I modified the Fifty Questions strategy to fit my perceived needs of a kindergarten class. I told the class to look quietly at the picture of the artwork for a minute. I then explained that I wanted everyone to come up with a question about the artwork. I told them that I did not want anyone to copy someone else's question, so to try to think of a few different questions in case somebody else asked their question first. *This is a set of directions I could not have given at the beginning of the year, but since they have been VTSing all year, they have gotten used to listening to each other and evolved a consciousness of how their statements are the same or different than their peers.
The first few students wanted to share observations and interpretations (VTS) so I had to prompt them to ask questions using who, what, when, why, and where. After the clarification the students caught on. Since the kindergarteners are more fluent at speaking than writing, I found it necessary to write their questions on butcher paper I had taped to the side of my board before class. Half the class got antsy and bored waiting for me to write down the questions, and it got a bit noisy. Below is the list of questions the students generated about the artwork, in chronological order. Each student asked one question.
- How did it get fur on it?
- How did feathers get on it?
- How did the artist make it?
- How did it get made into that?
- How did you make the spoon?
- Why does the spoon, plate, and bowl have feathers on it?
- How did it get hairy, brown, and white?
- Cows and Pigs
- How does the knife cut the bowl and plate?
- How can you make it out of feathers? It wouldn't be easy.
- How is the cup like feathers?
- You would have to use it to eat cereal without milk. Milk would mess it up!
- Why is it made out of feathers?
- Why did the artist make it?
- What bird has those feathers to make the plate?
- How did they get made?
- How did the artist make it so beautiful, so that the kids say, "How is it so beautiful?"
- Why is it hairy? / Why did they make it?
I explained that in order to answer our questions, we were going to make a place setting that looked like the artwork in the picture. However, fur was too expensive, so we were going to use feathers.
The students had fun making the bowl, plate, and spoon. I tried to get the class to focus back on the list of questions at the end of class, and wasn't very successful. Between clean up, hand washing, and generally being in a tizzy over the feathers we couldn't get to focused. Below are some answers I did get.
- How did it get fur on it? Killed a brown and white bird, cut the feathers, and made it
- How did feathers get on it? A bird hit a tree and the feathers fell on it.
- How did the artist make it? Put glue on the bowl, spoon, plate; made with feathers; waited for it to dry; cut it open and put a handle on it; let it dry; made sure it didn't break
- Why does the spoon, plate, and bowl have feathers on it? To decorate it and make it soft
- Why is it made out of feathers? So everyone could like it; beautiful art; Because the artist made it like that
- Why did the artist make it? Decided to make it - Let's make something furry by animals and different colors
- How did they get made? Killed the chicken, took the feathers, dyed them brown and white
I guess a big question I have for myself is "What value, if any, is there in learning in depth about the works of artist in kindergarten art?" I can spend a whole year doing creativity training, materials, exploration, and VTS with the kinders. I know they are thinkers. They are very bright and capable. But does studying an artist answer questions that are valid to kindergartners, does it meet their needs?
After looking at their questions I see concerns about process, intent, aesthetics, materials, texture, and function.
I think the lesson went o.k. in that the students said they liked making their project. I got to catch a glimpse of their thinking, but it required analysis after class and not in the moment. I finished the class with a slight feeling of having more questions that answers. I had a strong feeling that I needed to know more about questioning strategies before I could successfully implement a lesson with them. My first informal reflection was that I needed a semester course about questioning strategies, theory and implementation. I then chided myself for being lazy, and rephrased my need in terms of doing my own research about questioning strategies. **A chapter in a book does not provide enough background and knowledge about questioning strategies to implement them in the classroom. Below are the questions I would like to answer:
- What are different types of questions that can be asked?
- At what stages do students ask certain types of questions?
- What contexts determine which type of question be asked?
- How does a teacher pre-teach questioning at each grade level?
- When is questioning most relevant?
- When is question based learning a strategy that is not relevant?
- Do questioning strategies follow stage development
- How do I become proficient in question creation?
- How do I become proficient in question selection?
- What research has been done on question based learning?
Beth,
ReplyDeleteI had a vivid mental image of the feather frenzy in your room. Feathers rank right up there in a category close to glitter for me. I use them, but days later find that students are still distracted by the tiny little barbs that seem to float through the room for days on end.
I seem to recall that your district was requiring some serious integration of images and core curriculum content. Was this image one of them, just out of curiosity?
I have been trying to read 'Why Are School Buses Always Yellow? Teaching for Inquiry, Pre-K-5' by John Barell. (Unfortunately, this reading takes place in my free time, which is non-existent, sigh...maybe this summer...) It's all about the process of "...help(ing) students pose significant questions about the content they are studying." (p4) I'm not sure that it addresses all of your questions, but I suspect you might enjoy Barel's take on inquiry.
Thank you for the book recommendation! I will order it this week.
DeleteThis image was chosen by me, and it turned out not to be the most appropriate. We had been making bowls out of different materials in class, and I wanted to throw this image on the board.
Beth,
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, this past lesson and consequent chapter has generated a doctoral thesis topic for you :). However, you could spend the rest of you life looking at just one of those questions.... could you list them in order of importance and then pick one to chew on? It might feel less daunting.
While your lesson may have left you with more questions than answers, I think that can be a good thing (unless it happens every time of course) You strike me as the kind of person who really pays attention to whats going on and thinks things through deeply and from multiple perspectives.
Would this method of questioning have worked better had the artist been different? Or the work? (In other words, someone the students could really connect too?) Like Sheryl, asked, was this image one that was required by your district?
My own personal bias in regards to K's learning about artists and their work in depth, is that such a focus is misplaced. It has no real relevance in their lives yet.... UNLESS it is an image they can readily connect too. Art that is selected to help a young child make sense of their world, create meaning, explore imagination and expression, is fabulous. That holds true for me what ever the age. I wonder what they would do with Nick Cave.....
I applaud your efforts and sincere attention and contemplation. Much was learned, even if there will be tiny feather pieces floating around your room for weeks. :)
Thank you for reminding me about Nick Cave! My daughter and I have seen his work in Memphis and Denver...I even found one of his punching bags on clearance in Boston! (I traveled more than usual this past year). It is in my daughter's room so she can let her teen aged angst on it.
DeleteI guess the furry cup image was more appropriate for me. We have just come off a bowl unit (prior blog post) and I want to see how the students used the image. An artist or art piece that speaks directly to the kinders would have been more appropriate. Let's see what I can come up with for the rest of the year.