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Re: Narrative and Information
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From: smithhemb_at_aol.com
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:03:42 -0400 (EDT)
I suspect that as more and more people use the web as their first source fo r information, adults may regain their appreciation of visuals. When I was a kid there was the sense that you graduated from picture books to real (i .e. text-heavy) books and never looked back. I rediscovered picture books as a parent and have been impressed with the depth and sophistication of ma ny, but I still don't see middle schoolers, for example, reading them (well , at least in public)! On the other hand, it was middle school history tea chers who impressed upon me the importance of adding images to my lectures, so I know that at an instructional level, at least, older kids may come to expect that, if they want to understand something, it would help to know w hat it looked like.
(This, of course, begs the whole question of the economics of reproducing i mages and how or whether books can compete with the internet on that front. )
Sue Hemberger
wrote:
When I want to learn about a topic, I often turn to MG and YA non-fiction b efore adult non-fiction precisely because of the often shorter content and more compelling visual presentation. I read Steve Sheinkin's book on Benedi ct Arnold because I'd read about the author's passion for his subject and k new I'd be in good hands while learning about a man I'd heard about since c hildhood but not what he did that branded him a traitor.
When my technical college students do research for their last major papers in which they write historical fiction from the point of view of a minor ch aracter during a major event, I encourage them to use books intended for yo unger readers. They get the gist of the event without having to plow throug h 400 pages of material. They often get photos, maps, and other types of gr aphics to help them visualize the event. And they get more good reference m aterial by looking at the author's sources.
Received on Fri 16 Mar 2012 08:03:42 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:03:42 -0400 (EDT)
I suspect that as more and more people use the web as their first source fo r information, adults may regain their appreciation of visuals. When I was a kid there was the sense that you graduated from picture books to real (i .e. text-heavy) books and never looked back. I rediscovered picture books as a parent and have been impressed with the depth and sophistication of ma ny, but I still don't see middle schoolers, for example, reading them (well , at least in public)! On the other hand, it was middle school history tea chers who impressed upon me the importance of adding images to my lectures, so I know that at an instructional level, at least, older kids may come to expect that, if they want to understand something, it would help to know w hat it looked like.
(This, of course, begs the whole question of the economics of reproducing i mages and how or whether books can compete with the internet on that front. )
Sue Hemberger
wrote:
When I want to learn about a topic, I often turn to MG and YA non-fiction b efore adult non-fiction precisely because of the often shorter content and more compelling visual presentation. I read Steve Sheinkin's book on Benedi ct Arnold because I'd read about the author's passion for his subject and k new I'd be in good hands while learning about a man I'd heard about since c hildhood but not what he did that branded him a traitor.
When my technical college students do research for their last major papers in which they write historical fiction from the point of view of a minor ch aracter during a major event, I encourage them to use books intended for yo unger readers. They get the gist of the event without having to plow throug h 400 pages of material. They often get photos, maps, and other types of gr aphics to help them visualize the event. And they get more good reference m aterial by looking at the author's sources.
Received on Fri 16 Mar 2012 08:03:42 AM CDT
