Describes study of undergraduates conducted to test the effectiveness of illustrations in texts, based on two hypotheses concerned with the differences between analogical and literal illustrations in serving two specific instructional functions and ways in which male and female students utilize illustrations. Results are analyzed, and…

Visual literacy is a culturally-derived strength of Native American students. On a continent with more than 200 languages, Native Americans relied heavily on visual intelligence for trade and communication between tribes. Tribal people interpreted medicine paint, tattoos, and clothing styles to determine the social roles of those with whom they…

Approaches taken in the United States and France to use of visual pedagogy are compared and discussed. The necessity of integrating semiotic theory and visual pedagogy is underscored, a semiotic model of visual literacy and decoding is outlined, and some advertisements are analyzed, giving suggestions for teaching use. (MSE)

A two-year study randomly assigned children (K-grade 2) with advanced mathematical skills (n=276) to two groups, an intervention group reflecting a constructivist approach or a control. Boys gained more than girls on quantitative and visual-spatial measures in the control, whereas the intervention group made greater gains in quantitative measures…

Learning outcomes of Alberta Native and non-Native adult learners were differentially affected by relative preference for visual versus verbal learning style. Also demonstrated were the importance of individual differences and the complex interaction of learning style preference, instructional materials, learning task, and cultural background.…

Argues that, to maximize a child's educational experience in history/social science, it is imperative that teachers utilize a whole-brain teaching approach by using a variety of experiences that stimulate both sides of the brain. Discusses the three general modes in which students appear to learn: oral, visual, and kinesthetic. Suggests specific…

Examined how exposure to a program of fractal computer graphics affected the perceptual sensitivity of sixth-grade students (n=197) to the natural visual environment. MANCOVA analysis of collected data and students' written responses to questions indicated that environmental perceptual sensitivity was higher for subjects exposed to fractal images.…

There is a significant mismatch of student preparation for college-level reading tasks and literacy demands placed on our liberal arts college students today. Widely accepted schema theory suggests that teaching metacognition, or consciously thinking about how one thinks, is helpful. Once thinking processes are made transparent to the learner, he…

Aimed at parents with infants, this book is a collection of 250 simple, fun-filled games that can be played with children up to the age of 1. The games have been categorized into the following eight types: (1) growing and learning games; (2) special bonding games; (3) kitchen games; (4) laughing and having fun games; (5) art and singing games; (6)…

The cognitive aspect of second language learning, specifically by immersion method, is discussed from a biological perspective. The approach taken is that of "connectionism," a recently-developed theoretical and experimental approach to human cognition. It is argued that while general cognitive functioning is unaffected by language immersion,…

This study presents work in progress that investigates the use of visual learning logs by preservice elementary teachers as one component of developing visual literacy for science teaching and learning. The purpose of the study is to explore the use of visual learning logs as an alternative mode for thinking and communicating about experiences in…

This volume contains 53 articles grouped under five headings: (1) Research (14 papers on such topics as cognitive style and cognitive strategies, visual literacy training, and the impact of diagrams, type styles, and computer graphics on learning); (2) Theory (nine papers on such topics as the development of visual literacy concepts, cognition and…

Computer-based instruction (CBI) has undergone tremendous changes in the past decade. This paper focuses on the following three areas of designing information presentation: (1) screen design literature is dated, and the existing guidelines do not allow for advances in computer technology; (2) open-ended guidelines may offer designers sufficient…

The Swassing-Barbe Modality Index (SBMI) uses visual, auditory, and tactile inputs, but only reconstructed output, to measure children's modality strengths. In this experiment, the SBMI's three input modalities were crossed with two output modalities (spoken and drawn) in addition to the reconstructed standard to result in nine treatment…

Two bibliographies of publications from the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) are presented. The first covers the period from 1983 through 1989 and lists 261 publications from the IVLA at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The second covers from 1990 through 1993 and lists 201 publications. The comprehensive…