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Re: Defining Visual Literacy
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From: K.T. Horning <horning_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:32:02 -0500
When I hear "visual literacy" I think of it as a child (or anyone, for that matter) being able to "read" pictures in order to understand what the illustrator is trying to get across with line, color, composition, etc. The most obvious example would be a child being able to follow the story in a wordless book.
But there are also more subtle examples, too. One of my fondest story hour memories came with sharing Chris Raschka's book "The Blushful Hippopotamus" with two-, three-, and four-year-olds. About 2/3 of the way through the story, one child noticed that the protagonist (a hippo) was getting smaller and smaller when his sister teased him, and then started getting bigger again when his best friend Lombard (a bird) began to compliment him. It was something that was not explicitly mentioned in the text, but one child discovered it (and then, being three year olds, they ALL discovered it). They were so excited by this observation, one boy shouted out at the end, "Hey! Rewind that book!" I turned the pages back one at a time so they could see the effect in reverse, then we went forward again so they could have the thrill of seeing it happen from the beginning. Then I read the book to them all over again so they could hear the words while observing what happened to the hippo so they could make the connection that he got smaller when his sister made him feel bad and bigger when his friend made him feel good.
Visual literacy is very important for us all, but I think we train children from an early age to be passive viewers by shushing them when we read stories to them or when we watch television or movies together. When they're quiet, we have no way of knowing what is going on in their heads when they are looking at pictures. So how can we know what they understand about the pictures? That's what I love about the "Whole Book Approach" Megan Lambert wrote about. It's so much more interesting to hear what children have to say about the picture books we read aloud to them than it is to hear ourselves reading aloud to them. I have always found it helpful, however, to give parents and other caregivers a heads up before reading aloud so they don't view it as impolite or an interruption when a child talks about the book or jumps up with excitement or to point something out or get a closer view.
I have a question for Megan, or anyone else who uses the Whole Book Approach. If you had the experience I described with "The Blushful Hippopotamus," would you have asked the children why they think the hippo was getting smaller and then bigger again? I tend not to because I don't want to turn a picture book into a lesson at a public library story hour. Instead, I repeat back what the children are saying so they hear their own words. But am I missing a teachable moment with visual literacy by not directing the discussion?
--KT
On 9/10/2014 9:26 AM, Megan Schliesman wrote:
> What do you know or think about when you hear the term "visual
> literacy." How does it connect for you back to picture books?
>
> Megan
>
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:32:02 -0500
When I hear "visual literacy" I think of it as a child (or anyone, for that matter) being able to "read" pictures in order to understand what the illustrator is trying to get across with line, color, composition, etc. The most obvious example would be a child being able to follow the story in a wordless book.
But there are also more subtle examples, too. One of my fondest story hour memories came with sharing Chris Raschka's book "The Blushful Hippopotamus" with two-, three-, and four-year-olds. About 2/3 of the way through the story, one child noticed that the protagonist (a hippo) was getting smaller and smaller when his sister teased him, and then started getting bigger again when his best friend Lombard (a bird) began to compliment him. It was something that was not explicitly mentioned in the text, but one child discovered it (and then, being three year olds, they ALL discovered it). They were so excited by this observation, one boy shouted out at the end, "Hey! Rewind that book!" I turned the pages back one at a time so they could see the effect in reverse, then we went forward again so they could have the thrill of seeing it happen from the beginning. Then I read the book to them all over again so they could hear the words while observing what happened to the hippo so they could make the connection that he got smaller when his sister made him feel bad and bigger when his friend made him feel good.
Visual literacy is very important for us all, but I think we train children from an early age to be passive viewers by shushing them when we read stories to them or when we watch television or movies together. When they're quiet, we have no way of knowing what is going on in their heads when they are looking at pictures. So how can we know what they understand about the pictures? That's what I love about the "Whole Book Approach" Megan Lambert wrote about. It's so much more interesting to hear what children have to say about the picture books we read aloud to them than it is to hear ourselves reading aloud to them. I have always found it helpful, however, to give parents and other caregivers a heads up before reading aloud so they don't view it as impolite or an interruption when a child talks about the book or jumps up with excitement or to point something out or get a closer view.
I have a question for Megan, or anyone else who uses the Whole Book Approach. If you had the experience I described with "The Blushful Hippopotamus," would you have asked the children why they think the hippo was getting smaller and then bigger again? I tend not to because I don't want to turn a picture book into a lesson at a public library story hour. Instead, I repeat back what the children are saying so they hear their own words. But am I missing a teachable moment with visual literacy by not directing the discussion?
--KT
On 9/10/2014 9:26 AM, Megan Schliesman wrote:
> What do you know or think about when you hear the term "visual
> literacy." How does it connect for you back to picture books?
>
> Megan
>
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