The Impact of Visual Literacy in the Classroom

According to Merriam-Webster, visual literacy is the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images (2015).  While visual thinking is "the ability to transform thoughts, ideas, and information into all types of pictures, graphs or other images that help communicate the associated information" (Kovalik & King, n.d.).  The question is, how can visual literacy and visual thinking impact the teaching and learning process in the classroom?

 

The Impact of Visual Literacy and the Internet

  Image from http://www.learninglive.co.uk/teachers/primary/literacy/materials/visual_literacy/index.asp).   

Often times, in the classroom, students are unable to understand a concept my merely reading or hearing about it.  They need to be able to see what the instructor is talking about.  Utilizing the internet is a quick and easy way to find photographs, infographics, videos, diagrams, and a variety of other visuals that will help students who are having difficulty understanding without the additional support.  In the words of Ellen Topiel (2013), "Imagery can make language come to life..."  Allowing students the opportunity to use visuals in daily lessons helps to develop their higher level thinking skills.  Students who are submerged in meaningful visuals are better able to construct mental images that help them to better understand text.  These students, also, have better observational and analytical skills, and improved presentation and communication skills, as well (Topiel, 2013).

 

Visual Thinking Strategies for Classroom Use

Not all students will naturally have the skills it takes to be visual thinkers.  There are strategies that instructors can utilize in the classroom to help students along.  One such strategy is to help students understand how to think aloud.  This is a similar process to the think aloud strategy used to help with the comprehension of a story, where a teacher models out loud what a reader is thinking about while they are reading a text.  In this case, however, the teacher would model what someone might be thinking about when analyzing an image.  

Another visual thinking strategy that instructors can use to help students evaluate an image would be to ask a specific set of guiding questions.  According to Todd Finley (2014), three of these important guiding questions are:

1. What is going on in the visual?
2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. What more can we find?

 

As mentioned earlier, visual thinking does not only apply to photographs and images, but it also applies to graphic organizers, infographics, diagrams, videos, charts, maps, etc.  From these different visuals, students can better summarize, analyze, and comprehend information (Teaching Strategies to Inform Visual Literacy, n. d.).

 

The Internet's Role in the Classroom

The internet plays an important role in the classroom.  There are numerous ways in which it can be used to enhance daily instruction.  One of the most common roles of the internet is for the purpose of research.  Students can work individually or cooperatively at any grade level to complete research on any topic.  There are kid safe search engines meant for young students, such as KidRex, Kidzsearch, and Kidtopia, that monitor the information the students are allowed to access.  The internet can also be used to play educational games, take virtual field trips, or complete web quests.  Teachers, with or without the help of the students, can set up class websites or blogs to display pertinent information about the goings on in the classroom.  It can be utilized as a behavior modification tool by accessing sites like Class Dojo. Students and instructors can use the internet in the classroom to connect with the outside world through emails, blogs, and some forms of social media.  And, the internet can also be a valuable tool that allows the teacher to bring the outside world into the classroom, by providing meaningful images and videos.  However, whatever the role of the internet in the classroom, it is vital that the instructor puts the students' safety first by carefully reviewing digital citizenship, as well as other expectations that the instructor has.

Finley, T.  (February 19, 2014).  Common core in action: 10 visual literacy strategies.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ccia-10-visual-literacy-strategies-todd-finley

Kovalik, C. & King, P.  (n. d.).  Visual literacy.  Retrieved from http://www.educ.kent.edu/community/vlo/literacy/index.html#visualthinking


Teaching strategies to inform visual literacy-Informational texts.  (n. d.).  Retrieved from http://visualiteracy.weebly.com/index.html

Topiel, E.  (January 30, 2013).  The need for visual literacy instruction in K-12 education.  Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/127753-the-need-for-visual-literacy-instruction-in-k-12-education/

visual literacy. (2015). In Merriam-Webster.com.  Retrieved May 11, 2015 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visual%20literacy