VTS Basics: Getting Ready

Explore the ever-changing VTS website including the various background documents and the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to learn more about VTS, its history, and the tools that are available to help you make the most of it. Scan the entire set of lesson plans to get a sense of how VTS unfolds. The article VTS Theory and Research explains the rationale and logic of VTS.

To help you engage all students and pace the discussions well, memorize the questions. Once you have them down, you can concentrate on what students are saying and on the critical tasks of paraphrasing and linking.

Always study the pictures before you begin a lesson, asking yourself the relevant VTS questions. Be as thoughtful and thorough in your examinations as you expect your students to be. Viewing and discussing the images with fellow teachers allows you to practice your technique as well as develop ideas about the images. Do this before every lesson.

Continue to think about all aspects of VTS and benefits resulting from pointing with precision; using encouraging body language, facial expressions, and eye contact; paraphrasing; linking students’ comments; and remaining neutral. The more you understand about the learning that CAN happen, the more likely you ensure it does.

Teach each lesson in sequence and maintain the order of the images. For best results, follow instructions within the lesson plans..

• VTS Research & Theory
• Understanding the Basics

Class Size: It is difficult to conduct effective discussions in classes of more than 28-30 pupils, however, they work well with 22-25. Perhaps a perfect size is 15-18—enough voices to make sure that there are many ideas, yet all have ample chance to speak. Some teachers create smaller groups by giving half a class an assignment that keeps them busy while conducting the discussions with the other half, then switching.

Equipment for Grades 3 and up: If you are unfamiliar with how to connect and use the computer and projector, practice before class. Provide a good surface on which to project. Learn how to use the menus provided, and how to select, enlarge, advance/review each image, and how to adjust the focus or brightness. Find out what to do if a bulb burns out or if the equipment malfunctions.

Room set up: The room should be set up so that all students can see each image clearly. If there are other teachers teaching VTS in your school, consider setting up one room in which to show the slides, and rotating the students into that room for these lessons.

Seating: Many teachers rearrange seats to bring the students close to the screen and to create an informal setting for these classes. You might have students sit on the floor or try a semicircle of chairs in front of their desks.