You all know that I am not a native English speaker and that I am always using the resources around me to help me succeed at school. I absolutely hate standardized test, I think they are one of the hardest things that I've done in my life, and I think they are evil! Before I started the AHRD program, I didn't realize the importance of images and how critical it is to relate images to the content. I have to say that I don't consider myself creative at all, but this class forces me to make an effort and use all the tools that make an image better.
Burmark's article touches on a topic that really catches my attention and I'm really curious to see what you all think.
So my question to you is: do you think with today's technology availability to teachers, should it be mandatory to use visuals? do you think visuals help students achieve academic success? should art be mandatory and not an elective in high school?
I enjoyed the article and do believe that images need to be included throughout instruction. There are many different types of learners, using just text does not reach each category of learners! Not only should images be included but audio should as well as movement. My students have no idea what I am talking about unless I present the same topic/content in many different ways. When teaching addition, if I only used words only a select few students would know what I was talking aobut. If I add movement, images, or manipulatives, more students would get the hang of the concept! I agree with you that standardized tests only reach a select group of learners. For me, the GRE was a horrible experience! I also do not think that the GRE assesses the type of student you will be in grad school because it only appeals to certain learners.
ReplyDeleteComing from a non-educational studies background, it amazes me that people wouldn't use images to help with instruction. Visuals are such a powerful tool, providing organization, reference, and visual interest. My background was very stodgy & traditional--engineering, and even we got graphs :)
ReplyDeleteI like Lauren's comment about including audio as well. I wouldn't have considered that, but looking back at high school German class, I can still sing a lot of songs about weather & counting!
I love the idea of art as a requirement at the high school level; and for those who are terrified of being creative, art appreciation classes to keep us all well rounded.
Diana, you pose an interesting question and I found the article to be most insightful. I do think whenever possible educators should try to use visuals. The findings of Richard Mayer which showed that students retain information 42% more when appropriate illustrations are included as opposed to just text alone are evidence of this. It is not enough to merely include an image though, the quality of these images is of the utmost importance. I recall in the early weeks of this course how we looked at images of human organs and saw how there have been multicolored, well labeled visuals created to aid students in their learning. I think these are the kind of visuals that should be utilized more in instruction as opposed to black and white images or no images at all.
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