From WikEd

Descriptions, synonyms, organizer terms, and types of Visual Literacy

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, visual literacy "is the the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images (as pictures)" [1]

NCREL calls visual literacy one of the 21st century skills and defines it as, “ability to interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and video using both conventional and 21st century media in ways that advance thinking, decision making, communication, and learning.” [2]

The Joel & Irene Benedict foundation define visual literacy as "the ability to understand and produce visual messages. Work in the field has centered on development of educational programs that train students' abilities to evaluate and create visual messages, as well as improvement of students' reading and writing skills through the use of visual literacy techniques." [3]

Visual Literacy.org defines it as “the ability to evaluate, apply, or create conceptual visual representations. [4]

In her book, "Teaching Reading in Middle School: A Strategic Approach to Teaching Reading that Improves Comprehension and Thinking," Laura Robb states “readers gain control over comprehension when they create mental pictures of information they understand” (Robb 66). It is a common reading strategy for students to draw visual representations of characters and setting in order to come to a more rich understanding of a text.

History of Visual Literacy

Illustration published by Kodak explaining how to interpret expressions on human faces.

Visual Literacy was first coined by John Debes from Kodak in 1968. Debes started a newsletter called Visuals are a Language, published by Eastman Kodak in 1967. Debes produced publications and held conferences educating people on visual literacy.

The idea of visual memory and visual learning is not a new concept. Researchers believe that infants as young as 6-8 weeks has a visual memory of their mother that they can distinguish among other women (White Pages)

Application in classrooms

Visual imagery is used in almost every form of communication. People experience visual images almost every where they go. More and more people also have the ability to produce visual images through digital camera, graphic programs, and video. According to NCREL, “students need visualization skills to be able to decipher, interpret, detect patterns, and communicate using imagery—especially given the ease with which digitized visuals can be manipulated.” [5]

Signs and symbols are instantly recognizable. "The underlying message is always understood because it is explained visually in the simplest terms"(Tappenden).

"Images alone are particulary 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"(Tappenden 38).

There are three parts to visual literacy:

Visual Thinking involves visualizing and transforming thoughts, ideas, and information into all types of pictures, graphics, or other images that help communicate the associated information. Art Education practices teaching students to decode images and symbols that appear in art by using the following steps: Describe, Analyze, Interpret, and Judgement.

Visual Communication is the ability to communicate a message or idea in a visual manner. In today's world, visual communication skills are almost a necessity for careers. With the plethora of desktop publishing software and affordable digital media devices such as cameras and video, anyone can create, capture, and publish their visual creations.

Visual Learning involves learning from visual images and media. Involves the construction of knowledge from seeing visual images. Techniques for improving visual learning are: graphic organizers, visualization, and using decoding questions. One company, called Thinking Maps, offers professional development on Graphic Organizers as a visual way to help students learn. Students need to be aware of the messages and ideas being conveyed by visuals. Advertisements geared toward teenagers include messages about sex, alchohol, and self image that can be damaging to a teenager if they do not understand how to evaluate and comprehend these messages.

21st Century Learning gives guidelines for teachers and students to help raise awareness of visual literacy. They write that:

"Students Who Are Visually Literate:

Have Working Knowledge of Visuals Produced or Displayed through Electronic Media • Understand basic elements of visual design, technique, and media. • Are aware of emotional, psychological, physiological, and cognitive influences in perceptions of visuals. • Comprehend representational, explanatory, abstract, and symbolic images.

Apply Knowledge of Visuals in Electronic Media • Are informed viewers, critics, and consumers of visual information. • Are knowledgeable designers, composers, and producers of visual information. • Are effective visual communicators. • Are expressive, innovative visual thinkers and successful problem solvers. from http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/vislit.htm

With more awareness of visual literacy and its implications, teachers are finding more visual resouces to use on the World Wilde Web. The World Wide Web has many multimedia resources for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Evidence of effectiveness

Students are primarily visual learners. Our brains have the ability to remember what something looks like. If a person sees an image, they are far more likely to remember it than if they read it. Despite this, schools remain heavily text-based.

Messaris argues that “images are a distinct means of making sense of reality and that visual education will give students an alternative, but equally valuable, form of access to knowledge and understanding” (Messaris, p21).

Another component of visual literacy is to have students effectively evaluate visual messages. The Center for Media Awareness offers lessons for students on advertisements and how to decipher the messages. Media Awareness Network

Critics and their rationale

Signed “life experiences”, testimonies and stories

“I feel like with the explosion of advertising that our senses and perceptions about visual images has become dulled. People are not as aware of inuendos, persuasion, and messages in visual images as they should be. As an art teacher, I teach students about how to look, decode, and interpret visual images and then create their own. Before someone can create good visual images, they need to be aware of how other people decipher visual messages.”

"Each year in my graphic design class we start out with a visual literacy exercise to get students minds thinking visually. Students are given 4 black triangles, all the same size, and 10-15 words. Each word is an adjective like simple, busy, tall, dark, increasing, etc... The objective is for students to use the four black triangles to express each word. This is a great activity for beginning graphic design students." - K. Shifflet

More and more everyday students are being bombarded by visual imagery in many different forms. Whether they are TV images, advertisements, websites, magazines or any other medium, the students need to be aware of what is being shown to them, and how they should decipher and interpret that information. With such a visual world nowadays it is important for students to be able to determine the meaning behind visual cues and figure out how to use that information for themselves. E. Bostrom

References

21st Century Skills, from 21st Century Skills

Adobe Visual Literacy Paper, From [6]

Joel & Irene Benedict Visual Literacy Collection

Center for Media Literacy, [7]

Media Awareness Network. (n.d.). Media Awareness Network Web site. Retrieved May 8,2007, from [8]

Messaris, P (1994). Visual Literacy: Images, Mind, and Reality. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Robb, L. (2000). Teaching Reading in Middle School: A Strategic Approach to Teaching Reading that Improves Comprehension and Thinking. New York: Scholastic Professional Books.

Tappenden, Curtis(2004). Foundation Course: Graphic Design. London, England: Cassell Illustrated.