Brennan Conaway: Art and Artists in the EFL Classroom. JALT2021

Summary

In this presentation, Brennan Conway discusses his experience using visual art in an EFL classroom through the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) approach. He explores the benefits of using narrative representational artworks to enhance language learning, improve critical thinking, and boost student engagement. By guiding students to analyze and describe art, Conway shows how VTS fosters communication skills, boosts motivation, and encourages deep reflection. Despite challenges with beginner-level students, adaptations to the VTS method led to improved descriptive writing, participation, and vocabulary development, offering valuable insights for integrating art into language learning.

Takeaways

• 😀 Visual arts can enhance EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms by promoting language learning, multicultural literacy, and multimodal reading skills.
• 😀 Using visual arts in the classroom helps reduce social anxiety, increase social inclusion, and develop critical thinking skills.
• 😀 The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) approach, developed by Philip Yenawine and Abigail Hausen, is a promising pedagogy for EFL classrooms.
• 😀 VTS focuses on student observation and dialogue, using a series of three questions: 'What's going on in this picture?', 'What do you see that makes you say that?', and 'What more can we find?'
• 😀 The VTS pedagogy encourages a community of inquiry where students actively engage with and interpret visual artworks.
• 😀 Narrative representational art, such as Bruegel's 'Tower of Babel', is a key focus in this approach, as it provides clear visual storytelling for discussion and analysis.
• 😀 Critical thinking is central to VTS, as it challenges students to support their observations and think deeper about the meaning and context of artworks.
• 😀 Adapting VTS questions for beginner English students may involve more imaginative prompts like asking students what might have happened before or after a scene in a painting.
• 😀 Art-based discussions in class significantly improve student participation, engagement, and motivation, as students enjoy sharing their interpretations of visual art.
• 😀 The course helped students practice descriptive language skills, such as using locational phrases and complex sentence structures, which contributed to improvements in their writing.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the presentation?

The main focus of the presentation is how visual art, specifically narrative representational artworks, can be used as teaching material in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom to promote critical thinking, language development, and student engagement.

What is the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) approach, and who developed it?

The VTS approach was developed by Philip Yenawine and Abigail Hausen. It is a pedagogical framework designed to engage students in critically analyzing visual artworks by asking three key questions: 'What’s going on in this picture?', 'What do you see that makes you say that?', and 'What more can we find?'

How does the VTS approach contribute to critical thinking in students?

The VTS approach encourages students to think critically by asking them to support their observations with evidence from the artwork, prompting deeper engagement with the image and helping students make connections beyond the obvious.

How did Brennan Conway adapt the VTS approach for his beginner-level EFL students?

Conway adapted the VTS approach by simplifying and tailoring the questions to suit beginner-level students. For example, he asked questions like 'What is happening in this picture?' or 'What do you think happened before this?' to stimulate imagination and deeper thinking without overwhelming the students.

What are the benefits of using visual art in the EFL classroom, according to the research?

The research shows that using visual art in the EFL classroom has several benefits, including enhancing language skills, promoting multicultural literacy, reducing social anxiety, fostering social inclusion, and improving critical thinking skills, all of which contribute to a more engaging and effective learning environment.

What role does critical thinking play in the VTS approach?

Critical thinking is central to the VTS approach. The framework encourages students to examine and analyze visual stimuli critically, providing reasons for their observations, exploring different interpretations, and deepening their understanding of both the artwork and language.

What specific language skills did Conway observe improving in his students as a result of the art-based discussions?

Conway observed improvements in students' descriptive writing skills, particularly in the use of language to describe scenes in artwork. He also noted an increase in the use of locational phrases, constructions like 'there is' and 'there are,' and communicative expressions as students actively discussed the art.

What types of artworks did Conway focus on in his course, and why were they chosen?

Conway focused on narrative representational artworks, such as paintings that tell a story or depict a scene in a realistic manner. These types of artworks were chosen because they are accessible and offer rich opportunities for interpretation and discussion, which helps engage students in thinking and language production.

What did Conway learn about student participation and engagement during the course?

Conway found that art-based discussions significantly increased student participation and engagement. Students were motivated to share their observations and ideas about the artwork, often excited to delve deeper into the meaning of the paintings and contribute to the group dialogue.

Why does Conway believe the VTS approach is effective for language learners, even in non-art focused environments?

Conway believes the VTS approach is effective for language learners because it provides a concrete, shared referent (the artwork) that all students can engage with, making abstract language concepts more tangible. The critical thinking required in analyzing the artwork also promotes language use in a real-world context, enhancing both communicative and cognitive skills.