Right after our discussion, I asked the group what their
first impressions were of VTS. One participant said that it made them feel like
they were in an art history class because of how much they were studying the
image. Also, if it weren’t for the discussion of the image, one participant
said they would have never taken the time to investigate it on their own if
they were to see the image in a gallery or museum. Generally, they all found it
helpful when I pointed to what they were saying about the image because it had
a lot of different elements, so it made it easier for everyone to notice what
part was being discussed. Lastly, one of the participants appreciated me
paraphrasing what they were saying. They said that my paraphrasing was helpful
because they would say a lot of different things at once, but I was able to say
it back in a way that was more organized so that everyone would understand. Because of the paraphrasing and listening to
others express their ideas, another participant said that it helped them
remember the details of the image more than if they were to have examined it on
their own.
After doing the readings, what really made sense to me is how
crucial paraphrasing is to a VTS discussion. Paraphrasing helps to better express
what the speaker is saying in a way that will make sense to the whole group
(Yenawine, 2013, p. 28). This really resonated with me after doing my first VTS
discussion with my group last week. As previously stated, one of the
participants really noticed how crucial my paraphrasing was. She said that I was
able to take the several comments that she said and turn it into a cohesive
phrase that still covered what she was saying but in a way that was better. After
doing the readings and the first VTS discussion with my group, I am aware of
the power of paraphrasing. After the first VTS discussion with my group, I felt
like I didn’t do as well as I could have with my paraphrasing and so it is
something that I am really going to focus on.
I agree, the paraphrasing it so important, and something I need to work on as well. It sounds like you must have done a good job though, for your colleagues to notice how helpful it was to their understanding of the discussion.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like your first experience with VTS was a success. Excellent job Dionne! You will obviously get better at paraphrasing. Also, I think it will be helpful when we start peer reviewing each other and learning from each others strengths.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the paraphrasing being a way to "organize" everyone's thoughts, especially when participants talk over one another. Sounds like you did great!
ReplyDeleteParaphrasing is definitely a way to neaten up and hand back what someone has said in a cleaner and more concise form that also helps the group. Some people are what I think of a "external processors." They figure things out as they talk and sometimes that talk comes out as rambling. The mark of a good VTS paraphraser is being able to get to the essence of someone's rambling and give it back to them in a clearer and more concise package. Sounds like you're on your way to doing just that! Congrats!
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