The Importance Of Visual Literacy In Education

Over the past few decades, enhancements in the visual fields have greatly improved, giving weight on the importance of visual material in text. Something that is more visually stimulating can usually make a text more convincing or credible. The term “seeing is believing” proves this fact. As humans, we tend to believe something if we can actually see it, which is why Jay David Bolter has referred to this phenomenon of the changed role of text and graphics as the “visual culture” in his book Writing Space. “Mere words no longer seemed adequate; they had to share their space with images.” (Bolter, 69).

Images are all around us. Images are timeless and they can tell stories of times that have been long forgotten. When a graphic element is used in a persuasive essay, it takes the paper from being simply words that form a person’s thoughts, to a paper that has true emotions; it is something that makes an argument stronger. Images can be used to elevate what the writer is trying to convey to their reader, with the hopes of grabbing the reader’s attention and pushing them to have a deeper connection to the issue that the paper is about. Furthermore, graphic images can pull emotion out of the reader so that the reader feels closer to the subject. However, graphic images are not only pictures of people or places, in some cases, especially in academic

Scott McCloud’s graphic essay “Show & Tell” demonstrates how the relationship between pictures and words can be used to convey a message efficiently. By showing many visual examples of the different ways images and words can be used together, McCloud establishes that information is easier to interpret when paired with visual aid. By also pointing out that people are naturally inclined to show something visually as means of explaining, McCloud demonstrates his main point: the combination of words and images is very effective in conveying a message.

Distinctively visual texts aim to manipulate the way we explore and interpret the images we see, thus affecting the way we make interpretations of the experiences we encounter and allows us to embody newfound various perspectives of the world.

“People only see what they are prepared to see” is a famous quote by Ralph Waldo. This quote emphasises the fact that the purpose of a text can often be unnoticed and misinterpreted by the viewer. Many people only have a limited world experience, and it’s the Distinctly Visual feature of a text which allows the viewer to gain a better understanding. Distinctly Visual texts use a combination of techniques to create and shape an audience’s point of view or interpretation, and visualising a text requires the responder to interpret all of the images presented.

Davis, J. (2013). What Can you do to Help Students with Visual Impairments. Educational News , 26-32.

Seidman, S., A. (2004). Teaching students visual-design skills by having them study and design posters. Journal of visual literacy, vol. 24 (2), pgs. 155-164. Retrieved from eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=15&sid=aac72940-ef96-4ef0-81fc-04a1919daba3%4osessionmgr120&hid=122

To begin with, before studying this English module, my skills in presenting information in chart format was insufficient. In this visual literacy assignment, students were evaluated on their ability to interpret illustrations as well as various kinds of data and the presentation thereof in a meaning full way. Compared with the first assignment, I scored the highest mark for this one. However, the course material gave me the much-needed background information on creating a meaningful analysis of vast sets of data. For example, the type of data presented in a pie chart will be different from the data presented in a bar or line chart. This was incredibly beneficial information and provided me a new perspective on the creating of charts. Consequently,

Thank you for sharing some great resources. The first two articles you chose I felt were outstanding to begin understanding visual literacy. I loved the information contained in within them as they presented us an overview of what visual literacy is and its importance. It appeared that "the need for visual literacy instruction in the K-12 education" was a very popular resource for the three of us. Did you find elements of it useful that you intend to incorporate into your learning or use with students? I believe Topiel did an excellent job giving readers general information and application for visual literacy, which I found very helpful.

Graphic novels are a mixture of words and pictures. This allows for students to connect what they are reading with actual visuals. The visuals help supplement what they read and allow the reader’s comprehension of the material to be reinforced. Also, unlike traditional textbooks, graphic novels encourage the reader to look at the visuals instead of skipping over them. They encourage this behavior by incorporating the visuals into the text material (Boennan-Cornell, 2015). This is important because the

“It’s a visual world and people respond to visuals”, Joe Sacco. Visuals add power, interest and weight to a presentation. Visuals when added to a presentation not only help present the information you are communicating, but also add color and emotion (Locker & Kienzler, 2009). With the recent changes in technology, and how easy it is to create visuals now has resulted presenters using visuals without thought about the purpose the visual is fulfilling. Visuals should only be utilized when they meet a need or want of the audience (Locker & Kienzler, 2009). Visuals in a document or presentation should be utilized for three purposes: “to make points vivid, to emphasize material, and to present material more compactly and

Visual literacy derived from the idea of how people perceive objects (Elkins, 2009, p. 2). Visual literacy refers to the ability to comprehend, interpret and understand the visual information such as still, moving images or graphic representation, and evaluate how the imagery information work together and make meaning in different context (Elkins, 2009, p. 2). To be visually literate means to able to understand how visual elements such as colours, shapes, lines, pattern or symbols construct meaning. According to Mitchell (2008), visual literacy is an essential aspect of language in order to read the text. The above picture shows how visual elements are allowing the student to interpret visual information and construct meaning through drawing.

I chose to read and comment on Barbara Kiefer’s “Envisioning Experience: The Potential of Picture Books.” Kiefer’s main point in writing this essay was to get the message across that children enjoy picture books that allow them to identify and make connections with the characters or the plots, and that while reading and analyzing the pictures, they gain a better sense of aesthetics and how to interpret them.

Everything we do requires communication which can be in the form of body language, sensory or visual. Visual communication can come in many different shapes, sizes, and forms. We must be able to interpret that information through visual language. Visual literacy is essential for people with learning disabilities. I’m a perfect example. I struggled with reading, comprehension, and pronunciation in third grade. I was put into a Learning Disability class to learn how to connect pictures with words to understand the meaning. Additionally, I was taught to break down words to pronounce them. I still struggle with reading and comprehension today. However, I learned to carefully break down each paragraph to help understand the overall meaning of the material.

“Visual literacy is the ability to construct meaning from images” (Brian Kennedy, 2010). This is just one definition of visual literacy. Though short, the definition that Kennedy provides is consice and easy to understand. From Kennedy’s definition one can assume that the study visual literacy begins at first sight. However,