Art and literacy: What do you see in this picture?

By RICHARD A. ROSS

	Imagine that you are sitting in a classroom and a slide of the painting above goes up on a screen. As children sit around in a circle, the teacher asks, “What do you see in this picture?” Children begin to describe what they see and what story is depicted. The teacher digs a little deeper: “What makes you say that?” Children begin to provide evidence for their observations. Finally the teacher probes even further. “What more can you find?” These are the basic guideposts of Visual Thinking Strategies, developed by Visual Understanding in Education (VUE), part of a new curriculum designed to use artwork to develop verbal language skills and literacy in students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Try it yourself. Write down your impressions of this painting in terms of the three questions above and email them to richardross@riverreporter.com. For more on the new technique, see page 4. *This painting by a well-known artist is identified at the end of the article. (Click for larger image)

LIBERTY, NY – Much has been written in response to the question of why Johnny (or Jane) can’t read. Newspapers abound with statistics citing low reading scores and poor writing skills. Many question how students can graduate from our high schools seemingly lacking much basic knowledge and critical thinking skills. Consequently, educators, researchers and politicians have weighed in on the subject. Some believe the answer is lengthening the school year, others are demanding more homework while the government and state departments of education have recommended holding schools accountable for test results that fall below the standards. The essence of President Bush’s “no child shall be left behind” strategy is about more testing and withholding funds from schools that don’t measure up.

Literacy is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as being “educated and cultured; able to read and write.” Being literate is a function of using and understanding language. It begins in infancy and progresses through our lives. Trying to teach children to read who have had little experience in verbal expression or listening is like building a house with a poor foundation.

With the dominant influence of television, movies, video games and computers, language development in children is seriously impaired. Schools require children to listen more than they require them to speak. As a result, many children grow up without the ability to express their thoughts and feelings. As adults, many have difficulty making critical judgments about what they see and hear.

A new strategy designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grade uses art to elicit spoken responses from children. Visual Thinking Strategies are the product of research done by Abigail Housen, a developmental psychologist and a person who grew up surrounded by art. Her mother was an art historian and art critic. Housen realized when she went to college that she seemed to have the ability to “break the code” of symbols in artwork while others did not. The reasons why she seemed to possess the ability to break down works of art while others did not impelled her to begin a lifelong research study.

Housen teamed up with Phillip Yenawine, the director of education at the Museum of Modern Art. Together they developed the Visual Teaching Strategies (VTS), using art to teach thinking, communication skills and visual literacy to young people. A visit to vue.org can provide educators, librarians, students and parents with an overview of the program.

On October 22 and 23 a workshop was held at Sullivan County BOCES to familiarize teachers and librarians with the program. The workshop was set up by Linda Whynman, director of arts in education for BOCES. Facilitator Peter Donnelly from Visual Understanding in Education (VUE) modeled an introductory lesson for trainers including people from Even Start and a number of local public libraries. Workshop participants viewed slides and made comments about what they saw and felt. Donnelly validated all responses and collectively the group quickly began to develop a sophisticated critical analysis of the artwork. The results were impressive. Some grant money is available to run after-school story hours using the techniques of VTS to encourage children to write their own stories in blank books.

Getting children to speak their minds about such culturally rich pieces of art appears to be a great way of giving Johnny and Jane a chance to say what they think and feel. Once that happens, literacy can’t be far behind.

Contact Linda Whyman at (845)292-0082 extension 129 for further information

*The painting on the front page is “A Girl with a Watering Can” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919).