ERIC Identifier: ED463945
Publication Date: 2000-11-00
Author: Lowe, Richard
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and
Environmental Education Columbus OH.
Visual Literacy and Learning in Science. ERIC Digest.
THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC
In our visually oriented age, science and technology education rely
heavily on the use of pictures to present technical information.
Today's students live in an information environment saturated with
visual images, and educational materials are no exception. Because
educational materials must compete for attention in this rich visual
environment, all types of teaching resources from traditional
textbooks to the latest educational technologies contain a wealth of
pictorial representations. In science and technology education these
pictures are very diverse, ranging from realistic drawings and
photographs to highly abstract diagrams and graphs. The educational
emphasis on pictures reflects the widespread use of technical
pictures by practicing scientists and technologists across many
different fields.
The use of pictures to represent technical
subject matter is not new. Ancient pictures from many different
countries show that visual information has long been an important
means of communicating ideas about our world and how it works.
However in more recent times, there has been an explosion in the
number of specialized types of graphics developed to represent
scientific and technological information. These specialist
representations can provide critical information about the state of
our world that may have enormous social and economic implications
for its peoples. For example, the science of meteorology relies
heavily on traditional weather map diagrams as well as more modern
remote sensing imaging techniques.
Technological advances,
particularly in computing, continually increase the range of imaging
techniques that are available to the scientific community. The
burgeoning use of pictorial representation has implications for
science and technology education. The capacities to both understand
and generate technical pictures are fundamental to scientific and
technological literacy for students at many levels, from school to
university. We could describe these capacities as a form of visual
literacy that involves the "reading "and "writing "of technical
pictures. It is just as important for students to develop this
visual aspect of scientific and technological literacy as it is for
them to develop the general literacy required to understand the
specialized verbal and mathematical languages they encounter in
science. Successful reading of a highly abstract scientific diagram
requires very different skills from those required for reading
ordinary pictures of everyday content such as photographs in a
newspaper or illustrations in a shopping catalogue. This means it is
essential that today's students develop the general visual literacy
skills required for dealing with scientific graphics, but they must
also learn about particular types of scientific pictures that
actually form part of the content of a specific field of scientific
or technological study.
VISUAL LANGUAGE
The ways pictures are
used in everyday life can give the misleading impression that visual
language is somehow generally much easier to understand and more
universal than verbal or mathematical language. For example,
international airports all around the world use various graphic
symbols to present information to people from many different
language groups. By avoiding the need for multiple translations,
these graphics greatly simplify the task of conveying fundamental
information. However, this information concerns basic, everyday
matters that people in general are familiar with and represents them
in a very straightforward way. In contrast, the forms of visual
information that scientists and technologists use are far more
complex and esoteric. The specialized nature of scientific
visualizations means that people do not learn to deal with them as
an incidental result of their normal interaction with the everyday
environment. Rather, they must engage in specific learning
activities that help them to develop the knowledge and skills
required to interpret these very particular types of visual
representation. Part of the reason for this is that the content
depicted in these visuals is quite unfamiliar to everyone except
specialists in the scientific field concerned. However, there are
also aspects of how content is depicted that make these
visualizations challenging for the uninitiated. In particular, the
depiction of the subject matter in scientific visuals is often not
meant to be taken literally. Rather, diagrams and other technical
illustrations depict their content using a host of specialized
graphic conventions that extensively manipulate and even grossly
distort literal reality. To interpret these pictures properly, the
viewer must know about these conventions and be skilled in decoding
them in an appropriate manner. DEVELOPING VISUAL
LITERACY
Teachers must develop students' capacities to understand
and properly interpret specialized technical visuals. Teaching of
the necessary knowledge and skills should begin when children are
quite young, even before they begin formal studies of science and
technology. One approach is to introduce young children to graphic
conventions that are widely used in depictions such as scientific
diagrams by having them devise simple drawings that actually use
these conventions. However, rather than illustrating unfamiliar
scientific topics, this should be done in the context of everyday
subject matter. In other words, the content of the visuals would be
very familiar to the students, but the way it is to be depicted
would be highly diagrammatic. For example, teachers could guide
students through a number of stages to help them develop their own
diagrams of a simple commonplace object such as a piece of fruit.
Starting with the real object, the teacher could show students how
to use a range of diagram techniques to devise a picture that
communicates information about the object in a scientific manner.
