Visual Thinking Strategies

Visual Thinking Strategies Looking, talking, listening, and engaging with art and each other. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) transforms the way students think and learn.

Based in theory and research, our program uses skilled facilitation of visual art discussions to significantly increase student engagement, performance, and enjoyment of learning. We believe that rigorous discussion about visual art activates unique, transformational learning accessible to all. As a team of student-centered educators we are dedicated to cultivating flexible, curious learners. We envision a culture where careful listening and engagement build a community of open-minded and thoughtful citizens.

"The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in the human psyche."– César PelliWe invite you to join VTS and its Sept...
09/08/2026

"The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in the human psyche."
– César Pelli

We invite you to join VTS and its September Look Club Online Partner, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), as we look, think and discuss architectural images from CAC’s collections.

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 1:00pm PT / 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET
Please register at vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - The Tower of Babel, Peter Bruegel the Elder

Discussing Art with Strangers: Art, Uncertainty, and Seeing Through Others’ EyesSeptember 18, 2026 / 5:00 PM ETThe Metro...
09/08/2026

Discussing Art with Strangers:
Art, Uncertainty, and Seeing Through Others’ Eyes
September 18, 2026 / 5:00 PM ET
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, NY 100028
To register, please visit https://www.healingartsnewyork.org/events

Join Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for a unique evening of close looking and conversation. Led by VTS Institute Director Tara Geer, participants will slow down, look closely, and notice not only what they see, but how differently others see the same work. Bring your curiosity and a willingness to look again. Discussions of 2-3 art works will be followed by conversation over drinks.

VTS Institute is part of UNGA Healing Arts Week , the largest arts and health festival in the United States, taking place from September 19-26 alongside the UN General Assembly. Healing Arts is the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s global outreach initiative in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

Thank you to UNGA Healing Arts Week supporters and the partners:

"We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us." – Winston ChurchillThe Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is dedicate...
09/03/2026

"We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us." – Winston Churchill

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is dedicated to showcasing Chicago and ideas from around the world to inspire better living through design. A national leader in architecture and design education, the CAC offers tours, programs, exhibitions and more that are part of a dynamic journey of lifelong learning. Please join us and CAC educators for our September LCO as we look, think and discuss architectural images from CAC’s collections.

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 1:00pm PT / 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET
Please register at vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - Prisoner, approx., Tetsuya Ishida

Fall is proof that change is beautiful." - UnknownAre you considering making beautiful changes in your teaching practice...
08/27/2026

Fall is proof that change is beautiful." - Unknown

Are you considering making beautiful changes in your teaching practice? Space is available in our online September Beginner and Advanced Practicum courses.

September BPO
Dates/Time: Tuesday/Thursdays Sept. 8-24, 2026, 10am-12pm Pacific Time (12-2pm CT / 1-3pm ET)

September APO
Dates/Time: Monday/Tuesday/Thursdays Sept. 8-28, 2026, 12-2pm Pacific Time (2-4pm CT / 3-5pm ET)

If September is too soon, there is always October.
October BPO
Dates/Times: Monday/Tuesday/Thursdays October 5, 6, 8, 13, 15, 19, 2-4pm Pacific Time (4-6pm CT / 5-7pm ET)

For more info and to register, visit vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - Illustration from Grandfather’s Journey, Allen Say

“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” – Frank GehryThe Chicago Architecture Cen...
08/27/2026

“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” – Frank Gehry

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. It is dedicated to showcasing Chicago and ideas from around the world to inspire better living through design. A national leader in architecture and design education, the CAC offers tours, programs, exhibitions and more that are part of a dynamic journey of lifelong learning.

CAC partners with LCO in September. Please join us as we look, think and discuss architectural images from CAC’s collections.

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 1:00pm PT / 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET
Please register at vtshome.org/programs

“Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.” - Ralph Waldo EmersonThe Advanced Practicum will review ...
08/19/2026

“Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Advanced Practicum will review core facilitation skills, including effective use of questions, listening, and paraphrasing, and will address linking and framing; brevity and flexibility; attending to group learning; equitable participation; image selection; and honing your skills to cater to the unique needs and interests of diverse audiences. Participants will consider relevant research and theory, tailor images and materials to their contexts, and establish clear expectations, transitions, and closings. Drawing inspiration from Abigail Housen’s Stages of Aesthetic Development, you’ll gain the insights you need to more deeply connect with every group.

Dates/Time: Monday/Tuesday/Thursdays Sept. 8-28, 2026, 12:00-2:00pm Pacific Time (2-4pm CT / 3-5pm ET)
For more info and to register, visit vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central, Diego Rivera

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” - Albert EinsteinAre you looking for n...
08/19/2026

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” - Albert Einstein

Are you looking for new ways to engage your learners? Look no further than the VTS Beginner Practicum Online taking place in September. This course offers research-based, practical ways to connect with students and make learning happen. VTS requires educators to listen, paraphrase, and guide collaborative meaning-making while shifting from the habits of delivering content to building skills in group facilitation. Though this shift may feel unfamiliar at first, it is supported by decades of evidence showing the deeper learning by participants.

Dates/Time: Tuesday/Thursdays Sept. 8-24, 2026, 10am – 12pm Pacific Time (12-2pm CT / 1-3pm ET)
For more info and to register, visit vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair, Frida Kahlo

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ― Mae WestIn LCO, we can never have enough art to look at and talk about! P...
08/13/2026

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ― Mae West

In LCO, we can never have enough art to look at and talk about! Please join us for an hour of robust VTS discussions with educators from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Date/Time: Wednesday, August 19, 10-11:00am PT / 12-1:00pm CT / 1-2:00pm ET
Please register at vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Kehinde Wiley

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes" - Marcel Proust VTS open...
08/05/2026

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes" - Marcel Proust

VTS opens its 2026-2027 Look Club Online year with educators from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. MOCA houses one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world. Please join us!

Date/Time: Wednesday, August 19, 10-11:00am PT / 12-1:00pm CT / 1-2:00pm ET
Please register at vtshome.org/programs

Image from the VTS curriculum - The Road to Middelharnais, Netherlands, Meindert Hobbema

“August is the slow, gentle month that stretches out the longest across the span of a year. It yawns and lingers on with...
07/30/2026

“August is the slow, gentle month that stretches out the longest across the span of a year. It yawns and lingers on with the light in its palms.” — Victoria Erickson

We invite you to join us to savor our August LCO conversations with educators from the Museum of Contemporary Art. Established in 1979, MOCA is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles. Dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art, MOCA houses one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, comprising nearly 8,000 objects, and has a diverse history of ground-breaking, historically-significant exhibitions.

Date/Time: Wednesday, August 19, 10-11:00am PT / 12-1:00pm CT / 1-2:00pm ET
Please register at vtshome.org/programs

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New York, NY

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+17183020232

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