Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)
powerful learning experiences with art
Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a groundbreaking educational approach authored by Abigail Housen, Ph.D, and Philip Yenawine.
A facilitation approach, VTS transforms teachers from transmitters of knowledge into savvy guides of collective inquiry based on deep listening and careful language. It has been seen to embolden professional learning communities towards learning culture along the way, for decades.
For learners, VTS has been shown to expand capacity in observation, critical thinking, and attitudes towards teamwork.
Of the many things we love about it, we celebrate its genesis. Housen and Yenawine created it of two simple aspirations:
Expand access to art
Center enjoyment of art
Over twenty years of innovation with VTS in medical learning
A trained VTS Facilitator and Trainer, ArtsPractica Founder Alexa Miller has been a force in popularizing the use of VTS in medical teaching and research for over twenty years.
“Don’t just ‘do VTS’…
change healthcare”
Our Approach to VTS
Centers profound and provocative experiences with art, first and foremost
Emphasizes key linkages between VTS facilitation and patient care excellence
Targets specific issues in health and healthcare, sequencing VTS with didactics, reflections, and clear takeaways
Never loses connection with the why: better patient care
