Students

On museums and VTS:

After spending the day at the Katonah Museum of Art, the class reflects on their experience. Watch Janaina talk about how using VTS has helped her to build language skills in a way different from her experience with language learning.
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“I really enjoy talking about art in English because is an extraordinary complement for our acknowledge and realize a big amount of styles of art exist and how much we’d learn through them and open a new horizons to all around the time.”
– Elizabeth

“I really love [abstract] paintings. I’ve learned that if you look closely to abstract painting, you can find a lot of things that appear from painting. Before I being in that museum, I saw some couple of abstract painting somewhere but I wasn’t really interesting in spending time to figure it out. That was annoyed me and it was complicated. But my last trip to Queens Museum it changed my mind and I started to love that kind of abstract painting.”
– Samdup

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Another student speaks about having VTS discussions in the museum and the way these discussions benefit self-expression.
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“What I like most about it was that as soon as I got in the room I felt like I wanted to be there. What I learn was that when we select one painting to make the exercise in short group, I look more details in the in it. Visiting the museum with our children made the activity very nice. It was like learn art, English at the same time that we share time with our children. I really enjoy the activity.”
-Lucy

“The VTS discussion influence how I look at art because it makes me see art in a wider way. I think deeply about it, like for example understand better a painting and observe more details and thinking and speaking much better in language (English) as well. In addition, of course, learning and have a better knowledge about art.”
– Maria Jose

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More student reflections on spending the day at the Katonah Museum of Art!
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“It is amazing when we are following VTS protocol. We got many interpretations. Everyone has their own idea we could continue finding more and more, it helps us to express verbally, that is thing we need, and the teacher does easier, because she rephrased our answer in a comfortable way.”
– Luz

“Tomorrow we are enjoying the art at the Q. College museum. I feel curious to know if we are going to see only paintings, because is the first time I am going to visit and is the opportunity to learn more about Art, and share with my family and friends.”
– Patricia (before museum trip)

“During a visit to Queens College Klapper Hll, I could look at some paintings and having an opportunity of enjoy these works of art. It first take my time, look at what’s going in this painting, the details that catch my attention, shapes, colors, depth, body expression, gestures, lighting. I have learned to be more observant and take the time to give my opinion about what I’m seeing and why I say that.”
– Patricia (after museum trip)

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On cultural identity:

CALTA21 founder Patricia Lannes talks with Darling Ojeda, a student, at the close of a class trip to the museum.

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“I believe that English lives in my mind and in my heart. It continues to walk parallel with me. I try to use English to describe all the aspects of my life, that means English play a big roll right now in my life, bigger than it has happened before.”
– Nasief

“When I talk English sometimes I feel uncomfortable. It depend of the situation or the person, but its changing because I try don’t put obstacles for myself. How I’m taking the initiative in a conversation or make questions when I’m get out.”
– Patricia

“I try to act like myself as much as possible, but yes, I think we can act or feel differently speaking English, because its like we take on characteristics of other English-speaking. It’s like we have some separate personalities since we don’t have enough language skills to express our entire true personality. On the other hand, we try to fit the culture that we are trying to communicate with. However, our native language personality and English personality can be closely matched, even though I feel more free speaking Spanish.”
-Maria Jose

“I feel important to keep or maintain my language from my country or origin. I speak in my language when my children grew up, they know about my culture.”
– Roberta

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On language building, critical thinking and academic capital:

CALTA21 founder Patricia Lannes talks with Tashi Samdup, a student, at the close of a class trip to the museum.

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Empowerment: “Develop our ideas and teach each other”

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“Good experience and great opportunity to improve our English skill, specially listening and speaking. It help us to explain in our words of answering question from classmates about what they see. It’s interesting because we need to take from our mind the best way to explain or refuse their comments or opinions. When we are in front of a bunch of people who are attending your performance we must be prepared to face any unknown situation, questions and reaction. In that moment just is me my sense working 100%, my speaking skill on my tongue waiting for brain order sayings at your time or my listening skills say I’m taking that info, must process in my brain I will decide if I agree or disagree. So that moments are unique we need to take the best or that experience to keep going with our learning process.”
– Alejandro

The advantage of what I have gotten was tremendous in that beautiful and organized Hall with nice and qualified official who work their in addition to the comments of my classmate, conversation, comprehension, vocabulary, viewpoint with others. All those activities enhanced our knowledge to improve our skill in English language.”
– Naseif

On class dynamics and social capital:

After spending the day at the Katonah Museum of Art, the class reflects on their experience. Badr reflects on the impact of being able to visit a museum and to talk about the art with his classmates, rather than visiting the museum and simply looking.
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“My relationship with [my classmates]…they are a part of my family because I spend with them four days a week, we laugh together, we share experiences being parents or remembering when we were children and also we are getting elder together.”
– Ana Maria

“Moreover this trip abled to create a good relationship between the students and their teacher too, and open the perceptions of the students and strengthens the bonds of friendship.”
– Nasief

“I enjoy talking about art in English because we can build our skills in English and share with our classmates and teacher about your personal interpretation of art.”
– Darling

“What I learn yesterday was interesting for me trough and look we could discover different points of view the painting transmitting us and find similated with the painting to really was the paint and everybody share and the have answer right or wrong but we express our own opinions about sensation that kind of paint in particular.”
– Elizabeth