Teacher Training

SPOKANE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS APPLY VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES (VTS) TO ART AND BEYOND

With assistance and training from the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane Public Schools educators are learning how to use Visual Thinking Strategies to create more confident students, whatever the subject area.

VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES

DEVELOPING POWERFUL 21ST CENTURY SKILLS THROUGH ART

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a research-based, international teaching method that uses works of art to support observation, creative and critical thinking, listening, and communication skills in all students. Rigorous discussions of art nurture students aesthetic development and visual literacy. During a VTS discussion, students learn to reason in a social context. Over time, this practice transfers critical thinking to all subject areas. In VTS, visual art is the catalyst for complex thinking, cooperative learning, and language development.

"To build a society that is innovative, prosperous, and truly democratic we need to teach next generations not just facts and skills, but how to learn, how to communicate, and how to think creatively, critically, independently."

--Philip Yenawine, VTS Co-Founder

VTS is both a professional development program and a critical thinking curriculum designed to meet the needs of all learners.

BENEFITS FOR TEACHERS

Discussions provide a unique vantage point into students' learning processes.

Open-ended, inquiry-based strategies build community and teach respectful debate.

Meets the high-cognitive demand for Common Core State Standards in Speaking and Listening, ELA, Art, and more

Strategies naturally transfer to content areas.

BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

Exposure to high-quality diverse art in a safe and nurturing way

Jumpstarts and ingrains the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and a range of language skills

Open-ended, non-evaluative paraphrasing encourages even hard to reach students to participate

An engaging way to authentically learn vocabulary