Suggests an approach to a core course in visual literacy that draws on three theories: the teaching perspective of the visual literacy movement; the analytical system from art and aesthetics; and the cognitive understanding of images from Gestalt psychology. (MG)

Defines illustrations and discusses their effective use. Topics include information literacy; statistical graphics; visual literacy; illustrating student term papers; understanding the visual display of information; illustrations that instruct; cognitive processes; and criteria for effective explanatory illustrations. (LRW)

Presents a 17-item annotated list of essential books on information design chosen by members of the InfoDesign e-mail list. Includes a 113-item unannotated bibliography of additional works, on topics of creativity and critical thinking; visual thinking; graphic design; infographics; information design; instructional design; interface design;…

Examines four commonalities of media education in the United States. Outlines the four ideological perspectives that in fact guide media education in the United States: celebration, protectionism, cultural criticism, and educated consumerism. Suggests what all of this means for the future of media education in the United States and what will be…

Reviews alternative literacy activities that have a pictorial basis for learning and that may be suitable for use with children with disabilities or learning problems. Notes that alternative literacy activities can be adapted to complement the speech and language programs developed to assist learners with disabilities. (MDM)

Considers how mapping literary works provides students with a powerful tool for critical analysis. Suggests that educators need to force students to do something different with the text. Notes that the author's solution is to insist that her students visualize the text on paper. (SG)

Our social worlds are visually saturated. A feature of post-modern society is its relentless traffic in images, often borrowed from diverse times and places, and patched together in ever changing ways. This traffic serves commercial purposes, shapes identities, and increasingly stands in for reality itself. As a newspaper columnist noted, "most of…

Not convinced that teachers and teacher-librarians were actively suppressing their students' visual literacy, the author decided to conduct informal interviews with four local teacher-librarians (three elementary and one secondary) attending classes at the university where he instructs. All four indicated that though their libraries were rich…

The use of images is becoming more pervasive in modern culture, and schools must adapt their curricula and instructional practices accordingly. Visual literacy is becoming more important from a curricular standpoint as society relies to a greater degree on images and visual communication strategies. Thus, in order for students to be marketable in…

Using technology to enhance literacy has been viewed in different ways by educators. Some teachers believe that new developments will fundamentally change literacy instruction; others think that technology is simply a new tool to use with old teaching methods. The question of how new technologies impact literacy instruction in K-8 classrooms is…

Historically, comics have been viewed as a "debased or simplified word-based literacy," explains Dale Jacobs, who considers comics to be complex, multimodal texts. Examining Ted Naifeh's "Polly and the Pirates," Jacobs shows how comics can engage students in multiple literacies, furthering meaning-making practices in the classroom and beyond.

In a one-week voluntary summer course, students aged twelve to seventeen eagerly take ownership of their composing processes, learning to connect terms such as focus and point of view to the visual and verbal acts of photography and writing. High school teacher Mike Stracco grapples with how to channel the vitality of his summer course into…

Dawnene D. Hassett and Melissa B. Schieble contend that literacy instruction must include attention to the multiple ways in which print and visual images work together. They propose ways to update accepted reading strategies "with visual texts and new literacies in mind." Using examples from picture books and graphic novels, they expand our…

More than two decades ago, a well-known study pointed out that despite the marked increase in images of women in secondary history textbooks, the narrative emphasis on political, diplomatic, and military history had not changed. While this study raised awareness of gender balance in the social studies curriculum, little attention has been paid to…

This article demonstrates the potential for critical inquiry in twenty-first century primary classrooms. The authors (two university professors and a first grade teacher) present an overview of theory/practice relationships in Mary's (teacher) multiethnic classroom with an emphasis on critical literacy, technology and multimodal learning. Readers…