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