The issue of visual literacy has always been of interest to me, particularly because its power is often overlooked in our everyday lives. As an English teacher, I feel that I am more aware of the power of language, but the multi-layered efforts behind imagery is less clear. While reading Lesley Farmer’s article, I was amazed by the level of construction that every advertisement employs. From the effects of text selection, to line placement, and perspective between objects, I feel I had never really considered visual text in such detail. As Farmer states, “In order to convince the viewer of a specific idea, mass media producers who under-stand the language and connotations of visual literacy can manipulate images to elicit desired responses – a strategy that is used increasingly with the advent of digital tools (30)”. To a certain extent this is rather disconcerting because I’d like to believe that I am educated enough to be conscious of such manipulations. The truth? Without a course in media production, I am likely missing some key elements… How am I then to properly guide my students to become critical of mass media? Yikes…
As a precursor to a discussion of propaganda during the Holocaust, (I taught Maus) my grade nine English classes investigated stereotypes in advertising. I divided the class into six groups and presented each group with a series of photos. Some groups looked at women in advertising, others at men, teenagers, teachers, and so forth. While the students were quick to identify the stereotypes at play in the pictures and perhaps why these stereotypes prevailed, one area which we did not touch on at all, (now I feel it would have deepened our understanding) was some of the finer artistic choices.
I can only blame my own naivety for not providing my students with this opportunity, but after reading this article I am thankfully, more informed. I suppose as with any teaching endeavour, one must arm themselves with the necessary knowledge to at least begin a dialogue within the classroom. As our group will explore in our presentation, this awareness begins by examining the minute details behind advertisements and their implications. Being conscious of selection choices and editing procedures (especially helpful when considering issues of body image…) on behalf of the producers, provides a strong starting point for critical analysis. Farmer’s article is very useful and breaks down the elements of visual literacy into manageable pieces. Hopefully, in my future classes, I can help my students navigate through the maze of imagery that saturates their lives. Wish me luck!
By: Ashlee Petrucci (Blog Post #1)
Works Cited
Farmer, Lesley S.J. (2007). I See, I Do: Persuasive Messages and Visual Literacy. Internet @ schools, 14(4), p. 30-33.
1 response so far ↓
annievandergaag // Jul 7th 2013 at 9:21 pm
In response to Ashlee, Christa, and Ilana’s posts, and in light of what we have been discussing in class, I understand their concern that their knowledge concerning visual literacy is inadequate, and as a result students may be missing out on a deeper understanding of visual text, and learning to be critical of them. I taught Romantic Literature in English Lit 12 and started off the unit with a discussion of visual images by Romantic authors. I felt incredibly inadequate, and felt I had little to teach and, moreover, to contribute to the students’ observations. This last article in contrast with the other two, although quite similar, brought forth interesting perspectives on the little details of visual imagery. Similarly to Ashlee, I felt as though this piece could be used for high school students, as a quite accessible read, to highlight visual cues in images that students can use to critical analyse the work. Developing Christa’s idea on how to make students more critical of visual media and in (sort of) response to Ilana’s question of how to make students more critical, in my past LLED class of multiliteracies last semester, the professor brought in an interesting activity that dealt with the purpose of text that could easily be brought in for visual images as well. There was a story that we were asked to read and highlight important ideas or concepts; next we were asked to read from the point of view of a robber; next, from the point of view of a home buyer. She gave us our purpose for reading the text. Farmer touches on this when she speaks of editing and cropping techniques used in images, but I think could be brought more explicitly into the classroom through this assignment. I hope to use this assignment myself, as a teacher of English who was totally amazed at the different ideas I took out of a text when I had a purpose for reading. I think if I was so amazed, students will be too. Purpose is key in analysis, and something I think we often forget to include in our classroom discussions. Best of luck to us all!
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