Visual Literacy

The Role of the Internet in Visual Literacy

The Visual Teaching Alliance states:

• Approximately 65 percent of the population are visual learners.
• 90 percent of information that comes to the brain is visual.
• 40 percent of all nerve fibers connected to the brain are linked to the retina. 
• Visual aids in the classroom improve learning by up to 400 percent.

    Timothy Gangwer, author of Visual Impact, Visual Teaching believes our students today are becoming increasingly more visual. According to Gangwer, students today read far less than any previous generation and watch far more.  When visuals are added to good teaching it will help students process information and aid retention.  The teacher who masters the art of using visuals will, in essence, be "speaking the language" of their students.  
     Visuals, however, can be interpreted in many different ways.   Students need strategies for interpreting images.  A good teacher combines critical thinking and visual literacy. Some basic questions teachers should ask when showing an image are:

Who created this image?

What was their purpose for creating this image?

What emotions do you feel when you look at this image?  Why? 

It can also be helpful for the teacher to show multiple images for the same event. In preparing a recent Social Studies lesson on the Trail of Tears, I came across two very different images:

   In the first image, the Natives look strong and powerful.  They have lots of horses, large wagons full of material goods, and a large community.  The weather looks fine.  The second image was very different:

 The weather is harsher and the people look destitute and alone.  Which one accurately represents the Trail of Tears?  They both do, depending your background and the qualities about the Trail of Tears you want to emphasize.
     The internet increases exponentially the amount of static and moving images teachers can present to students.  Students can find images to represent concepts they are learning.  Videos can take students to places and times they will not be able to see. It can open up a wider, global perspective.    

References

http://www.visualteachingalliance.com/

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/visual-impact-visual-teaching/