, various interpretation and ideas were shared during the discussion. At first, students thought image 2 seemed to be somewhat typical photo so they are not very interested in the image. However, as discussion continued, they found some interesting things they want to discuss and interpret. Thinking level was also higher when students dealt with less realistic image since the image is more open to interpretation. Students tend to be more confident when they dealt with less challenging image but the level of student satisfaction was almost same on both images.

The Seventh VTS Class on Nov 4, 2012


Image1- More Complex

Image2 - Less Complex

Observation Discussion about Image 1 My students seemed to be very excited when they saw the image at first. Many ideas and opinions were shared. Students recognized there are so many things going on in the image. They enjoyed discussing about the narratives the image contains. Focusing on small parts of painting, students tried to understand what is going on in the image at the beginning of the discussion. Then, students attempted to understand the big picture, connecting each small story. Students actively interacted with peers and their observation and interpretation were very keen and creative. They concentrated on the discussion well and didn’t lose their interest and passion until the end of the discussion. Interesting is that, as I expected, their interpretations were very high level. Some students attempted to interpret the intentions of painters and historical background.

Discussion about Image 2 The students seemed to be less interested in the image at first. However, as the discussion had continued, their interest and enthusiasm to participate were getting higher. Since the image has less figures and complexity, students tended to focus on observing detailed information in the image. Students also efficiently built various ideas through group discussion. Simple observations were shared at the beginning of the discussion and then, students focused on discussing about relationship between figures at the middle of discussion. Most students enthusiastically discuss and argue on several points in the image. Compared to Image 1, some students’ interests were more quickly decreased. At the end of discussion, I found some boy students hardly participate in the discussion.

Student Survey Results & Findings Student survey results were similar to my observation. Students’ interest and enthusiasm to participate were a little higher when they are dealing with more complex image but there’s no great significance. Even though students felt the more complex image is more challenging, there are no significant differences on most parts such as thinking level, confidence and satisfaction. I think complexity cannot tell the image is appropriate or not. Even if an image is simple, it could be a great choice for VTS class if the image has interesting narratives and is open to interpretation. Besides, students could make deeper interpretation when they are working on less complex images since they are able to focus on detailed information in the image. That, sometimes, makes students think more deeply and critically.

The Eighth VTS Class on Nov 24, 2012


Image1- More Ambiguous

Image2- Less Ambiguous

Observation Discussion about Image 1 My students were very interested in the image at first sight. And they recognized that this image is somewhat different from what they have dealt with such as paintings and photographs. Some students seemed to have a hard time observing and saying their ideas even though they were very anxious to participate. However, as the discussion continued, students seemed to be more relaxed and shared various ideas based on their own imagination. Students’ enthusiasm to participate was getting higher as students started to build ideas through group thinking process. They discussed about background information, place, situation and artist’s intention as well as objects in the image. Some of them were very keen and creative. Even though some students seemed to be less confident of reasoning, they tried to show logical evidences and make casual relationships in the image. Most students thought the image is challenging. At the end of discussion, relying on other’s finding and interpretation, students built deeper interpretation.

Discussion about Image 2 I could see my students were more comfortable with this image than the first one, more ambiguous image. As soon as I asked the first question, all students raised their hands to share their ideas. They seemed to be interested, motivated and confident. Being actively engaged in the discussion, students enjoyed interacting with classmates. They showed a great example of group thinking process through agreeing and disagreeing with others. Various observations and interpretations were shared. Students seemed to rely on logical thinking rather than imagination. As the discussion continued, students focused on not only statues in the image but also background information and composition. Students’ participation was good and discussion was getting heated as time went by even though a few boy students were losing their interests at the end of the discussion.

Student Survey Results & Findings Level of students’ interest was higher when they are dealing with the more ambiguous image. Students thought that the more ambiguous image is more appropriate to stimulate their imagination and creativity. They also noticed that the more ambiguous image is more open to interpretation. There’s no significant difference in terms of students’ participation. Most students thought the more ambiguous image is more challenging and, because of that, their level of confidence was lower when they worked on the ambiguous image. Students more used their imagination and creativity during the first discussion with the more ambiguous image while they used logical and critical thinking skill during the second discussion with the less ambiguous image. Therefore, more ambiguous image could be appropriate when stimulating students’ imagination and creativity.

The Ninth VTS Class on Dec 1, 2012


Image1- Less Realistic

Image2- More Realistic

Observation Discussion about Image 1 My students noticed that the image is not realistic at first sight when the image showed up on the screen. They seemed to be very interested in unreality the image contains. During the beginning of the discussion, students focused on pointing out what they see and, as the discussion continued, students started to find meaning in the unrealistic image. Interesting thing was that students’ ability to interpret is significantly improved. Making connections with evidences they suggested, students got involved in meaning making process, stimulated and reinforced by group discussion. Various interpretation were shared however, at the end of discussion, students started to narrow the differences of their ideas, influenced by each other. Students’ enthusiasm to participate and concentration on discussion were good. They seemed to enjoy the discussion without any fear of being wrong.

Discussion about Image 2 As the image showed up, most students expressed their excitement about the image. They noticed that the image is a movie still photograph since they could recognize the main figure’s face. (She is a teenage movie star in Korea) During the beginning of the discussion, students focused on figuring out situations and relationship between figures. As the discussion continued, students attempted to understand and interpret the main figure’s facial expression in order to find meaning in the image. Various keen observations were shared and interaction between students was very active. Some of them tried to understand the image based on their experiences and background knowledge. Through group thinking process, students kept building ideas and made similar interpretations. Girl students seemed to be more interested in the image than boy students and most students didn’t lose their interest and concentration on the discussion until the end of the discussion.

Student Survey Results & Findings The level of student interest was higher when they are discussing about the less realistic image. Students pointed out, as reasons why they are interested in the image, that the less realistic image made them imagine and curious about the meaning of the image. Most students also responded that the more realistic image was interesting. They said the image seemed to have interesting things going on which made them want to figure out. Student enthusiasm to participate was also a little higher when they are working on the less realistic image. Most students pointed out that the less realistic image was hard to understand and interpret because unreality of the image made them unsure about their ideas. Students could more enjoy thinking and be actively engaged in meaning making process when they are dealing with the image which stimulates their imagination.

Student Survey Data Analysis

Criterion 1- Complexity 1) The first class on Sep 8 Image1- More Complex Image Image 2-Less Complex Image

Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking Level

Confidence Satisfaction

Image 1 8.6 9.2 8.8 8.4 8.4 8.0

Image2 7.0 7.8 6.4 6.8 8.8 7.6

2) The second class on Oct 27 Image1- Less Complex Image Image 2-More Complex Image Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking

Level Confidence Satisfaction

Image 1 8.9 9.0 6.2 8.8 8.0 9.6

Image2 9.3 9.2 7.2 8.0 6.8 8.4

3) The third class on Nov 4 Image1- More Complex Image Image 2-Less Complex Image Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking


Image 1 8.5 8.4 8.0 8.4 7.6 6.8

Image2 8.1 7.2 7.0 8.0 8.8 8.0

Complexity



More Complex Image 8.79 8.93 8.00 8.26 7.59 7.73

Less Complex Image 8.00 8.00 6.53 7.86 8.53 8.40

Criterion 2- Ambiguity 1) The first class on Sep 19 Image1- Less Ambiguous Image Image 2-More Ambiguous Image



Image 1 6.9 6.8 6.0 6.4 8.0 6.8

Image2 8.3 8.2 7.0 8.0 6.8 7.6

2) The Second class on Oct 21 Image1- More Ambiguous Image Image 2-Less Ambiguous Image Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking


Image 1 8.8 8.4 8.0 8.4 7.6 6.8

Image2 8.1 7.0 6.4 8.0 8.8 8.0

3) The third class on Nov 24 Image1- More Ambiguous Image Image 2-Less Ambiguous Image Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking


