I have to say that I was blown away by all that VMFA has to offer for student groups and teachers. First of all, I had no idea they had the start space and interactive art area of the ground floor level. I have been to VMFA many times and I have never seen it. My favorite part of the tour was the interactive room. I was excited to see the multilingual touch board, the tablets with headphones for the visually impaired, and the magnetic shape wall. I appreciate all that they offer for children and adults.
I enjoyed the open-ended discussion based around the art pieces on the second floor. I think as adults we are inclined to answer logically, so it seemed like we had trouble making imaginative guesses or “wonderings” about the pieces. I think the variety of art pieces we viewed and talked about gave me even more insight into how to lead discussion about primary sources in my own classroom.
I was also very excited to experience the mock distance learning class. This program makes the museum so much more accessible for students. Thinking forward as a teacher, this distance learning opportunity is not an alternative in the case that funds are hard to come by for a field trip. Maggie had a purposeful plan, and her questions were open-ended and though provoking.
Lane, I appreciate your open-minded responses! I feel like you received an overall big-picture take-away from our trip to the museum. This is precisely what I was hoping would happen! Planning a trip to the VMFA is a rich experience for students. I hope you are able to plan an awesome trip such as the one we attended one day. Bringing “Maggie” into your classroom ahead of the field trip would be a great way to prepare students ahead of time and build anticipation!