Teaching visual learning in primarily text-based learning environments
The most frustrating and embarrassing for me was our last class session, when, as usual Elaine asks us: What was your biggest Ahh Ha moment , and what was your most confusing? I ponder the questions and respond by saying: most confusing is setting goals and objectives before having taught the course. The Ahh Ha: How vital images and multimedia are to instruction, and the question: what it means to be literate in a culture saturated with images. when it came to explaining myself regarding the latter, I was at a loss for words. I knew the answer but I could not explain it for the life of me! Wow what an embarrassing moment. So here is a shot at explaining it:
VISUAL AND MULTIPLE REPRESENTATION IN LEARNING MATERIALS: AN ISSUE OF LITERACY
Michael Sankey University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Aristotle once stated that, ‘without image, thinking is impossible’ (Aristotle 19). Felder and Soloman (2001) further suggest that most people are visual learners, and that if sufficient visual content were included in learning materials students would retain more information.
Kellner (2000) believes that literacies are socially constructed by educational and cultural practices and that they evolve and shift in response to social and cultural change, he writes:
‘…one could argue that in an era of technological revolution and new technologies we need to develop new forms of media literacy, computer literacy, and multimedia literacies that I and others call by the covering concept of “multiliteracies” or “multiple literacies”. New technologies and cultural forms require new skills and competencies and if education is to be relevant to the problems and challenges of contemporary life it must expand the concept of literacy and develop new curricula and pedagogies’ (p. 249).
If maximum benefit is to be extracted from information presented by modern communication technologies, as Kellner has suggested, both in terms of engagement and learning, a futures oriented approach must be adopted. Such an approach will prepare students to ‘read’ the world and communicate through multiple modes of communication and prepare them to function in our increasingly technological society (O’Rourke 2002).
Learners use a combination of Visual / Kinesthetic / Aural. And when multiple sensory channels are involved learning can become more effective. (Kearnsley 2000) And both memory and recall are improved. Multimedia will allow us to more fully cater for the multiliterate learner.
Offer a choice for the learner. Cognitive constraints: Dual Coding Theory, and Cognitive Load Theory.
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A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION OF “TEACHING PRESENCE” IN THE SUNY LEARNING NETWORK
Peter J. Shea, Alexandra M. Pickett, and William E. Pelz
I found this paper informative regarding distance learning. SUNY has designed a learning network called “teaching presence” I felt SUNY was a good model to look at because of their experience and success in distance education. * Create and sustain a cognitive presence online through Chickering and Gamson: 7 principles of good practice, and Anderson and Colleagues framework to measure faculty development, effective pedagogy, and stimulate satisfaction and learning.