Image 1 8.6 8.4 8.0 8.4 8.0 6.8

Image2 7.7 7.4 6.4 7.2 8.8 8.0

Ambiguity



More Ambiguous Image 8.57 8.33 7.67 8.27 7.47 7.06

Less Ambiguous Image 7.57 7.07 6.27 7.20 8.53 7.60

Criterion 3- Reality 1) The first class on Sep 25 Image1- More Realistic Image Image 2-Less Realistic Image



Image 1 7.3 7.0 6.2 7.5 8.5 7.5

Image2 8.9 9.0 8.2 8.5 7.0 8.0

2) The Second class on Oct 27 Image1- Less Realistic Image Image 2-More Realistic Image Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking


Image 1 8.3 8.4 7.0 8.0 6.8 7.6

Image2 6.9 7.0 6.0 6.8 8.0 6.8

3) The third class on Dec 1 Image1- Less Realistic Image Image 2-More Realistic Image Enthusiasm Interest Difficulty Thinking


Image 1 8.5 8.4 7.2 8.4 6.4 7.6

Image2 7.7 7.4 6.0 6.8 7.2 7.6

Reality



Less Realistic Image 8.56 8.60 7.46 8.30 6.73 7.73

More Realistic Image 7.30 7.13 6.07 7.03 7.90 7.30

Overall Survey Results * In this research, more challenging image is defined as an image which is more complex, ambiguous and less realistic.



More Challenging Image 8.64 8.62 7.71 8.28 7.26 7.51

Less Challenging Image 7.62 7.40 6.29 7.36 8.32 7.77

Student Survey Interpretation According to student survey results, students were more interested and enthusiastic to participate in VTS discussions when they worked on more challenging images which are defined as more complex, ambiguous and less realistic images. The student level of thinking was also higher and they think more creatively and critically when dealing with more challenging images. Most students pointed out more challenging images are more interesting because the images stimulate their imagination and desire to find out the meanings. However, the level of confidence is significantly lower when they discuss about more challenging images. That’s because the more students feel difficulty during the discussion, the less confident students are. In other word, students were not so sure about their ideas when the images are more open to interpretations. Besides, the level of satisfaction was relatively lower when they work on more challenging images. This could also be related to the level of confidence. Based on the results of the student survey, I believe it would be a good idea for VTS facilitators to provide opportunities for students to deal with more challenging images for their ages and levels because it can not only stimulate students interest and enthusiasm to participate but also make them think more creatively and critically.

Student Interview

Student Interview At the end of the last VTS class, I interviewed with my students in order to evaluate the effectiveness of my lessons and gather students’ feedbacks. I interviewed each student separately and asked the two following questions. 1. What has impressed you the most about this VTS class? 2. What did you learn from this VTS class? Below are summary of students’ answers. “It was very interesting for me to discuss about various images. I have enjoyed it. I think I learned how to discuss and interpret messages images have.” (Youngjun) “I was excited comparing many different images. I didn’t think that I am good at saying my ideas but now I am getting confident. ” (Dongjun) “I haven’t experience this kind of lesson which doesn’t care about the right answers. I have learned how to think critically and logically. ” (Hebin) “I loved to find meanings from the images. I could learn how to understand images and communicate and discuss with others.” (Yeyoung) “I could find that discussion could be fun. I realized that every image has message and I learn how to express my ideas.” (Wonyoung)

Conclusion

Conclusion Through this action research, I have studied educational benefits when my students deal with more challenging images for their age and level in my VTS class. According to my observation and student survey results, my students are more interested and actively engaged in the VTS discussion when they discuss about more challenging images. Student thinking skill was higher too when they work on the more challenging images. Inspired by the images, students tend to think more creatively and critically. However, students were less confident and satisfied with their ideas and discussion when they felt difficulty. In conclusion, in VTS class, choosing little more challenging images for student age and level is beneficial because it can not only stimulate student interest and enthusiasm to participate but also foster various abilities such as creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Since students’ level is becoming higher as time goes by, I as a facilitator have to have an ability selecting appropriate images through continuous practices.

Final Presentation

Documents

Transcript of Final Presentation