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Art teacher urges wider use of Visual Thinking Strategies to boost observation and literacy
Summary
An art teacher described Visual Thinking Strategies training and classroom demonstrations, saying the method strengthens observation, inference and communication skills and can be adapted across grade levels and subjects.
Heidi Rhodes, an art teacher at Ralia Elementary, told the Haslett Board of Education that Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) training she and a colleague attended at the Wharton Center helped them adapt visual-literacy techniques for general classrooms.
Rhodes said, “Visual thinking strategies is really just a method of analyzing and looking at art.” She explained the approach emphasizes close observation, inference-making and student discourse, and can be used with images and storybook illustrations across science, social studies and math lessons.
Why it matters: Rhodes and her colleague used the training to support a vertical curriculum—teachers at the early grades can introduce observational language that later grades build on—so students develop transferable critical-thinking and communication skills.
Examples and rollout: Rhodes described a demonstration in a general classroom where images from a book (Greta and the Giants) were used without text to prompt inference and six-word summaries. The technology department videotaped that demonstration; she offered to share the recording with the board. She also said the training cohort included both art and general classroom teachers and that the district’s administrators sponsored the opportunity.
Board reaction and next steps: Board members praised the approach and encouraged broader teacher training. Several members suggested using district professional development time to expand access, and Rhodes said she and her colleague are advocating to bring the Wharton Center training back next year.
