This chapter makes the case for two aspects of visual literacy that the authors believe to be generally overlooked: (1) that visual literacy occurs by way of a developmental trajectory and requires instruction as well as practice, and (2) that it involves as much thought as it does visual awareness and is an integral component of the skills and beliefs related to inquiry. This chapter roots these ideas in the theory and research of cognitive psychologist Abigail Housen, coauthor of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) with museum educator Philip Yenawine. Housen identified aesthetic stages that mark the development of skills helping to define visual literacy. Her research is also the basis of VTS, a method of engaging learners in deep experiences looking at art and discussing meanings with peers, a process that, this chapter posits, furthers visual literacy. This chapter presents that body of research and details the resulting VTS protocol. It reviews academic studies to date, subsequent to Housen, that document the impact of VTS interventions in various settings, and suggests beneficial areas for future research. In order to probe what development in visual literacy looks and sounds like on a granular level, two case studies of student writing from existing studies are presented and analyzed. Visual literacy skills enabled by VTS are briefly connected to broader educational concerns.

Visual Thinking, Art, and University Teaching Across DisciplinesH OW MIGHT VIEWING and discussing art be relevant to university curricula across disciplines? This was one of my fundamental questions when I became the fi rst director of academic programs at the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, in August 2010. My overarching inquiry was how could my work demonstrate that university art museums truly matter to their parent institutions, particularly in terms of teaching and learning?These were urgent matters at Brandeis, where the community was in crisis over its art. Less than two years earlier, President Jehuda Reinharz and the board of trustees voted to close the Rose and sell its distinguished collection of modern and contemporary art in response to a fi nancial crisis. Many on campus vigorously protested, believing that shuttering the museum and selling the art was tantamount to cutting a limb from the body of the university. Others viewed the Rose merely a jewel box, an entity of the contemporary art world with little impact on the education of students. For those at the university's helm, the collection's perceived monetary value had displaced its aesthetic, historical, scholarly, pedagogical, experiential, and any other possible value. Rendered without community input, the decision backfi red, resulting in a public relations disaster and lawsuit. The museum went into a state of precarious limbo. When Frederick Lawrence was hired as president in 2010, he put rebuilding the Rose at the center of his agenda, initiating a lengthy process of transition and renewal. (For an overview of the crisis at the Rose, see art historian Nancy J. Scott's 2012 article.)As an institution, the Rose was severely damaged, understaff ed, and underfunded, but the collection was intact. We had art, great art-one of the fi nest holdings of modern and contemporary art at any university in the country. I defi ned my charge as proving how and why the experience of art from the collection, and in the Rose's temporary exhibitions, could be core to the principles and activities embodied by a Brandeis education. One of my key tools in this endeavor was Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a research-based teaching method succinctly described by Philip Yenawine and Alexa Miller in their companion article.Art historians, studio artists, and museum professionals understand art as relevant across disciplines because art is a medium through which major questions about the world around us and the meaning of life are posed and provisionally answered. We argue, with good evidence, that art is intricately connected to overlapping social, political, economic, and broader cultural contexts as well as its own context and,

Training the Eye: Improving the Art of Physical Diagnosis is an elective fine art-based medical humanities course at Harvard Medical School held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston that aims to improve skills of observation. Due to COVID-19, this curriculum was converted from in-person to a virtual format for the first time in 2020. Students enrolled in the course prior to the pandemic and completed one session in person before transitioning unexpectedly to nine remote sessions through Zoom. Students were surveyed anonymously and TAs and faculty were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses and future preferences of the virtual arts education at the course completion. Strengths identified in the virtual platform were being able to include participants irrespective of their location, incorporating most relevant artwork from any collection, harnessing virtual tools for enhanced art viewing, time-efficiency, and having a private, safe space for engaging in this type of learning. However, the experience in the galleries and the social interactions therein were noted to be impossible to fully recapitulate. Personal connections of the class were felt to be diminished and convenience increased. Both advantages (e.g., increased reach relative to types and locations of art works) and disadvantages (e.g., intimacy and connectivity promoted by in-gallery setting) of teaching arts-based medical humanities virtually were identified. A hybrid model may be able reap the benefits of both formats when it is safe to host such courses in person. Parallel lessons may be applicable to optimizing telemedicine encounters.

Background Arts-based pedagogical tools have been increasingly incorporated into medical education. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a research-based, constructivist teaching methodology that aims to improve visual literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills through the process of investigating works of art. Harvard Medical School pioneered the application of VTS within medical education in 2004. While there are several studies investigating the use of VTS, there is a need to systematically assess the different programs that exist for medical education and their efficacy in improving relevant clinical skills. This systematic review aims to critically analyse the available evidence of the effectiveness of VTS in medical education to guide future research and provide a framework to adapt medical curricula. Methods A systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases (through November 2022) was conducted to identify studies of VTS-based interventions in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Two reviewers independently screened citations for inclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. The extracted data was then narratively synthesized. Results Of 5759 unique citations, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. After reference review, one additional study was included. Therefore, 11 studies were included in our review. Of these, eight reported VTS-based interventions for undergraduate medical students and three reported interventions in residency training, specifically in dermatology and ophthalmology. The main goal of most studies was to increase observational or visual diagnostic skills. Three of the studies in undergraduate medical education and two in postgraduate achieved a statistically significant improvement in observational skills in post-course evaluations. Some studies reported increased tolerance for ambiguity and empathy. Conclusions Although the studies varied considerably in study design, learning objectives, and outcomes, findings consistently indicate that the VTS approach can serve as a vehicle to develop crucial clinical competencies, encouraging more in-depth visual analysis that could be applied when observing a patient. Despite some limitations of the included studies (lack of control groups, self-selection bias, or non-standard outcome measures), the results of this review provide support for greater inclusion of VTS training in the medical curriculum.