The paper describes the importance of graphicacy as a key communication tool in our everyday lives. The need to better understand the development of graphicacy and its use in the school curriculum is emphasised. The need for a new research tool is explained and the development of a new taxonomy of graphicacy is described. The use of this tool…

In our globalised and hypertexual world, representations of curriculum reform are highly visual. The material world of these practices can be analysed through visual research methods. This paper is a pretext developed to explain the elements of the visual and intertextual approaches that can be applied in researching inclusive education through a…

The arts disciplines (visual arts, music, theatre, and dance) merit and require formal study. Policy makers should support studies in the arts as core disciplines, as specified in the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)," the federal legislation that sets policy and appropriations for public education. The arts merit and…

Not so many years ago, comic books in school were considered the enemy. Students caught sneaking comics between the pages of bulky--and less engaging--textbooks were likely sent to the principal. Today, however, comics, including classics such as "Superman" but also their generally more complex, nuanced cousins, graphic novels, are not only…

Presents a structure for a film and video production course, with emphasis on three types of literacy: visual, verbal, and technical. (HTH)

Contemporary culture has become increasingly dependent on the visual, especially for its capacity to communicate instantly and universally. Advances in technology fueled this shift. Students must learn to cope with and intelligently contribute to a culture rife with easy access to the visually rich Web, photo dependant social networks, video…

Visualization is an essential skill for all students and biochemists studying and researching the molecular and cellular biosciences. In this study, we discuss the nature and importance of visualization in biochemistry education and argue that students should be explicitly taught visual literacy and the skills for using visualization tools as…

Discusses the development of critical televiewing curricula in relation to their stated goals and content. Outlines four underlying constructs: intervention, goal attainment, cultural understanding, and literacy. (JMF)

Discusses the importance of cultural geography for understanding the environment and of teaching geography as a form of visual literacy. Notes different concepts of landscape, including landscapes as physical geography, landscapes as texts, and landscapes as a process of identity formation. Examines cultural expressions of geographic visual…

Discusses concepts of semiotics relevant to visual literacy and stresses two important points of intersection: active perception and diversity of sign systems. Argues that an educational program with a semiotic framework would change its focus from content to process, and that a visual literacy component would enhance learning across modalities,…

Educators should be encouraged to develop elementary school students' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the visual arts in an integrated approach to curriculum development in the schools. Instruction in the visual arts is frequently presented in isolation from other subjects, but resources are available to support reinforcement in…

Technology, software, and design activities that have been used to create presentations for a class in visual literacy taught to graduate students in the instructional technology program of Northern Illinois University are described. In the past, the language of visuals was introduced through a slide and tape produced for the class. An additional…

The inclusion of visual images in current educational literacy discussions tends to contextualise them within more semiotic, socio-critical and textually focussed theoretical traditions. These particular traditions privilege and emphasise the structures and "language-like" aspects of visual images, and include the broader social and…

Recognizing the decline in student visual communication skills, faculty from different disciplines collaborated in the design of a visual literacy course. The visual literacy skills developed in the course are that students learn in the following ways: (1) through faculty presentation and demonstration of the various tools available; (2) with…

Some steps toward the integration of media and visual literacy across the curriculum of secondary school classrooms are described, focusing on a project in Pennsylvania that uses collaborative processes to involve educators at secondary and higher levels in the design, development, and implementation of a statewide integrated framework for visual…