Visual literacy, the integration of seeing with other cognitive processes, is an essential tool of learning. To explain the relationship between the perceiver and the perceived, three types of theories can be brought to bear: introverted; extroverted; and transactional. Franklin Fearing, George Herbert Mead, Martin Buber, and other theorists have…

Specialists in communication theory and educational technology, working together, can make meaningful contributions to the knowledge needed to permit the use of media of all types to improve learning through the proper application of communication theory. (Author/STS)

Maintains that an anthropological perspective offers exciting possibilities for developing intercultural understanding in the visual arts. Examines the problems encountered when applying this perspective to the visual art of radically different cultures. (JDH)

Three conceptual frameworks for examining the cognitive response to film are reviewed. It is suggested that a phenomenological rather than atomistic conception of the film-viewer interaction will be most useful for the generation of further studies in this area. (Author/RM)

A writer and illustrator of works for very young children outlines his approach to the creation of picture books and suggests areas that need to be researched about their role in the development of visual and verbal literacy in children. (RBW)

The author points out that visual literacy is both more and less than we might normally think it is, and that its true value lies in its contribution to something that is increasingly difficult to come by - a humane education. (Author/AK)

Metaphoric interpretation of art serves different purposes in art education and psychotherapy. These differences are discussed in the context of categories of art criticism adapted from E. B. Feldman's work. Practical guidelines are presented to help art teachers use metaphoric interpretation and maintain the boundary between education and…

Describes a visual media course which covers the following: (1) communicative value of basic elements of design in photographs; (2) construction of messages in photo essays and advertisements; and (3) technique of scripting for moving images in scratch films. (PD)

Offers suggestions on how to make a film study course challenging and enjoyable, through using a variety of films, defining visual literacy, choosing films with cinematic and literary value, and deciding on a specific approach for the course. (FL)

Suggests that older feature-length films can be uplifting, relevant to the curriculum, and inexpensive. Offers tips on how to select and use them and a list of ten such films. (FL)

Describes the benefits of having preschoolers take photographs and caption them. (DD)

Considers how too often theories about how to write and read images are limited to a functional view, which stresses objectivity, ignores interpretation, and sees design as preset layout formulae. Argues for a configural view of images that stresses their artificiality and cultural significance and articulates design in strategic terms by…

Explains the visual and computing demands of Web-site authoring in a junior level, undergraduate honors course at a large public university. Argues that the students in this course--highly literate and skilled in the production of conventional printed academic writing--performed much like basic writers when challenged with acquiring a broad set of…