What is Visual Literacy?

There are many different definitions as to what visual literacy is. One definition says that visual literacy is, “ 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 such as an advertisement or a film shot, interpret the purpose and intended meaning, and evaluate the form, structure and features of the text. They can also use images in a creative and appropriate way to express meaning.”

http://www.ivla.org/org_what_vis_lit.htm

Why it’s Important

Visual literacy is important in multiple ways:

• Teaching visual literacy helps students to better interpret art and visual media that they come in contact with in their everyday lives.
• Visual literacy allows students to have a deeper interaction with texts of all kinds and sets up the process of critical thinking about representations and meaning.
• Understanding and noticing how art and text interact and relate can give readers the opportunity to "visualize" while they read.
• Teaches children to become informed viewers, and to be more skeptical when it comes to visual media, such as advertisements.

The main reason visual literacy is important is because it gives students a deeper understanding of concepts. Studies have shown that people remember information better when it is shown to them in multiple different ways. Our brains have the ability to remember what something looks like, and so if a person can see an image they are far more likely to remember that, than if they were to read it. When students can listen verbally while looking at visual photos or following along with the words during a reading the students will not only remember the text better, and have a better comprehension of what is being read. Students can also use pictures to figure out words they may not recognize, or use them to learn new words that they have never saw before. This is especially important for struggling students or for students who are learning English as their second language so that they can get the verbal and visual exposure to words to help them reinforce their literacy skills and their decoding of words.

"Images alone are particularly effective as a universal means of communication, often crossing barriers that the spoken and written word cannot. Graphic design can transmit complex messages simply using signs and symbols, which have been learned, that are quickly understood or are instantly recognizable"

http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/Projects/youth/literacies/visual2.html

http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Visual_Literacy

Six Key Elements


1. Data Visualization: the ability to visualize representations of quantitative data in schematic form. An example of structure visualization could be: Having students read information off of a pie chart.

2.Information Visualization: The use of interactive visual representations of data to amplify cognition. This means that the data is transformed into an image; it is mapped to screen space. The image can be changed by users as they proceed working with it. An example of process visualization could be: Having students either read information off of a timeline, or create a timeline themselves.

3.Concept Visualization: Methods to elaborate qualitative concepts, ideas, plans, and analyses. An example of structure visualization could be: Having students create a concept map.

4.Strategy Visualization: The systematic use of complementary visual representations in the analysis, development, formulation, communication, and implementation of strategies in organizations. An example of structure visualization could be: Having students create a life cycle diagram of an animal, or bug.

5.Metaphor visualization: Visual metaphors position information graphically to organize and structure information. They also convey an insight about the represented information through the key characteristics of the metaphor that is employed. An example of structure visualization could be: Having students create a story template after the teacher has read the class a book.

6. Compound Visualization: The complementary use of different graphic representation formats in one single schema or frame. An example of structure visualization could be: Having students create a knowledge map, of a city or make believe island , where they must label cities, rivers and other physical features on a map.

http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html

Visual Literacy in the Classroom

Visual literacy can be used in the classroom through books, the computer, posters,ect.

One lesson you could do with your students is to cover up all the text in the book. Books that have a lot of color in them and are also engaging are the best types of books to use. Also books that have a lot of action going on in them are great to use. Then after you have covered up all of the text do a “book walk” with the students. Show your students all of the pictures in the story, and ask them to hypothesis what is going on during the story. Have them explain their responses. This is a great way for students to use their imaginations, as well as their inquiry skills in order to figure out what they think is going on in the story. Through this students are using visual pictures to explain and communicate information.

Suggested books:

A Book About Design by Mark Gonyea

Picture This by Molly Bang

Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman