Visual Teaching Alliance

Timothy Gangwer's Blog – January 2009 Archive (8)

Visual Thinking

Visual Thinking

Picture thinking, visual thinking or visual/spatial learning is the phenomenon of thinking through visual

processing, where most people would think with linguistic or verbal processing. It is nonlinear and often has the nature of a computer simulation, in the sense that a lot of data is put through a process to yield insight into complex systems, which would be impossible through language alone.

Information Processing in Visual… Continue

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 29, 2009 at 10:48am — No Comments

Quote

The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera
as well as of the pen.
- Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 26, 2009 at 2:18pm — No Comments

Definitions of Visual Literacy

While most English/language arts teachers understand how to use and teach alphabetic and even aural literacy, they may not be so adept at using and teaching visual literacy. Since it was first used in the 1970s, the term “visual literacy” has been given many definitions by many disciplines. One early description of visual literacy was “the active reconstruction of past visual experience with incoming visual messages to obtain meaning” (Sinatra, 1986, p. 5). A more general definition given over… Continue

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 20, 2009 at 8:22pm — No Comments

Visual Representation

Visual Representation

Representations consist of content and format. The content is what is being represented, and the format is nature of the representation. Format can be thought of at two levels: physical and informational. For example, representing temperature with the number 8 can be thought of as ink on paper in the physical sense, or as a number in an informational sense. The informational sense is more appropriate for cognitive representations. Physically, mental… Continue

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 19, 2009 at 3:11pm — No Comments

Cambridge University

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 17, 2009 at 12:48pm — No Comments

Photographic Language

Photographic Language

Photography is a language. Just like the written word it has its own vocabulary and its own grammar. Effective imaging, like effective writing or speaking, depends on understanding and applying some basic principles. Photography might be called an art of selection. The vocabulary a photographer works with is made up of the visual elements that exist all around us. Anything we see can be a visual element. The grammar of photography is the way in which visual… Continue

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 11, 2009 at 11:28am — No Comments

The Visual Teacher

The Visual Teacher

The Visual Teacher is an educator who embraces and models full spectrum visual literacy.

• The Visual Teacher understands the effects of visual stimulation on brain development and utilizes imagery where appropriate to enhance learning.

• The Visual Teacher understands the underlying concepts of visual literacy:

1. Imagery communicates in an emotional and pre-rational style that can bypass logical thought.

2. Imagery invokes the part… Continue

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 5, 2009 at 8:58am — No Comments

Introduction to Visual Teaching

Introduction to Visual Teaching

It is estimated that 80% of learning in the first 12 years of life comes from visual stimulation. Visual Learning as a theory takes full advantage of this natural propensity. To address the effective use of visual skills in the pursuit of learning, visual learning theory has evolved into four key elements: full spectrum visual learning. Active and performance-based learning, dynamic translation, and a multidisciplinary approach.

Full… Continue

Added by Timothy Gangwer on January 2, 2009 at 10:58am — No Comments