Developing 4Cs through Art (VTS)

Price: 30,00 

Course Details

Teacher Trainer Ada Rigacci
Course Category Creativity and soft skills
Duration 5 hours
Certificate Europass Course Certificate

Course description

This Self-paced online course proposes Visual Thinking Strategies, a student-centered method that fosters students’ literacy and soft skills through art and that can be implemented in primary and secondary schools and adult education, both in the mother tongue or in a target language.

A picture or painting is proposed to the students, who are asked a specific set of questions, specifically designed to inspire students’ creativity and critical thinking.

The fact that there is not only one right interpretation of the painting also stimulates students who usually do not participate to speak up in class and improve their communication skills and confidence. At the same time students, being involved in a collaborative meaning-making process, learn to value each other’s contributions.

During the course, you will learn the history of VTS, how the method works, and how to best implement it into your own lessons. In particular, you will experience the benefits of the method, linking them with the so-called 4Cs of the 21st century: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking.

This course will also help understand the importance of a positive atmosphere in the class and how Visual Thinking Strategies can improve it, by making students talk about their personal interests and emotions.

Course structure

Topic 1: Hard and Soft Skills

You will learn to tell the difference between “hard skills” and “soft skills”, what do we mean when we use these expressions and why are they so essential nowadays. By the end of this module, you will understand the significance of the 4C (creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking) and why you should enhance their development among your students.

Topic 2: Visual Thinking Strategies

In this module, you will discover what the visual thinking strategy is, its origin, and how it works. You will become familiar with the general structure of the visual thinking strategy and the most significant benefits it can bring to your class.

Topic 3: Creativity and Visual Thinking Strategies

You will learn how to develop your students’ creativity and help them think outside the box. The activity you can perform in your class will be clearly explained and you will get useful tips to start with.

Topic 4: Communication and Visual Thinking Strategies

In this module, you will learn how to use the VTS method to improve your students’ communication skills, in the verbal, written, and listening aspects. By pointing, paraphrasing, and linking student’s comments, you can help them improve their communication and problem-solving skills.

Topic 5: Critical Thinking and Visual Thinking Strategies

You will learn how the VTS method helps you develop your students’ critical thinking skills. By using these teaching strategies, the students will become independent learners and they will understand the importance of supporting their statements with evidence.

Topic 6: Collaboration and Visual Thinking Strategies

In this module, you will learn how to make your students collaborate to understand a picture. Thanks to the VTS, their collaboration skills will be fostered, they will develop a sense of belonging and they will understand how much they can benefit from each other.

Appendix: in the appendix, you can expand your knowledge about the Visual Thinking Strategies and students’ personal and emotional development and revise how to apply the VTS.