How many stories does this photo tell?
Teaching
Visual Literacy Makes a Big Difference
Would you add
some thoughts about visual literacy, that is,
questioning
the artist/illustrator in the same way we are questioning the author/text…
prior to
analyzing the text.
Thank you.
I’ve been
carrying this question around for a while, trying to think up a good answer.
On the one hand,
I’ve never been a big fan of “visual literacy.”
It’s not that
I’m insensitive to the idea that pictures have value (I subscribed to Playboy
for many years), but I’ve never been
willing to put pictures on the same plane as the printed word.
I guess I’ve
been afraid that teachers in the early grades would eschew the teaching of
letters
and sounds—the
tools needed to decode print, in favor of pictures and rhymes
and predictable
forms (oh wait, that does happen).
But, as I said,
pictures are important. They carry a lot of meaning. Think of the American flag
raising at Iwo
Jima, Lee Harvey Oswald’s last moment, the napalmed girl in Vietnam
with her clothes
burned away, the sailor kissing the nurse at the end of WWII,
the first clear
x-ray pictures of DNA—or the unforgettable illustrations of Tenniel, Sendak,
Carle,
or Potter. No, I
accept that pictures definitely are worth attention.
And, I also
concede that they require analysis. Graphics of various types raise issues of
perspective, balance, texture, color, foregrounding, etc. Interpreting a
graphic can be both
intellectually
challenging and, when well analyzed, intellectually rewarding, too.
So, while I
accept the importance and value of illustrations, I fear what might happen
if too much
school time were devoted to interpreting them. (Ultimately, I’d rather read—
and I’d rather
that students read—E.B. White than examine the drawings of Garth Williams).
But what about
disciplinary literacy, Mr. Smarty Pants College Professor? You say that print
is most
important, and, yet, in many disciplines the pictures are equal to the words.
Right?
Actually, that
is correct. In science the pictures and other graphic forms are considered
every bit as
important as the prose English. This is because language is insufficient
to explain
scientific phenomena, so the use of multiple representations
increases the
possibility of accuracy and wide understanding.
Graphics matter
a lot in social studies, too. Think of maps, but also the fascinating analyses
of the meanings
of contemporaneous photographs and political cartoons.
In literature,
graphic elements haven’t as clear a role, and yet pictures are extremely
important
in children’s
literature, and the “graphic novel” illustrations carry a lot of meaning for
all readers.
Recently, I was
teaching science to a group of high school seniors and I had them
comparing the
illustrations and text statements from their anatomy textbook.
It was a
fascinating exercise. For me and the kids.
About half
indicated that they normally just read the text and possibly glanced cursorily
at the
illustrations at the end. They were surprised by how much they were missing out
on.
Three of the
students said the words tended to confuse them,
so they only looked
at the pictures despite the reading assignments.
Having to
compare words and pictures made a big difference to them, too.
We all learned
that day how critical it was to closely compare the illustrations and the text,
and how rare
such teaching is. The Common Core State Standards require such teaching,
but it gets
little attention. Let's face it, I'm not the only reading guy with a bias
against the pictures, and our kids have suffered from it. We definitely need to
teach kids to read both words
and pictures--in
close connection with each other.
http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/
Introduction
to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading
YouTube
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when
Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister
blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com gives many ways
for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com which takes
advantage of the experience and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com
just for fun.
To
quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will
know.
The
more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”
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Your opinions, experience and questions are welcome. M'reen