Our world today is changing at a rapid pace more rapid than any other time period in history. Information can be accessed and exchanged at mind blowing speeds. The children of today are used to dynamic visual images whether it be from a video game , a television show or even a movie. Visual Literacy can be defined as the ability to understand and produce visual messages. Both teachers and students can benefit by developing their abilities to create, use and evaluate visual resources (Light Body, 2008). Visual literacy is important for several reasons:
Curriculum Benefits:
- students can learn better when teachers support a variety of learning styles
- students can improve reading and writing skills through the use of visual literacy techniques (studies have shown that processing in competent reading involves both phonological and visual information)
- visual literacy can contribute to visual-spatial intelligence (one of the multiple intelligences identified by Howard Gardiner). It can also be involved in other intelligences such as bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical.
When I was a geometry teacher I would make the student illustrate each shape as they were working on it. This taught the conceptual rather than procedural development. The visual helped the student understand why the formula worked and in some cases the students developed their own formula. In mathematics there are several concepts that are abstract and the students have a hard time understanding the concept. A visual in this case helps the students to translate the words into meaningful data.
One strategy I find useful is concept mapping. It allows the students to organize their thoughts and ideas about a concept. The internet allows students to visualize concepts that would take the teachers hours to teach. For example, a question could be posed to the effect of: If the dimensions of a prism were doubled what would be the effect on its volume? I would use a geometry software such as Cabri 3D and the students could see the volume changing as the dimensions changed. The internet provides many applets that are interactive and visually stimulating.
The internet is simply a tool or an aid to classroom instruction. Those that would use the internet as a substitute for the teacher are harming our students.
Curriculum Benefits:
- students can learn better when teachers support a variety of learning styles
- students can improve reading and writing skills through the use of visual literacy techniques (studies have shown that processing in competent reading involves both phonological and visual information)
- visual literacy can contribute to visual-spatial intelligence (one of the multiple intelligences identified by Howard Gardiner). It can also be involved in other intelligences such as bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical.
When I was a geometry teacher I would make the student illustrate each shape as they were working on it. This taught the conceptual rather than procedural development. The visual helped the student understand why the formula worked and in some cases the students developed their own formula. In mathematics there are several concepts that are abstract and the students have a hard time understanding the concept. A visual in this case helps the students to translate the words into meaningful data.
One strategy I find useful is concept mapping. It allows the students to organize their thoughts and ideas about a concept. The internet allows students to visualize concepts that would take the teachers hours to teach. For example, a question could be posed to the effect of: If the dimensions of a prism were doubled what would be the effect on its volume? I would use a geometry software such as Cabri 3D and the students could see the volume changing as the dimensions changed. The internet provides many applets that are interactive and visually stimulating.
The internet is simply a tool or an aid to classroom instruction. Those that would use the internet as a substitute for the teacher are harming our students.
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