Visual Literacy and the Arts

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Visual Literacy and the Arts
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What is Visual Literacy?

• Visual literacy is the ability to interpret,
  use, appreciate, and create images using both
  conventional and 21 century media in ways that
  advance thinking, decision making, communication
  and learning.
• The Visual Literacy Paradox
• If pictures can express what words alone cannot,
  and if that something is what visual literacy
  is about then it may be difficult to define
  visual literacy in the usual verbal way.

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The Fundamentals

• Visual awareness has been a key element to
  communication.
• The fundamentals of all visual communication is
  based on the basic visual elements, the basis for
  visual materials.
• Line 6. Value
• Shape 7. Scale
• Direction 8. Motion
• Texture 9. Dimension
• Hue
• Q Why do you think these visual elements are so
  important for communicating through art?

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Why is visual literacy so important?

• We live in an increasingly visual culture.
• We are constantly surrounded by images. Students
  become visually literate by practice of visual
  encoding and decoding.
• It is important that students are able to
• 1. Express their thoughts and ideas in visual
  form.
• 2. Translate and understand the meaning of
  visual imagery

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Students who are visually literate

• Understand basic elements of visual design,
  technique and media.
• Are aware of emotional, psychological,
  physiological, and cognitive influences in
  perceptions of visuals.
• Comprehend representational, explanatory,
  abstract and symbolic images.

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Visuals in Electronic Media

• Students who can and try are
• Informed viewers, critics and consumers of visual
  information.
• Are knowledgeable designers, composers and
  producers of visual imagery.
• Effective visual communicators.

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Why does electronic media do for students?

• Visualization tools in media enable students to
  make their thinking visible in all academic
  areas.
• Visual mapping tools help students make sense of
  complex subjects.
• Some software packages that aid in visual
  literacy include
• Inspiration
• Kidspiration
• STELLA

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As future educators, how can we use visual
literacy in an elementary setting?

• Picture books offer a unique opportunity for
  children to develop visual literacy.
• Children will learn that illustrations can be
  seen in different ways.
• Careful examinations of illustrations can reveal
  that there is more going on in a book than words.
• One visual literacy method educators can use is
  called The picture walk
• This technique is used with students who do not
  read yet
• It encourages students to anticipate what might
  happen in the story through the illustrations.

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References

• Galda, Lee. Visual Literacy Exploring Art and
  Illustration in Children's Books. The Reading
  teacher, March 1993. (Vol. 46, No. 6)
• North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
  21st Century Skills Visual Literacy. 2006.
• Pinkel, Sarah. (1998, September 14) What is
  Visual Literacy? Retrieved March 5th, 2006, from
  www.ponona.edu.
• Riesland, Erin. (2005) Visual Literacy and the
  Classroom. Retreived from March 4th, 2006, from
  http//www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/rie
  sland.htm.