Hi Peta,
-> It surprises me that in merica visual literacy is not a topic because
-> of the very few references I have found on the topic come from
-> America.
Really? It's a shame none of the other American teachers here have
commented on this topic. I assume that if they had heard of the term
"visual literacy" and had anything to add about it, that they would do
so. I wonder if, since I am a math teacher, I am less likely to come
across the term "visual literacy" when I read professional journals
for math teachers than if I were to read professional journals for
teachers in some other subject area such as social sciences, for
example?
-> If I may can I ask you another question that I am burning to know?
-> You speak about children creating visual texts and interatng them
-> into pedagogic practice across the subject areas but how can you
-> assume that children have the knowlede to understand the meaning
-> constructed in them.
It is difficult for me to talk about other subject areas. Let me give a
specific example about my math class. Just two days ago, on Friday, I
was teaching my 9th and 10th grade geometry students how to draw
2-dimensional representations of 3-dimensional objects on paper. This is
an important skill in geometry: that the student be able to represent
3-D objects on paper so that others can understand what they are trying
to convey with their image, and also so that the student can properly
interpret such drawings made by others. I teach this skill within the
context of my course. I know that over the several years I have been
teaching this course, some students miss certain questions on quizzes
and tests because they cannot correctly interpret the drawing and visual
what the intended 3-D object looks like. I have several strategies for
teaching this, one of which includes bringing in actual 3-D models made
of cardboard of the drawings. However, ultimately there are a few
students who need to come in for 1-on-1 tutoring after school.
I simply don't see how to teach this skill for reading "visual texts" of
this specific type outside the context of my course. As a matter of
fact, I'm quite confused at how students can be taught _In General_,
outside of a specific course (such as biology, or geography, etc...) to
derive meaning from a visual text.
Teachers within specific subject areas are usually well acquainted with
the particular types of visual imagery that their students need to deal
with in that subject area, and they have experience teaching students to
interpret it.
You ask how teachers can:
-> assume that children have the knowlede to understand the meaning
-> constructed in them.
As you indicate, it could be dangerous in some courses to assume that
all children are capable in this regard. Some children will be "left in
the dust", so to speak. Can't the teacher conduct some sort of informal
pre-test, some sort of non-graded activity in which s/he asks questions
that the student would have to be able to interpret the image correctly
to be able to understand? I would imagine each classroomful of students
is different. If you happen to luck out with a group one year that is
well equipped to understand the imagery, why waste their time and yours
going over how to interpret it? Test your students each year, to find
out where they are, and then give appropriate instruction to bring them
up to the level they need to be.
I would caution that if only two or three kids in a classroom are having
difficulty, don't waste everyone else's time making all of them listen
to instruction on something they already know how to do. Give these few
students private instruction until they are as capable as the rest.
-> Have you ever seen any lessons where students are provided the
-> opoortunity to explore the visual texts in its own right. Students
-> are continually taught to critically evaluate the written word in
-> school what is your insight into evaluating the visual semiotic
-> system.
You know, I have a hard time getting into your terminology. You are
working on this topic, so it probably makes a lot more sense to you. But
it sounds like such a bunch of artifical verbiage to me.
I'm not sure exactly how to interpret your question above. I know that
in math, I DO give work that requires students to be able to interpret
imagery. I've seen some of my students work on social science
assignments that included maps, or graphs or charts. Same for biology
and chemistry. Maybe drawings of particular biological sturctures, or
molecular structures or such. Even the English teachers use maps
sometimes and other diagrams.
What do you mean by "exploring a visual text in its own right?" While
our students work with visual texts in many different subject areas,
verbal language is almost always a part of the process in either
communicating the assignment to the student, or in the student's
response, or both. I don't see how it could be otherwise.
FWIW, the students at our school do a fair amount of constructing their
own "visual texts" as responses to assignments.
I hope this has been a helpful response for you.
Sheila King
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