| |
| author |
Sloan Sweeney Scully
| | title |
Visual Thinking Skills and Elementary Students' Writing
| | abstract |
This study examines the impact of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) lessons on
elementary students and their writing competency. Over the course of one school year,
second grade students in a public school in New Jersey were exposed to the VTS protocol
as established by Abigail Housen in her Theory of Aesthetic Development. These
students' pre and post writing samples were compared to those of students who did not
participate in VTS lessons and analyzed for growth. Results indicate VTS lessons have a
significant impact on students in several areas. Students exposed to VTS lessons
strengthened their ability to listen and reflect, something difficult to develop and much
needed in elementary students. Students' writing displayed a stronger use of words that
helped readers picture their story, also known as craft. Achievement and growth in this
area was especially significant with students for whom English was not their first
language. Students exposed to VTS lessons demonstrated higher-level thinking when
discussing artwork. This is particularly significant, considering that students need to
become sophisticated viewers of images so they are best able to navigate the visual
worlds in which they live. The skill to discern between images that are valuable and those
that are not is necessary so students are able to make accurate judgements on what they
see all around them. Students in this study also developed their capacity to back up their
opinions with evidence, were able to influence others' opinions, and more significantly,
developed the capacity to have their own opinions influenced by others. Perhaps most
significant was the finding that abstract images, more than representational or realistic
images, enabled students to make inferences and use higher level thinking skills. This
finding should inform educators as to the types of images displayed in elementary school
as well as the types of images used to facilitate instruction. All of these results further
support the idea that students who have developed their skills in viewing, or seeing, will
be better writers and thinkers, as they will have much more to say.
| | school |
The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University
| | degree |
D.Litt. (2020)
|
| advisor |
Liana Piehler
|
| committee |
Laura Winters
|
| full text | SSScully.pdf |
| |
