4 Transforming Our Use of Images in ELT

MEXTESOL’s OBJECTIVES * Promote the professional development of English teachers * Assist teachers in updating their teaching methodology and in expanding their repertoire of teaching techniques in all areas of ELT *Promote research in the field of Applied Linguistics in the area of English Language Teaching *Disseminate, through its professional publications, the results of research and a discussion of classroom practices *Create, through Academic Saturdays, and Regional and National Conventions, an ongoing forum for training and professional development in the area of ELT.

The 21 st Century Skills

The fifth stapled skill: Visual Literacy: Transforming Our Use of Images in ELT By: Dr. Joan Kang Shin, the Director of TESOL Professional Training at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Country (UMBC). Visual literacy is a necessary skill for the next generation of English learners Image, media, and technology driven. In the past, literacy referred to being able to read and write. The term “literacy” now includes the interpretation of various kinds of images in print and media.

Today the English language classroom requires us as teachers to incorporate: New literacies Prepare our students to gain information in different ways. To build our students’ ability to interpret and create visual information while teaching English.

Common Core in Action: The Four Standards

1.- Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

2.- Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

3.- Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

4.- Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Comprehension Strategies  Create mental images while and after they read  Images emerge from all five senses, as well as emotions, and are anchored in readers’ background knowledge. “WHAT DO YOU HEAR, FEEL, TASTE, SMELL, AND PICTURE?” “WHAT DO YOU SEE IN YOUR MIND?” Good readers use visualizing techniques and visual representations in the following ways:  Proficient readers use images to immerse themselves in rich detail as they read

Before reading students visually can:  organize their thinking  visualize the possible content  link background knowledge  form/make predictions

During reading students can  visualize the content  compare predictions with ideas, themes and information in the text  form a visual representation of what they are reading

After reading students can  visually link new information with prior knowledge  visually represent what they have read in a graphic summary  build new understandings

Is the Student Creating Sensory Images? YES!  Wants to keep reading  Can give details from the story  Laughs or cries when appropriate  Makes predictions  Reads with expression  Can describe the characters  Can extend the story beyond the page ASSESSMENT

Is the Student Creating Sensory Images? NO? Lacks interest in reading Can’t retell in her own words Lacks interest in finishing Can’t describe characters, setting, or events from the story

“Images are all around us, and the ability to interpret them meaningfully is a vital skill for students to learn”

Suggested Videos to support your presentation: By: Dr. Joan Kang Shin: Others: