Session Design Submission Review

Gestalt psychology in the early 20th century first framed perception as an active, structured process of thought. Building on this, Rudolf Arnheim argued that “visual perception is thought,” establishing the conceptual groundwork for Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). Developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Abigail Housen and museum educator Philip Yenawine, evolved from the observation that traditional pedagogical methods which focused on conveying factual information about art failed to promote retention or meaningful engagement. Visitors wanted to think with artworks, not simply be told about them. VTS emerged as a method for cultivating that kind of active, interpretive engagement.

VTS employs guided analysis of artworks through open-ended questioning, most notably, “What’s going on in this picture?” and “What do you see that makes you say that?” to cultivate observation, reasoning, and collective interpretation. Housen’s research revealed that novices rely on personal associations, whereas experienced viewers use analytic and contextual reasoning. Introduced at the Museum of Modern Art, VTS demonstrated that passive instruction failed to sustain engagement, whereas participatory discussion fostered deeper cognitive and emotional connection. In contrast to traditional didactic methods that prioritize information delivery, VTS positions learners as active meaning-makers—a model increasingly applied in medical education to enhance diagnostic reasoning, reflection, and empathy.

In this session, we will identify  seven common Visual Thinking Strategies that can be used in surgical education. The panel will include an art educator, a surgical educator and students from a surgical education program which includes  medical students and residents (PGY 1 and PGY 2). Participants will be introduced to the VTS method through its applications in  aspects of surgical education, specifically, ICU care and surgical anatomy. Drawing upon the data from medical student and resident engagement with artistic activities the panel will discuss the implications of this method for student and resident retention of clinical detail and recognition of medical errors.

Specifically, the Visual Thinking Strategy of close observation will  be applied to surgical ICU case scenarios, where systematic observation skills will help uncover subtle clinical errors that are often missed. Concept mapping strategies will be used to show how this method can be integrated into surgical anatomy teaching, giving learners a clearer framework to connect different structures and organ systems, and how they relate to functions. Participants will see how visual approaches can be utilized to develop thinking strategies, improve perception of surgical errors and explore different strategies of retaining anatomical structures related to surgical education.