you gotta see it to believe it: visual literacy in...

YOU GOTTA SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT: VISUAL

LITERACY IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM

Robyn Seglem, Illinois State University

Matt Skillen, Elizabethtown College, PA

Shelbie Witte, Florida State University

LET’S READ A TEXT……

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

• Successful communication cannot rely on linear, printed texts.

• Visual symbols require complex thinking skills.

• Student need instruction on analyzing and creating a variety of texts in new ways. (Alvermann, 2002)

HOW OFTEN DO YOU FOCUS ON VISUAL

LITERACY IN THE CLASSROOM?

• Discuss

• Spending time on visual literacy can take away from

traditional reading and writing skills. (Flood & Lapp,

1997/1998)

Norman RockwellPostcards or

Calendars

Story leads

Visualization

Reader’s

Theater/Fluency© Norman Rockwell

VISUAL LITERACY IN THE CLASSROOM

• Visualization must become a regular event inside the classroom.

• Devote time to the diversity of text (text in all its forms and definitions).

• Visual literacy allow students to connect the concrete and abstract.

VISUALIZATION STRATEGIES CAN….

• Heighten motivation, engagement and enjoyment of reading.

• Immerse students in rich details of text.• Improve literal comprehension of texts.• Build background knowledge.• Aid in inferencing, elaborating and identifying

patterns across multiple texts.• Help solve spatial and verbal problems.• Improve readers' abilities to share, critique, and

revise what has been learned with others.

(Gambrell & Koskinen, 2002; Keene & Zimmerman, 1997; Wilhelm, 1995)

• Translate popular culture into visual analysis.

•Use the art form to symbolize personal experiences and characters in literature.

TATTOOS

"My family tree is

complicated, so

complicated that to

explain it at length

wouldn't really matter.

What matters is my life

is a tree unlike any

other...not straight and

tall like a redwood or

well-rounded and full

like an evergreen. My

tree is broken and

jagged and yet, it

springs a newness

when I least expect it."

"Some people think that Friar

Lawrence wasn't an

important character in the

play, but I disagree. I think

that he was really important

because not only does he

marry Romeo and Juliet in

secret, but he also spends

the rest of the play trying to

cover up his mistakes as

they snowball. The scales for

the Montague and Capulet

families represent his efforts

to balance the destruction

that will follow."

TattoosHistory of tattoos

Symbolism and Identity

TV Shows:

Miami Ink

Inked

www.tattooartists.orghttp://people.howstuffworks.com/tattoo.htm

Collages and Painting

MUCH MORE THAN

PAINT AND SCISSORS

Is plagiarism always an indication of laziness?

• Using visuals can break the linear path of translating text to text, which sometimes results in plagiarism.

• Making collages allows students to represent meaning in picture form.

• Once personal meaning has been created, the images can be turned back into text.

• Provides students with a way to think symbolically about a text.

• Increases motivation in reading.

• Emphasizes the value placed on the skill.

J. Peterman

catalog

and

Persuasive

NarrativesDescription of visual images

TV Shows:

Seinfeld

www.jpeterman.com

"This uniform is not for the timid or

meek, nor is it for the lazy or those

known to be cowards. This uniform

is for those who sacrifice their lives

in more ways than one. It is not a

costume for your Halloween party,

not is it a piece of clothing that

should be put on as carelessly as

a white t-shirt while running to the

store. This uniform deserves your

respect. It is bravery, pride, and

tradition. It is freedom. Army Dress

Uniform, No. 111, in sizes 2-14,

standard issue color.

PRICELESS."

"In a place where cold, salty

water sweeps onto the rocky

shore of a long forgotten

island, Tlingit elders chisel

away at a mountainside,

freeing away fools for their

tribal rituals. The Ancestor

Rock is more than rock; it is

truth, introspection, and

justice. While pushing it up

steep hillsides, the Ancestor

Rock serves as a mentor and

protector. And yet, when it is

let go, to fall quickly down the

hill it had recently climbed, it

is forgiveness. Ancestor

Rock, No. 232, One size fits

all, Colors will vary,

$199.00."

Graphic Novels

• Today's graphic novels are complex and mature.

• The genre is popular with young adults and adults, alike (as measures in sales and distribution).

• It demands multimodal reading.

(Schwartz & Rubenstein-Ávila, 2006)

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Represent a wide

range of cultures

• Offer a number of sub-

genres

• Continue to grow in

popularity

• Contrary to popular

belief, graphic novels

and graphic texts are

not evil.

Manga: Defined

• A sub-genre of Japanese

graphica

• Printed in black and

white on newsprint and

often tell an adventure

story

• Further divided into

classifications for

different audiences:

shojo, shonen, hentai

“Once fuel for mass book burnings, comic books

are gaining a foothold in the nation’s schools, with

teachers seeing them as a learning tool and

scholars viewing them as a promising subject for

educational research” (Viadero, 2009).

“The academic interest comes as sales of graphic

literature are exploding worldwide, and libraries

and book stores are setting aside sections to

display it” (Viadero, 2009).

Readers engage in complex literacy practices

making connections between the images and

the text (Adams, 1999).

Drawing conclusions to form personal

judgments beyond the multimodal presentation

of language requires students to apply essential

critical thinking skills (Bearne, 2003).

Graphic novels, as a literary genre, provide

many of the same elements we enjoy in

traditional, text-based literature. Elements

such as dynamic plots, complex characters,

and relatable story lines provide an avenue

for readers to experience literature in a

different package (Allendar, 2004; Schwartz

& Rubinstein-Avila, 2006).

Bridge for reluctant readers

Provide a frame for discussion on social issues

Contribute social relevancy to the class

Creative Writing

In the classroom….

Q uic k Tim e™ and a dec om pr es s or

ar e needed t o s ee t h is p ic t ur e.

What is a hero?

What is a villain?

BRAINSTORMING

STORYBOARDING

GRAPHIC NOVEL RECOMMENDATIONS

• No Flying, No Tights

– http://www.noflyingnotights.com/

• Graphic Novels Guru

– http://www.graphicnovelguru.com/titles.html

• Comic Books for Young Adults

– http://ublib.buffalo.edu/lml/comics/pages/recommende

d.html

• Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries

– http://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm

PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS OF GRAPHIC

NOVELS

• ALAN Review

– www.alan-ya.org

• Voice of Youth Advocates

– http://www.voya.com/

• School Library Journal

– http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp

• Publisher’s Weekly

– http://www.publishersweekly.com/

• Library Journal

– http://www.libraryjournal.com/

GRAPHIC NOVEL/MANGA RESEARCH

Adams, J. (1999). Of mice and manga: Comics and graphic novels in art education. International Journal of Art & Design Education. 18(1), 69-75.

Allender, D. (2004). Popular culture in the classroom. English Journal. 93(3), 12-14.

Bearne, E. (2003). Rethinking literacy: Communication, representation and text. Reading Literacy and Language. 37(3), 98-103.

Frey, N. & Fisher, D. (2004). Using graphic novels, anime, and the Internet in an urban high school. English Journal. 93(3), 19-25.

Schwartz, A. & Rubinstein-Avila, E. (2008). Understanding the manga hype: Uncovering the multimodality of comic-book literacies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 50(1), 40-49.

Viadero, D. (2009). Scholars see comics as no laughing matter. Education Week. 28(21), 1 - 3.

CONTACT US…..

Robyn Seglem

rseglem@ilstu.eduMatt Skillen

matt.skillen@gmail.com

Shelbie Witte

switte@fsu.edu