In today’s post, I will be discussing the impact of visual
literacy and the Internet on teaching and learning processes within the
classroom, some visual-thinking strategies I use (or would like to use) in my
classroom, and the role I want the Internet to play in my classroom.
Visual literacy is defined as “the ability to recognize and
understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images (as pictures)” (“Merriam-Webster:
an encyclopedia,” 2013). As anyone who has surfed the web at any time in their
life is aware, the Internet is jammed full of visuals, and many of those
visuals today don’t even need words to convey the message that is trying to be
dispersed.
The new generations of learners making their way into the
elementaries, junior highs, and high schools have new types of brain
connections that have never existed on this planet before. These children don’t
know what life without TV, radio, cell phones, iPods or other Apple products,
would feel like. Technology has been ingrained within them, and it only
continues as they get older and experience more and more technology.
Because of the everyday and normal use of technology in these
students’ lives, teachers need to become even more aware of new and innovative
teaching and learning processes that will help engage their students into the
lessons more. One popular strategy is using visuals. Students today have an uncanny
ability to get more out of a discussion over a picture or video than an hour-long
lecture. They create emotional attachments to the visual, helping them store
the information discussed into an area of the brain that can be accessed
easier later on. Students also love using computers, particularly the
Internet. Teachers who take this ability and use it to their advantage maintain
a stronger engagement with their students. Research projects, math programs,
and online classrooms use the Internet to bring the learning to the student
without them even realizing what is happening.
One visual literacy strategy that a classmate of mine discussed
that I thought was awesome, was a
gallery tour. This strategy moves small groups of students around the room,
stopping at stations to see, discuss, question, and articulate each visual. Someday
I hope to teach a few history classes, and this strategy would be a great
review day, where students could be shown items, pictures, or videos about the
section of history we just discussed. Another visual literacy strategy that I’d
like to make more time in my own classroom for is when I give students a
problem from their workbook to solve with a partner (these are all word
problems now), I’d like to give them time to get up in front of the class to
show how they solved the problem. Giving students the opportunity to express
their “way” of solving a problem to their peers allows the other students in
the room to see a different way to solve the same problem. In my limited Common
Core training, this was one strategy that we were encouraged to incorporate,
but time makes it increasingly difficult. However, just yesterday the students
were solving problems as partners, and as I walked around the room, everyone
was able to solve the problem, but everyone did it in a different way. This
visual strategy would allow students the chance to see more than one “right”
way to solve a problem.
(I loved this video because it reminds me so much of myself... I talk WAY too much!)
The Internet can be a difficult tool to incorporate within a
math classroom, but I have been trying to use it as much as possible. It is a
huge part of my Secondary Essentials class that I teach. These students were
low-end kids with the implementation of the Common Core last year, and are
required by the district to pass off certain sections from CatchUp Math in
order to make up math credits lost. CatchUp Math has many vast abilities,
including pinpointing concepts that students need extra help and practice in,
and then giving that help and
practice to the student. No two students have the exact same instruction through
CatchUp Math… It is completely based on each individual student and how well
they can do on the assessments. My students have homework at least once a week
to get on CatchUp Math and work through their difficult areas. I can give
quizzes and homework through CatchUp as well, making my job just a little bit
easier while saving copy costs.
There is a similar program to CatchUp Math available to my
Secondary 2 students through our textbook, Carnegie, but the other teachers at
my school are not willing to give up classroom time in order to incorporate it,
even as homework, which was my suggestion. It is a useful tool, but the other
teachers are already so stressed about teaching the Common Core that they don’t
want to have to worry about anything more than that. I understand, but I also
think we are doing the students a huge disservice by keeping everything we do
in the classroom, and not expanding into their “technology realm.” But I’ll
keep pushing for it!
Visual literacy and the Internet can be extremely useful and
powerful tools within the classroom. I know I still have so much to learn and
so many areas to improve in, but now that my mind is opening up to new
technological ideas, I know that my lessons will only improve more and more as
this year, and the years following, pass me by. Who knows, maybe one day I'll have my very own classroom set of iPads (my old school had 3 school sets, and I didn't use them once! What a waste!)!
Merriam-webster: an encyclopedia britannica
company. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visual literacy
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