Annotated Bibliography

Luke Skywalker

May 20, 2017

Dr. Obi Wan-Kenobi

Jedi University

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Baker, L. (2015). How many words is a picture worth? Integrating visual literacy in language

learning with photographs. English Teaching Forum, 53(4), 2-13.

Using brain-research to begin her article, Baker used the adage of “a picture is worth a

thousand words” to argue why visual literacy is so valuable in the modern classroom.

She challenged teachers to learn to unpack the thousand words, and instead of seeing

pictures as complimentary to the written text, see images as primary text.

Acknowledging that today’s students are digital natives, she reminded teachers that

students do not necessarily have the skill sets needed in order to effectively analyze and

critique images. Following a definition of visual literacy, the author discussed the

specific benefits that result from using visuals with students learning English. Among

these benefits are increased oral interaction, critical thinking skills, and global

connections. Following a discussion as to why visual literacy is valuable, the author

provided four strategies easily incorporated into the classroom. She offered steps in how

to prepare for the class and the steps for the activities.

Baker’s article offers a solid balance between theory and practice. The students’ take-

aways during class discussions (i.e. global connections) offered an interesting element to

visual literacy that I had not considered before. Her experience as an ELL teacher, both

in the United States and in Southeast Asia, underscore her arguments about the

value of image and language.

The way Baker constructed her article is similar to what I would like to do. I think

both in how she structured her argument (theory to practical) and the language she used

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created an article that was easy to read for individuals who may get lost in the more

technical, researched-steeped articles.

Choudhury, M. and Share, J. (2012). Critical media literacy: A pedagogy for new literacies and

urban youth. Voices from the Middle, 19(4), 39-44.

This article followed the teaching practice of Choudhury, an inner-city ESL teacher. He

faced the challenges of high poverty and level of crimes within the community where he

taught. Nearly 96% of the students at his middle school were Hispanic, which demanded

a non-traditional model of teaching. Wanting to create an inclusive approach for all types

of medias that would reach his students, Choudhury used a media literacy framework

gathered by the Center for Media Literacy. In crafting his framework, Choudhury

followed five key ideas which encouraged students to question the messages received

from various sources. Through classroom discussions about individual perceptions on

various media messages, Choudhury moved the class towards analyzing the media’s

various societal messages and how communities might interpret those messages.

Following a year-long project where students learned “English, social studies, and new

literacies,” Choudhury’s students moved from 64% being at the far below basic to 21%

by end of year.

While there were authoritative sources cited within the article, the piece relied

predominately on Choudhury’s restructuring his classroom and the methodology he used.

The value in the article lies in the real-world application of a theoretical concept and a

teacher’s willingness to shift from a traditional classroom setting to a non-traditional one.

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The article demonstrates what effective incorporation of a visual literacy curriculum can

do for students. This is clearly seen by the students’ dramatic improvement.

Eastman, G.S. (2015). Making metaphor visible: The common core, poetry, and visual literacy.

English Journal, 104(6), 40-46.

The author argued that teachers can help their students become better readers and

thinkers by applying their ability to closely read visuals when deconstructing poetry.

Following a definition of visual literacy, she proposed that students learn three basic

things: the meaning of the visual may not be immediately apparent, a close read of

visuals allow for various interpretations, and inference skills can be transferred from

close readings of visual texts to traditional ones. Poetry, arguably the most densely

literature packed with figurative language, provides students with an easy way of

bridging visual literacy to literary texts. Eastman demonstrated how poetry and visual

literacy easily parallel within the classroom – first, by offering research support by a

variety of authors and secondly, by offering practical classroom activities.

Eastman created credibility in her article by first discussing times when she missed

opportunities to teach students how visual literacy applies to other texts. Next, she

offeredcurrent research about visual literacy to augment her argument. However, the

assignments/activities offered at the end of the article make the article incredibly

valuable. If teachers are going to embrace the call to address visual literacy within the

classroom, there must be practical advice that can be immediately incorporated in the

curriculum.

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Eastman’s article, like several others I have reviewed, is constructed the way that I feel is

most beneficial for practicing teachers. Realistically, while theory does provide the

backbone to many best practices, it is how teachers are able to translate theory into actual

practice that makes best practice a truly best practice. Articles written with practicing

teachers in mind need to be written in an accessible manner, unlike many research

articles which tend to be densely packed.

Ervine, M. D. (2016). Visual literacy in instructional design programs. Journal of Visual

Literacy, 35(2), 104-113. doi:10.1080/1051144X.2016.1270630

The premise of this article highlighted why literacy can no longer solely revolve around

text-based materials. Using several researchers’ definitions of visual literacy, the author

illustrated that there is not yet a consensus for a single definition. However, there are

some commonalities between the varying definitions which include critically analyzing,

interpreting, and evaluating images. The author specifically addressed the idea of visual

literacy and how it applies to today’s students, known as digital natives. Seguing into

visual literacy’s role in higher education, the author contended that every academic

program should devise a plan in teaching visual literacy to aid student learning. He

suggested that as instructors design their courses they consider the skills a visual literate

person must have in order to be successful in the 21st century.

Part of the objective value of this article is that is demonstrates that even within

academia, the definition of visual literacy varies; however, all the researchers cited in the

article do concur that there are common denominators. It is important to understand that

while differences may occur on the actual definition, all agree that courses must

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intentionally teach visual literacy to help students develop the skill sets necessary for

their success.

This article offers good support in helping craft my argument that visual literacy needs

to be intentionally woven into curriculum. While the article specifically addressed higher

education curriculum design, the implications of the author’s conclusions are relevant for

K-12 education. Many of today’s educators, whether K-college, are non-digital natives,

and are having to learn new instructional strategies to reach today’s students.

Farrell, T.A. (2015). Visual literacy (VL) in teacher preparation: Measurement to direction.

Journal of Visual Literacy, 34(1), 89-104. doi:10.1080/23796529.2015.11674724

As an English teacher, the author recognized students’ inability to critically analyze

photographs both at the high school level and college level. Her study sought to create a

baseline of visual literacy “in graduate level pre-service teachers.” Offering details about

theory base, the author described why visual literacy should be based in language study.

By discussing current visual literacy standards for students, the author addressed teacher

responsibility for ensuring that those standards were being meet. She specifically

mentioned teacher preparation programs and the need to create a means for measurement

that includes visual literacy competency. The author explained the significance of the

study, how the baseline was established, how the study population sample was selected,

and the how data was collected and then analyzed. What the study uncovered was that

visual literacy ability is an area of weakness in the study population sample.

This particular study may be one of the more valuable studies I have discovered in my

research. Because the study looked at 1144 K-12 pre-service teacher participants at 10

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institutions, it identified that while visual literacy ability is part of various standards, pre-

service teachers are not adequately prepared in helping their own students in the

classroom with the skill set.

Because of the world we live in, we are bombarded by visuals constantly. Being able to

critically interpret and analyze those images is a valuable skill; the study confirms my

own classroom and peer observations – students do not know how to dissect the visuals

they see, and in part, that is because teachers themselves do not have the skill sets.

Friesem, Y., Quaglia, D., and Crane, E. (2014). Media now: A historical review of a media

literacy curriculum. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 6(2), 35-55.

In the late 1960, the Media Now Curriculum was developed. The self-contained lesson

modules provided students with the opportunity to learn about media and its influence.

From the Media Now emerged Project Film in the early 1970s, which was initially

created to address students’ attitudes and understanding of motion pictures. Leading

researchers at the time expressed concerned about society’s not fully understanding the

“unique characteristics of the medium.” The authors offered an in-depth analysis of the

Media Now curriculum to suggest that its ground-breaking curriculum can offer a model

for educators to create a media-literacy curriculum relevant for today’s world. For the

dissection of political speeches the internet and social media, the Media Now lessons can

offer an outline for creating a “non-linear curriculum” that empowers students to guide

their own learning.

The inherent value of this article is two-fold. First, it demonstratedvisual/media literacy

and its role in current role in education is not a new conversation; rather, educators and

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researchers have been discussing visual literacy in some form for fifty years. The second

point stemmed from the first; because work was done five decades ago creating effective

curriculum, 21st century instructors have a viable, working model to construct a

relevant series of lessons for today’s students.

This article provides an opportunity for exploring a curriculum template in creating a

much needed visual literacy curriculum. Teachers have long used existing resources to

enhance their instruction.

Gilbert, C. (2013). Changing the lens: The necessity of visual literacy in the ELA classroom.

English Journal 102(4), 89-94.

By offering a specific definition of visual literacy, the author suggested that there is a

lack of evidence that teachers approach visual literacy as actively as they do traditional

literacy. According to Gilbert, there seems to be an assumption within the education

world that students will intrinsically develop visual literacy skills because they encounter

these “literacies” beyond the school setting. The author specifically discussed the value

of visual literacy within the ELA classroom but pointed out that those classrooms are still

centered on traditional print texts. The author then specifically discussed the power of

magazine images and the adult images that are portrayed to teens. Contending that teens

are influenced by what they say, often adjusting their dress and behavior to emulate what

they see, the author argued a need for teachers to teach students how to critically dissect

what they see visually. The author used two examples from contemporary magazines to

illustrate his point on both the influence of images and how to analyze those images.

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This article offered a solid balance between current research and practical teaching

suggestions. Like many of the other articles I have read, Gilbert reinforced the idea that

while visual literacy is seen as a valuable skill set by many researchers, too many

teachers still teach literacy centered solely on the printed word.

This article reflects the type of article that I would like to write – one balanced between

the research and practical. I think there is a need, as illustrated by Gilbert’s article for

approachable techniques, steeped in research, that teachers (who do not have the time to

read heavily research-only articles) can read and then readily adapt for classroom use.

Jolls, T. (2015). The new curricula: Propelling the growth of media literacy education.

Journal of Media Literacy Education, 7(1), 65 -71.

The author began by discussing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and its

success. Part of the IB philosophy is to prepare students to become both lifelong learners

and world citizens. By using IB as an example, the author demonstrated how both online

and cellular technology help take the traditional classroom, teachers and students outside

four walls to experience learning in a fuller way. Curriculum development must rise to

meet the changing needs of this changing world. No longer, the author contended, does

the “factory model” of teaching apply. She included a list of 24 characteristics of the

factory model curriculum versus that of a networked model to illustrate the changing

nature of today’s student needs. Teachers need to have time and practice to understand

the media literacy framework if they are going to be effective in the classroom.

The author relied heavily on pre-existing research to support her argument concerning a

restructuring of existing curriculum. The example she used with IB to demonstrate how

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students need to be engaged world citizens and can be so through the use of technology

made a powerful point.

Much of what Jolls argued aligns with my personal ideology. Teachers can no longer be

content to teach the way we did twenty, ten or even five years ago. Additionally, the

importance of professional development and then follow-up to that development is a key

component to the success of effectively embedding visual literacy curriculum within the

classroom.

Mahoney, K. R., and Khwaja, T. (2016). Living and Leading in a Digital Age: A

narrative study of the attitudes and perceptions of school leaders about media

Literacy. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 8(2), 77 -98. 

The authors open their article suggesting that an expanded definition of literacy needs to

be embraced. The authors use Jenkins’ et al (2006) comprehensive definition of media

literacy to provide the foundational support of their study: how are current administrators

supporting this new definition of literacy? The article details the research design and

methodology, which also include results and interpretation. The study closely followed

six administrators. The majority of the article discussed each administrator’s

understanding of media literacy and what specific action(s) he/she took to support

student learning in that area. The study discovered that while the administrators had a

positive outlook concerning the expanded literacy definition, there is a lack of consistent

and comprehensive tools (i.e. curricula, professional development) available to aid

student learning in this area.

This article offered objective data in support of expanding the current definition of

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literacy. The one caveat on relying too heavily on this particular article is that there were

only six administrators interviewed, all of whom hailed from the same state.

Additionally, the study intentionally sought out individuals who were interested in

participating in the study. The value of this particular study lies, however, in identifying

a lack of cohesive and clearly defined student learning outcomes in media literacy.

This source will be helpful in defining media literacy, especially in how it correlates with

visual literacy. It also offers a glimpse into the struggles schools face when

incorporating technology in the classroom in meaningful ways. One administrator

articulated this thought well, suggesting that technology is not simply a pen and paper

substitute; rather, it empowers students to recognize how arguments are constructed, the

weight of their own words, and to think critically about this brave new world.

Meehan, J., Ray, B., Wells, S., Walker, A., and Schwarz, G. (2015)

Media literacy in teacher education: A good fit across the curriculum," Journal of

Media Literacy Education, 7(2), 81 -86.

A primary argument in this article suggested that while scholars note the need for media

literacy to be taught as part of undergraduate teacher programs, it is rarely included,

especially for elementary pre-service teachers. The authors offered reasons as to why this

is the case, including external pressures (i.e. accreditation preparation), lack of

understanding of the media literacy terminology, and inability to connect to standards,

which may or may not explicitly include media literacy. The study looked at how

media literacy education can be incorporated into teacher education courses. Specifically, the

authors examined how one university integrated media literacy into two courses:

“Introduction to Secondary Education” and “Social Issues in Education.” According to

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the authors, it may not be feasible to create an entire course in media literacy, but teacher

programs must begin finding ways to incorporate media literacy within its existing

curriculum. The authors contended that media literacy is perhaps the “most important

addition to current education.”

Researchers have argued very vocally for over a decade the need to expand our

definition of media literacy. Researchers also argued that being media literate empowers

society to be aware of what is going on in the world, challenging and questioning what

we see and hear. The value of this article is that while it reinforces what researchers have

argued, it offered a good, mostly unbiased insight into the need for educating not only

teachers who are already in the field but pre-service teachers. But the best value of this

article is that it offered several practical strategies in how to promote media literacy

across the curriculum.

This article reinforces my personal position that teacher training, whether pre-service or

those already in the classroom, is necessary. The practicality of the lesson ideas

suggested in the article demonstrates that media literacy can be an effective pedagogical

strategy.

Silverman, K. N., & Piedmont, J. (2016). Reading the big picture: A visual literacy curriculum

for today. Knowledge Quest, 44(5), 32-37.

This article addressed what the authors identify as the two-prongs of visual literacy. First

they discussed both the definition and mechanical components of visual literacy. Second,

the authors delved in to the conceptual component, discussing why it is valuable to

provide students with a solid foundation of both prongs. The article then shifted to where

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the authors outlined how they incorporated visual literacy instruction into their ninth

grade high school foundations class. The instruction began by teaching students to

decode various forms of visual communication. Once students understood both the

conceptual and mechanical components of visual literacy, they were asked to demonstrate

their understanding by designing their own visual example. The authors concluded the

article that teaching visual literacy is a vital part of today’s school curriculum given that

students are interacting with various types of visuals daily (i.e. SnapChat, Twitter,

Instagram),

By classifying themselves as teachers not researchers, the authors created a different type

of credibility. Presenting clear and easy-to-follow suggestions for the average instructor

looking for a simple way to imbed visual design instruction into the curriculum, the

authors helped cross the gap between theory and practice.

It has become very clear to me as I have read about visual literacy that there is a growing

number of theory-based articles but not many “how-to” pieces. I liked the direction

this particular article took because it offered practical advice to teachers interested in

incorporating visual literacy instruction into curriculum.

Vermeersch, L., & Vandenbroucke, A. (2015). Kids, take a look at this! Visual literacy skills in

the school curriculum. Journal of Visual Literacy, 34(1), 106-130.

doi:10.1080/23796529.2015.11674725

The authors in this study addressed the issue that while visual literacy is a growing area

of research, there is a lack of “operational specificity.” The authors offered a definition

of visual literacy by breaking the term itself up. What does visual mean? What does

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literacy mean? After discussing these two words individually, the authors posed their

research question: can a skill-based framework be used to develop a theoretically-based

curriculum? The authors discussed their rationale into why such a framework should be

created. To illustrate the importance of developing a curriculum that incorporates visual

literacy, the authors analyzed the Belgium National Curriculum. While present, visual

literacy standards do not occur frequently. The authors, in their conclusion, asked

whether education is doing enough in terms of teaching students how to be visually

literate: a question they admit cannot be readily answered.

The challenge with this article might seem to lie in the fact that the authors analyze the

Belgium national curriculum. However, there are some corollaries between the Belgium

standards identified in the paper and those in Common Core. The fact that there is an

international conversation about visual literacy and how to incorporate it effectively into

curriculum is important to understand. The research offered in this paper highlights a

consistent theme concerning visual literacy: we know this skill set is a valuable tool for

students, but how to effectively incorporate it into existing curriculum is still not

completely clear.

This source offers a valuable insight into the international discussion on visual literacy.

Additionally, the discussion of creating a skill-based framework that encompasses the

various elements of visual literacy was sound. The rationale the authors provided in how

they constructed the framework is different from other frameworks. Their framework is

designed not linearly but spirally; in other words, the framework reflects an almost

recursive nature, suggesting that visual literacy skills need to be retrained at different

times in the students’ education but with higher teacher expectations each time.