Classroom Instruction using Visual Literacy

What are you looking at? (Decode) Visual literacy Start by key questions What are you looking at? (Decode) What does the image mean? The relationship between image and text Be Critical of the Message Illustrate the message Making the message more effective Making the visual text effective Body Language Internalise the critical key questions Sophisticated decoders in visual literacy

What would you rather read this?

Or this? A complementing relationship where text supports images and where images support text

Integrating visual literacy instruction into classroom curriculum begins by asking a few simple key questions to engage and start the students 'critical thinking process. 

What are you looking at? (Decode) Examine the evidence What is the image really saying?

What does this image mean to me?

 What is the relationship between the image and the displayed text message?  Meaning does the image and text being said compliment or confuse each other?

How is this message effective? Does it get a response?

Just as professionals ask critical questions of messages in both images and text they examine, students should be just as critical of the messages they see too. 

In the visual design world, similar questions are asked during message creation as well: How can I visually illustrate this message?

How can I make this message effective?

What are some visual/verbal relationships I the Learning Manager could use?  Does the body language reflect the text

Once students internalise those questions, not only will students be better prepared to recognise and decode hidden messages,

but they will also be prepared to communicate with a level of visual sophistication that will carry them through the multimedia-dependent environment of higher education and the modern world.