Visual literacy is essentially the developed ability of associating different visuals with certain information. Throughout life, people acquire information allowing them to interpret visual cues allowing us to function in society. A number of elements are presented in a deliberate arrangement; for visual cues to be effective several elements must be included – the visual must be relevant, coherent, consistent, and proportionate; it must have contrast, unity, and direction as well. All teachers have a responsibility to nurture visual literacy. However, students begin developing visual literacy long before even starting school.
Visual literacy incorporates things such as reading charts and recognizing symbols. Even very young children recognize a red octagon as a stop sign and a heart as a symbol for love. In the classroom, charts and graphs are often used visuals. My school using Thinking Maps to organize information, and the different types of maps are used for different purposes, and each map has a distinct look. By simply seeing what type of map we are using, my students are able to tell what sort of information the assignment is looking for.
The phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” definitely applies to this situation. One visual can easily and accurately convey quite a bit of information in an easier to comprehend format.
Text and affective elements are two other parts of a visual. The text needs to remain clear and visually pleasing as well as relevant and easy to understand. Affective elements include anything that elicit a response from the viewer, and a visual should have the appropriate affective elements to get the response the teacher or whoever designed the visual is looking for.
Because we live in a very visual world, it is important for students to be able to understand and interpret visuals fluently. To some degree, I think teachers incorporate visuals into lessons without even realizing it. Teachers should become more aware of the visuals being used, though, in order to use the best quality visuals.
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Visual literacy reminds me also of a basic level of understanding that we all have about relevant information. For instance, everyone knows what a red stop sign means. There are visual clues in our society that are necessary to help learning essential. As humans we are very visual. Charts, colors, graphs and more all make learning and taking in our enviroment easier.
Children are naturally inquisitive and visual. Viusal aids can help them to make sense of otherwise complex situtations.
As I commented in Wanda's blog, students these days respond to visual stimulation more so than sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture with a Q and A session. With visual aids, they can engage with the lessons more so than sitting and listening to the teacher. It is a continual struggle for those of us who are attempting to connect with this generation.
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