Procedural Steps For Each Discussion Lesson

       The VTS is a questioning strategy. It differs from other questioning strategies you may have used in that the questions are deliberately non-directed and the facilitation of the resulting discussion is very specific in its goals. The questions you will use in these workbook lessons are just three:

• For each image discussed, you will use the same opening question: "What's going on in this picture?"
  
  
• When students make interpretive comments, you will ask: "What do you see that makes you say that?"
  
  
• Occasionally during the discussion, you will say: "What more can you find?"

       You are asked to listen very carefully to each student comment and to paraphrase each. You are also asked to gesture and point to specific parts of the image as students comment on them. Together these two teaching strategies allow everyone to hear and confirm understanding of each comment.

       No matter what you may personally think about any comment, you are asked to respond with a sincere effort to understand it fully and confirm this understanding with you paraphrase and pointing. You will discover with practice that even comments that seem silly or obvious to you may contribute to the discussion in unpredictable ways. In VTS discussions it is important to keep as many ideas as possible "on the table" and available to the whole group. Whenever possible, draw the group's attention to related ideas: "Several people seem to agree that is this is a family group." "There seem to be several opinions about the expression on this figure's face."

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