VISUAL LITERACY

Module 2

AIM: Explore what visual literacy means

• Think about it, draw on research, and relate to your own experience of thinking

• Discuss why literacy and language teachers, and teacher educators, need to recognise the role of visual thinking in learning in a multimodal world

• Consider whether your learning and teaching approaches need to support visual thinking

• Explore strategies for creating a learning environment in which visual thinking can play a deep and significant role in the learning process.

Visual Language - Introduction

We all read visual language, whether accompanied by written or spoken words or not.

Need for visual literacy

• Visual images fast becoming the most predominant form of communication

• Recognising pictures precede recognition of words

• Interpreting visual language play an important part in learning about world in general

• Some people are visual thinkers • Necessary workplace skill

Pre-school children brought up in an environment where visual language plays an important part.

• Direct to images before they can speak• Read pictures before they read words • Draw pictures before they write

Everyday Communication

Three strands of language - oral, written, and visual, essential for receiving and transmitting information Everyday face-to-face communication, where the spoken language cannot be separated from the visual language of gestures, eye contact, and facial expression.

Print where visuals convey meanings not necessarily presented as written text

Visual Thinkers Thinking as fundamental to learning.

But not all people think in the same way. Some people think only visually, some only verbally (i.e. in words) and some do both (Cooper, 2006). West (1997) defines visual thinking as:

“... that form of thought in which images are generated or recalled in the mind and are manipulated ... associated with other forms (as with a metaphor), rotated ... or otherwise transformed gradually from one image into another. These images may be visual representations of material things or they may be non-physical abstract concepts ...”

• Test on man and woman walking

Why should we take account of visual thinking?

“Any successful theory of pedagogy must be based on views about how the human mind works in society and in classrooms…” Kress (2000)

Visual & verbal thinking involve:• taking in and generating information and ideas• processing information, and • storing and retrieving information

For a successful, creative and meaningful learning experience, the learner needs a learning environment that supports all these aspects of how they think.

Workplace SkillsInternet texts are strongly visual

Visual images canhelp read and understand texts support reading and help make meaning of text

Readers should learn toexplore various forms of verbal and visual communication analyse the interaction between words and imagesthink critically about the meanings and effects produced.

Focus on how to use images available to build reading skills.

Character study

Visual literacy

The ability to decode, interpret, create, question, challenge and evaluate texts that communicate with visual images as well as, or rather than, words. Visually literate people can read the intended meaning in a visual text, interpret the purpose and intended meaning, and evaluate the form, structure and features of the text.It is important for teachers to be well informed and confident so that they teach effectively and enjoy exploring visual language. Many countries have included the study of visual language as an integral part of the study of the English language.

How Visuals Help

Pictures may serve to help • (a) establish the setting, (b) define/develop the

characters, (c) extend/develop the plot, (d) provide a different viewpoint, (e) contribute to the text’s coherence, and (f) reinforce the text.

Levin’s five functions that help in text processing• decorational, representational, organizational,

interpretational and transformational.

Graphic Organisers

Instruction writing

Berry Creek Falls Veteran Berry Creek Falls hikers recommend a counter-clockwise loop starting on the Sunset Trail, turning left on to the Berry Creek Falls Trail, taking another left onto the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail, which returns to the trailhead.

The Olomana HikeThis is one of the top hikes in Oahu if you arelooking for a challenging hike with unbelievable views. It is only about 1.5 miles to the first peak but there is more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain and some parts have dropoffs on both sides of the trail. Ropes have been added in a few places to prevent you from slipping.

• Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date. First, you could tell jokes that aren’t funny and laugh really hard to yourself. This will make you look bad. Worse though, you could offend your date. One bad “joke” may cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the engagement. But the worst thing that you can do is to appear slovenly. By not showering and properly grooming, you may repulse your date, and this is the worst thing that you can do.

• The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America. Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot. Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting. Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.

• Linux and Windows are both operating systems. Computers use them to run programs. Linux is totally free and open source, so users can improve or otherwise modify the source code. Windows is proprietary, so it costs money to use and users are prohibited from altering the source code. However, Linux can be…

Color coding, highlighting

Exploring Visual Language

Teachers • learn how visual language works• acquire terminologyGain means of identifying, describing, discussing, analysing, and evaluating visual language, and thereby gain a better understanding of visual language texts. Just as close reading of written texts promotes understanding in depth, so close study of visual texts provides important insights.

Visual technologies

Use of ICT can have a great impact upon reading and learning standards. Variety of ICT opportunities that can be used:

• video/DVD• digital images• ICT texts/web-based texts• photographs/images• outlines, picture glossaries, etc.

BECTA Research (2011)

How can using pictures help second language learners succeed in school?• For second language learners, meaningful

interaction and plenty of conversation are essential. Visual materials can promote dialogues that stimulate thinking.

• General education and special education teachers can initiate language-rich opportunities in all contexts.

Benefits for levels ELLs • Silent period: learner relies mostly on listening and nonverbal means for

learning. 1. Can use pictures to communicate their thoughts as well as represent their comprehension. 2. Need time to develop enough confidence and language skill before using language to participate fully in classrooms.3. Visuals help to demonstrate what they know through non-verbal means and to build successful learning experiences. Also teachers can make their instructions more explicit and comprehensible. • More proficient ELLs: learn to speak simple sentences1. Strongly aware of their mistakes in language. 2. Visuals provide students with ample opportunities for them to talk about a common topic across textual formats. 3. Also makes content more explicit cont.

Benefits for levels ELLs

• Most proficient stage: willing to participate in all aspects of classroom activities

1. Help students to engage in content learning in more creative and critical ways. 2. Visual materials should become anchoring tools to help them access meanings and demonstrate what they know. 3. Build strategies based on visuals to self-regulate their learning process.

Benefits for persons with developmental disabilities

• Workplace Success: Reading and writing supports communication, enhances access to information, and allows individuals to perform personal and work-related tasks with increased independence.

• Personal development: literacy skills for the expression of needs, wants, information, feelings and ideas.

• Enhancing communication, interpersonal interactions, access to employment opportunities, increased independence in terms of daily living skills and access to leisure activities.

ADVANTAGEStrigger student interestmeaningful contextualisation prompts for talkvocabulary work, drills, writing, etc.promote self-confidence among ELL studentspromote alternative ways of participatingallow opportunities for more interactions suit the needs of ELL students with various levels of language proficiencyactivate background knowledgefocus on higher-order thinking and problem-solvingestablish a purpose for learnersprovide a structure for reading provide additional context for accessing informationpromote study skills

Exploring Visual Language: a Framework

“Close read" of visual language text During guided, shared, and independent reading of visual language, ask: • What is the visual text about?• What visual language features are used? What effects do these

features have on the reader?• What clues do the visual language features give the reader?• How do the visual, written, and oral texts interrelate and support

each other?• Is this visual language meant to represent reality? How "true" is a

text. • What is the main focus of attention of each illustration?

Teaching using visuals

STW Help students focus on illustrations by asking What do I See? What do I Think? and What do I Wonder? This strategy enables students to fully experience the message in picture books.Developed by Janet C. Richards and Nancy A. AndersonSTW promotes critical thinking, encourages thoughtful prediction, and stimulates curiosity.

Thank you, now

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