Visual Thinking Strategies with High School Students in Art Museums

Backed by research in aesthetic development, the teaching method called "Visual Thinking Strategies" (VTS) has been adopted by art museums in the past fifteen years in a conscious effort to use research-based teaching methods in order to help visitors' experiences at art museums "stick." VTS has been adopted by schools and entire school districts and is often used in collaboration or partnership with local museums. With a pilot program for high school students still in development, this essay examines how art institutions have been incorporating Visual Thinking Strategies into their educational programming for high school students, how its use has helped these institutions meet their educational goals and how museums are measuring its use.