1. There are many good reasons to teach students visual literacy but two that stand out are the increased availability of technological advancements and the recognition of diverse learning styles among students. Regarding the first point, there have been many developments in both academic and personal technologies that have propelled the transmission of visual messages to an astounding level of accessibility. Much of the hardware needed to display graphics is no longer unreasonably expensive and has become widely available to all participants in the academic process. Students and instructors alike are now expected to operate efficiently in cyberspace, which requires a high aptitude for visual literacy in comparison to the traditional print environment of information transmission.
Learning styles have only recently become common considerations in the teaching process despite the theory having been otherwise influential for over 40 years. The drastically increased availability of technology as described above likely played a large role in facilitating the large-scale application of learning style theory to the practice of classroom instruction. It is widely acknowledged that students tend to learn best through a unique mixture of learning style preferences that may even focus on a single style. Accordingly, it is in the best interest of all students for teachers to develop discursive teaching techniques that are compatible with a wide variety of student learning style preferences, including those that are inclined to rely on visual literacy to a significant degree.
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"Enhancing Learning with Visuals".
There are many methods that can be employed to teach visual literacy. Dance can be an effective tool because it can make use of cultural associations and offers a wide variety of visual symbols for interpretation, especially when combined with full production techniques. Another robust method of teaching visual literacy is through the use of maps and charts. These tools are flooded with symbols that can indicate anything from geographical location to average national temperatures. The usefulness of these aids is found in the flexibility of information that can be associated with one symbol under differing circumstances, thus adding a new level of complexity to the learning process that is a natural progression from the more basic and consistent pieces of visual information that can also be presented in maps and charts.
2. Draw and paint programs can be excellent visualization tools when promoting visual literacy because they allow for the direct involvement of students in the creation and interpretation of visual messages. Interactive games that involve drawing and interpreting can be easily created using classroom supervision and/or by utilizing existing online games similar to charades that may happen to facilitate the desired lesson design. These platforms also help to improve other forms of learning those involving muscle control and cognitive development as their painting and/or drawing skills improve. This may present a special challenge for some students however, and precautions should be made to account for any differences so that learning is not contingent on artistic abilities.
A second attractive method of teaching visual literacy is to utilize the presence of personal cameras in the personal possession of a large number of students. Some use the cameras on their phones, others have digital cameras, and there are still consumers of vintage film units. Letting students capture visual messages spontaneously allows for a high level of class interaction while also allowing the experience to be very personal. Specific questions can be answered with visual examples provided by the students and unexpected insights may arise from visual messages that were not initially recognized by the photographer. Even the choice of camera itself presents an opportunity for visual learning by looking for the message that is presented through the style.
