visual thinking & Aesthetics

Visual thinking is the ability to find meaning in images, using what you already know to figure out what you don't. When I teach with Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), I use questions that guide students to confidently think, speak, and write based on visual clues.

I find VTS useful for students to build language and improve comprehension, particularly in a bilingual setting. At any classroom setting and grade level, VTS can guide students to fact-find, question, speculate, analyze, interpret, and categorize when they look at art. Visual thinking is key to Aesthetics, or the appreciation of art, as it involves a range of cognitive skills beginning with observation.

Look: "What do you notice?"

When I ask students to identify what they see in art, I guide them to stay neutral and put what they find into words. Visual thinking involves an understanding of objective information, in addition to subjective ideas about art. “You said this photo is from Mars; what do you see that tells you that?” I ask questions to help students objectively identify a subject (animal, person, thing), color, texture, opacity, line, pattern, or detail.

Analyze: "How does it do that?"

As students develop visual thinking skills, they will learn to look more probingly and notice aesthetic effects in art. I direct students to think about elements that suggest motion, surprise, mood or personality in an artwork. For example, vertical stripes on a costume can make a person look tall, or a horse with legs in a running position can convey speed. “You said this painting makes you dizzy; how does it do that?” Students will learn to shift perception; they will compare parts to the overall effect of an artwork.

Imagine: "What if?"

I often ask my students to use their imagination when they look at art, especially with younger groups. “If these sculptures were in a scary story, what do you think would happen?“ “What would this quilt look like if it were at your house instead of the museum?” “If this costume were a different color, how would its personality change?” Imaginative questions can prompt students to make personal associations, create narratives, and practice open-mindedness.

Interpret & Evaluate: "Why do you think that?"

When students form an opinion about art, they make informed, subjective judgment in the absence of predefined rules. Visual thinking involves the conceptual and critical evaluation of an image. “What message do you get from this image? How does the artist show us her idea?” “What would you change about this and why?” “You said it’s fun but not beautiful; why is that? Is it still “art” if it’s not beautiful? Why/why not?” My goal is to help students articulate their opinion with confidence and with supporting visual evidence.

Question: "What do you wonder?"

Life-long learners are fearless in the face of things they don’t understand; they approach with curiosity. To come up with questions about art, students must recognize and explore what they can’t figure out based on prior knowledge or available information. One great student activity is to list questions that have “no answer clues” in an image; “can you stump us all?” “Why is the chicken wearing jeans in this picture?” “I write from left to right; why does the artist paint the letters all mixed together?” “I see boxes like this every day; why is this one in a museum?”

Questioning is a life-skill that students practice in Aesthetics. A good question can lead students to appreciate humor and unsolvable puzzles in art. It can also lead students to the discipline of Art History. “When and why did so many sculptures from this country start to look alike?” “Why does the artist want to share this message?” The appreciation of a single artwork can lead to curiosity about its historical, social, and cultural context.

Art History

What do you wonder about the artist?

How does this connect to other art?

How does it relate to an ancient culture, political system, or technological revolution?

When I discovered Art History, no other subject caught my attention quite like it. I have a Master's degree in the discipline and am training to teach AP Art History. I first approached the subject as a teen who wanted to learn more about the arts; so how is Art History relevant to students with different personalities, interests, or career goals?

Art History involves more than an understanding of art within a lineage, or insight into archeology and museum careers. It involves the same cognitive skills applied in Aesthetics, and furthermore develops in-depth research and writing skills. Especially at the secondary level, students of Art History learn to respond to and pose challenging questions that are politically, economically, conceptually and socially charged. Students become globally perceptive as they contextually analyze history and cultural objects.