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The Importance of Visual Literacy in Education

Visual Literacy Importance in Education

Babies are born ready to learn, and their brains develop through use and practise. Learning predominantly happens in the stimulating environment they are in through their active involvement and engagement that includes observation, listening, responding, exploring, asking questions, experimenting and doing things that stimulate all the senses.  This creates mental images/brain movies in a child for further learning and enhancing communication, thinking and problem-solving skills. 

 

s we are aware that a picture says a thousand words, “Brain Movies/Visualising” are images that form in the mind.  It is the ability to create pictures in our heads based on text we read or words we hear.  This is a great strategy for students who struggle to read as they do not get disconnected with the content that they are reading when they are focusing on reading the text.

Reading comprehension is an important skill and includes a range of multiple skills. It involves the coordination of a range of abilities and strategies.  Visualising while reading is an engaging and enjoyable way to boost and get control of comprehension as well as increase retention. By creating mental images from words on a page, both verbal and visual-spatial representational systems are tapped making abstract concepts more concrete, meaningful and memorable. Automaticity in visualisation is built as students gain more deliberate practice with this skill. This also creates personal links between the readers/listeners and text. Readers who can imagine the characters they read about, for instance, may become more involved with what they are reading, thus promoting CONTINUED READING.

 

EARNING OUTCOMES for Visualisation

  • Creates mental images in response to a text (making a movie/pictures).
  • Discuss in detail the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch of their images.
  • Aids in sequentially organising the content.  
  • Provides an insight into time (Before/After).
  • Aids in linking prior/background knowledge to forming predictions.
  • Pay attention and use the details of the text to enhance and build new understandings.
  • Understand the importance of the text read, comprehend, apply acquired knowledge, analyse, make inferences, compare and contrast, understand cause and effect, make predictions, synthesise and evaluate information. 
  • Cross-application of visualisation skills.
  • Promotes creativity.
  • Programs brain to readily perceive and recognise the resources needed.
  • Builds intrinsic motivation.
  • Writing  
    •  Include vivid descriptions and strong verbs,
    • Paraphrase,
    • Provide a catchy introduction and a great conclusion to the writing,
    • Use sensory language,
    • Add details to the writing.
  • Math and Science
    • Helps turn abstract concepts into concrete. 
    • Visually manipulate the concepts.  E.g., Fractions can be learnt using chocolate bars/pizzas.
    • Science- Pictures can be used to understand the concepts better.
  • Social Studies
    •  Visualise Number line for dates of historic events
    • Feel the life, compare and contrast the “Then and Now.”

How Can You Make It Happen?

  • See what is being read – Give pictures to words as the text is being read. 
  • Discuss/share the brain-movie.
  • Use drawings/illustrations. 
  • Gradually integrate visualisation into everyday learning.