So, if a teacher decided to use an orange as the subject matter for
a diagram-drawing exercise, one of the things that could be done is
to introduce students to the idea of a cross-sectional view. This is
a technique widely used in scientific and technological diagrams as
a way of indicating internal structures that are normally hidden
from view. It is a simple matter to cut the orange in half, place
one of the halves cut-face down on a photocopier to produce a
photo-like image of the inside of the fruit. This photocopy could be
the starting point for students to gradually modify the image in
order to produce a more diagrammatic depiction. This would involve
processes such as simplifying the image into a line drawing,
omitting unnecessary detail, removing natural irregularities to
produce a more 'geometric' result, and identifying key parts of the
structure by means of shading or color coding. Initial activities of
this type could be followed by using objects for which dynamic
change as well as structure must be depicted. For example, a simple
device such as a plastic garden irrigation tap could be dismantled
and its functioning represented diagrammatically. This type of
exercise could be used to show how other diagram conventions such as
arrows, dotted lines and sequential pictures can be combined with
the cross-sectional convention covered in the previous example.
Where aspects of the subject matter would be artistically difficult
for young students to draw by themselves, teachers could provide
partly-drawn pictures so that students have only to add simple lines
and shapes to complete the representation. Alternatively, teachers
could provide a "kit" of pre-drawn pieces for the diagram which
students would then assemble into a finished product. Having
children devise their own "technical pictures" requires a
significant change in the way drawing is typically treated in
elementary school. In most classrooms, children either copy pictures
provided by the teacher or textbook, or draw their own pictures as a
means of self- expression, Rarely are they asked to produce original
drawings that provide the type of clear and precise visual
explanation that is found in technical diagrams. However, it is
unreasonable to expect students to acquire all the required
capacities for dealing with technical diagrams by such drawing
exercises alone. As students move into formal studies of science,
there are occasions when the teacher needs to present them with
ready-made diagrams as well as other forms of scientific image. In
these cases, students' capacities for dealing with technical
pictures are more likely to be developed if extensive scaffolding is
provided by the teacher. For example, instead of requiring students
to copy down a finished diagram, the teacher could gradually build
up the depiction piece by piece in a way that emphasizes the logic
of the subject matter. The value of this sequential type of approach
would be further enhanced by accompanying the drawing process with a
suitable commentary and questioning that emphasizes key aspects of
the subject matter. On many occasions, students are faced with a
technical picture in a textbook or other resource that is intended
to explain the to-be-learned content. However, these pictures are
often quite difficult for students to interpret effectively because
they do not know how to read such pictures effectively. Just
because teachers have no trouble reading a picture, we should not
assume that it is equally comprehensible to students. Teachers
should consider providing quite explicit guidance to direct their
students through the information that is depicted so they explore
the picture in detail and develop an understanding of its internal
logic. Supplementary exercises based on an existing picture but
which require students to analyze, elaborate or modify the original
in various ways can also help to improve
comprehension.
CONCLUSION
Visual literacy is an essential
component of science and technology education today. However, it is
an aspect of learning that is relatively neglected by teachers. One
reason is that teachers generally assume that pictures are
self-explanatory and always function to make their subject matter
easier. Unfortunately, comprehension of the specialized pictures
used in technical fields requires knowledge and skills far beyond
those required for everyday pictures. In order for teachers to
address this neglected aspect of science and technology education,
they need both a better appreciation of the demands of technical
pictures and a knowledge of teaching strategies that will help to
develop students' visual literacies in this area. Science teacher
education should cover this topic, but support is also needed for
experienced science and technology teachers. At present, resources
to help teachers develop visual literacy are limited, and there is a
great need for further work to develop practical teaching strategies
and resources. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Lowe,
R.K. (1993). "Successful instructional diagrams." London: Kogan
Page. Lowe, R.K. (1993). Scientific diagrams: How well can
students read them? In B. Fraser (Ed.), "Research implications for
science and mathematics teachers," (Vol. I, pp. 14-19) Perth:
National Key Centre for School Science and Mathematics.
Lowe,
R.K. (1996). Pictorial information design for schools. "Information
Design Journal," 8, 233-243.
Lowe, R.K. (1996). Les nouvelles
technologies, voie royale pour ameliorer l'apprentissage des
sciences par l'image ? ASTER, "Recherches en didactique des science
experimentales," 22, 173-194.
Lowe, R.K. (1997) How much are
pictures worth? "Proceedings of the Putting You in the Picture
Symposium," University of Newcastle, 20-24.
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Note. Other
work in this area can be located by searching the ERIC database
online (www.askeric.org) using various combinations of the following
descriptors: visual literacy, science education, science curriculum,
science activities, and science instruction.
This digest was
funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.
Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0024. Opinions
expressed in this digest do not necessarily reflect the positions or
policies of OERI or the U.S. Department of Education.
Title: Visual Literacy and Learning in Science. ERIC Digest.
Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);
Available From: ERIC/CSMEE, 1929 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1080. Tel:
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Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Science
Education, Scientific Literacy, Visual Literacy, Visualization
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