Using Visual Texts to Teach Critical Thinking

What Do Critical Thinkers Do? They argue a point. They justify their reasoning. They look for interrelationships. They explore multiple perspectives. They evaluate. They adopt the most reasonable point of view.

What Do Critical Thinkers Know? a text is a construction, not a transparent window on reality being both a composer and a reader of texts helps them develop a rhetorical awareness (an understanding that workplace writing is persuasive and that it must consider the rhetorical situation--purpose, audience, stakeholders, and context) they must be active communicators and readers rather than passive consumers of texts

Why Use Visual Texts to Develop Critical Thinking? What we create and compose is increasingly multimodal and not at all neutral Using material that students find accessible and engaging allows teachers to focus on skills beyond comprehension—skills that develop critical thinking

Reading Photos What do you observe? Do you trust your observations? Why or why not?

Hoax Photo Test Test your photo literacy by trying to guess which are the hoax photos (i.e. those that have been manipulated in some way) and which are real. Number one to ten and after each picture write “hoax” or “real.”

1. A hunter poses by the enormous bear he shot.

President Bush doesn't notice his book is upside down President Bush doesn't notice his book is upside down 2. President Bush doesn't notice his book is upside down.

3. A car loaded down with lumber. Note the person asleep in the front.

Senator Daschle pledges allegiance backwards 4. Senator Daschle pledges allegiance backwards.

5. A deer crashes through a windshield.

6. A jet plane caught in the instant that it breaks through the sound barrier and causes a sonic boom

7. Image taken from a camera found in the rubble of the World Trade Center. A tourist poses for the camera, unaware that a hijacked plane approaches from behind.

8. A man shows off his 87-pound cat.

9. Michael Jackson's nose disintegrating

10. Shark Attack!

1. A hunter poses by the enormous bear he shot. REAL. Bears do get big. This photo was taken in November 2001 in Alaska.

President Bush doesn't notice his book is upside down President Bush doesn't notice his book is upside down 2. President Bush doesn't notice his book is upside down. HOAX. The book in President Bush’s hand has been digitally turned upside down.

3. A car loaded down with lumber. Note the person asleep in the front. REAL. The owners of this car really did try to strap all this lumber to their car and drive it away. What can one say? They were idiots.

Senator Daschle pledges allegiance backwards 4. Senator Daschle pledges allegiance backwards. HOAX. Daschle’s body was digitally flipped around so that his hand appears to be on the right side of his chest.

5. A deer crashes through a windshield. REAL. An unfortunate accident, but real. It was caused by a deer jumping off an overpass and landing on a passing car.

6. A jet plane caught in the instant that it breaks through the sound barrier and causes a sonic boom REAL. A photo taken over the Pacific July 7, 1999 by Ensign John Gay. The plane is an F/A-18 Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron One Five One (VFA-151). The image is available on a Navy website (link from hoax test URL).

7. Image taken from a camera found in the rubble of the World Trade Center. A tourist poses for the camera, unaware that a hijacked plane approaches from behind. HOAX. The plane has been digitally inserted into this picture of a tourist posing on the observation deck of the World Trade Center. The plane is not the same model as the ones that crashed into the towers.

8. A man shows off his 87-pound cat. HOAX. The cat has been digitally enlarged. The cat which served as the model for this photo actually weighs 21 pounds.

9. Michael Jackson's nose disintegrating REAL. Horrifying, but real. The rumor is that Jackson has to use tape to keep his nose attached to his face.

10. Shark Attack! HOAX. The shark was digitally inserted into a U.S. Air Force photo taken near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

Activity: Create an Argument through Juxtaposition

Activity: Create an Argument through Manipulation

Discuss the Ethics of Juxtaposition and Manipulation

Texts as Constructions: Reading Graphic Narratives Three multimodal versions of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” – Which version is closest to the “real” story, which we might assume to be Kafka’s written version? – Which version best conveys Kafka’s tone and vision for the story? – Which version best conveys Kafka’s ideas to a modern audience? – Why? Why? Why?

Maps and Monuments as Arguments

Image Credits Hoax Photos iStockPhotos.comBingham family photo Picturing Texts Lester Faigley, Diana George, Anna Palchik, Cynthia Selfe NY: Norton, 2004 Al-Ahram, Egypt’s state newspaper, 9/14/10Getty Images, US Denver Post, September