The Power of Image Developing a visual literacy in the language classroom Ben Goldstein

Criteria for selecting images openness to multiple interpretation opportunity for personalisation impact practicability familiarity

Images can… 1 be used at all levels 2 introduce ‘outside world’ artefacts into class 3 provide prompts for language production 4 make linguistic concepts easier to grasp 5 act as speech cues in exams 6 play a part in many classroom activities, e.g. information gap tasks, etc.

We can also look beyond the frame… 1 explore the cultural significance of images and related social issues 2 consider images as communicating open-ended messages (rather than taking them at face value) 3 analyse the formal composition of images and their relationship to text (multimodality) 4 develop learners’ skills in interpreting images and creating their own

The role of images in ELT through the ages An image can be used… 1 as decoration 2 as a visual aid 3 as a complement to text 4 as a subject for analysis 5 as signs, symbols or icons 6 as a form of subversion

1 Image as decoration

2 Image as visual aid

1926

3 Image as complement to text

1972

4 Image as subject for analysis

5 Image as sign, symbol or icon

6 Image as form of subversion

Overview 1 What functions can images have? as prompts / visual aids to complement / enhance text as elements to study in their own right as a way to gain intercultural awareness

Overview 2 Why use images actively in class? - To stimulate language use - To illustrate language - To engage students on an imaginative level - To reflect our world’s ever-increasing dependence on the visual image - To develop a visual literacy