Action Research Project Presentation

1. Visual Literacy An exploration into the teaching and student learning of visual literacy in stage 3 Action Research Project Erika Rimes September 2007 Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

4. Research Question How can I effectively develop students visual literacy skills in stage 3 ? Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

5. Research Kress & Van Leuween ‘Reading images, The Grammar of Visual Design’ Routledge Publishing, 1996, New York, NY Unsworth, Len, ‘Teaching Multiliteracies across the curriculum’, Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education, NY, 2001 Callow, Jon (ed.) ‘Image matters: Visual texts in the classroom’ (1999) PETA, Sydney Summary of visual codes Callow, Jon (ed.) ‘Image matters: Visual texts in the classroom’ (1999) PETA, Sydney Field Mode Tenor Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904 What’s happening? (Is it symbolic/abstract/action…?) *Action *Message How is the relationship developed between the viewer, the image and the image maker? *Angles – Shot distance (long, medium, close) *Shot distances *Colour *Offers or demands How is the image composed? *Reading paths – lines and vectors *Layout

6. Research aims 1: Develop student’s visual literacy skills through a variety of experiences 2: Develop structured and useful visual literacy tasks and assessments 3: Develop and reflect on my own teachings of visual literacy to further improve on my teaching practice Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

8. Teaching Strategies overview Teaching and Learning Experience Outcomes and Indicators Assessment Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

9. Cycle One Students capability when identifying and interpreting images Reflect on my own teachings of visual literacy Assess students learning at the end of the cycle Aims Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

10. Findings – Reading images & understanding the meaning Observations: Introduction Introduction using specific examples where visual images use colour , angles and layout, lines and vectors to model & introduce the meta language Discussions as a class general ideas about the different images the students see (where, when, why,) Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904 Picture book / book “ To help understand the text” “ Show characters in the book” “ Images help say something that can’t be written” Newspaper/magazine “ Show the most important news first” “ Grabs your attention so you will buy it” “ Uses big pictures to make you read it” Advertisement “ To persuade” “ To sell something that is good” “ they (advertisers) say only good things about a product to sell it” Artwork “ To express something they (artists) are interested in” “ To tell you something about a place or a place in time “

11. Findings – Reading images & understanding the meaning Observations: Introduction Class Activity: Student’s own visual images to analyse Not an assessment Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

13. Work samples – Assessment 1 Example: B - High Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

14. Work samples – Assessment 1 Example: C - Sound Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

15. Work samples – Assessment 1 Example: D - Basic Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

16. Cycle One - Overview Assessment Outcomes and Indicators – English Syllabus RS3.5 Reading and viewing texts Reads independently an extensive range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues *Understands a more complex expository text *Interprets a factual text *Reads a text demanding a degree of technicality and abstraction RS3.7 Context and text Understands that texts are constructed by people and identifies ways in which texts differ according to their purpose, audience and subject matter *explains techniques used by the writer and illustrator to represent a point of view and position the reader *identifies how camera angle, viewer position, colour, size and shading in a visual text construct meaning *justifies opinions about the motives and feelings of characters in literary texts Board of Studies, Classroom Assessment Resource Stage 3: Module 3 Seeing the meaning, ‘Outrageous Reactions’ Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

17. Cycle One - Reflection Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904 Strengths Weaknesses Where to next? Technology Student classify and identify Resources Questioning Students response from own experiences Modelling meta-language Students justifying their interpretation Continue modelling meta-language Incorporate focus lessons Further assessments Group tasks

18. Cycle Two Achieve specific outcomes and indicators from the English Syllabus Implement focused activities ‘The Rabbits’ by John Marsden and Illustrations by Shaun Tan Observe students ability to apply knowledge from Cycle 1 Aims Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

21. Assessment 2 “The Rabbits” Class discussion with students Written Response Summary of visual codes Field Mode Tenor Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904 What’s happening? (Is it symbolic/abstract/action…?) *Action *Message How is the relationship developed between the viewer, the image and the image maker? *Angles – Shot distance (long, medium, close) *Shot distances *Colour *Offers or demands How is the image composed? *Reading paths – lines and vectors *Layout

22. Work samples – Assessment 2 “The Rabbits” Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

23. Work samples – Assessment 2 “The Rabbits” Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

24. Work samples – Assessment 2 “The Rabbits” Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

25. Cycle Two - Overview Assessment Outcomes and Indicators – English Syllabus RS3.6 Skills and strategies Uses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the type of text being read *uses, adjusts and combines higher order skills in decoding texts and accessing visual *Information e.g. scanning for information, examining pictures and text, reviewing parts of the text RS3.7 Context and text Understands that texts are constructed by people and identifies ways in which texts differ according to their purpose, audience and subject matter *explains techniques used by the writer and illustrator to represent a point of view and position the reader *identifies how camera angle, viewer position, colour, size and shading in a visual text construct meaning *justifies opinions about the motives and feelings of characters in literary texts Assessment task from Stage 3 Assessment Resource applied to ‘The Rabbits’ Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

26. Cycle Two - Reflection Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904 Strengths Weaknesses Where to next? Students engaged in content Students applied prior knowledge in a range of settings Group tasks Values pictures – cultural learning activity More lessons on “The Rabbits” Students to produce their own visual images Students reflect on their new skills in visual literacy Continue with relevant content

27. Cycle Three Assess students ability in creating their own visual image Discuss with students how they feel now about reading, discussing and understanding visual images Reflect on activities of visual literacy Aims Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

28. Work Samples – Assessment 3 Producing images – Movie Poster Identity of students has been protected Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

29. Work Samples – Assessment 3 Producing images – Movie Poster Identity of students has been protected Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

30. Cycle Three – Overview & Reflections Assessment task from Stage 3 COGS Unit – Traditions and Heritage Assessment Outcomes and Indicators – Visual Arts VAS3.1 Investigates subject matter in an attempt to represent likeliness of things in the world *Explores historical events as subject matter for a movie poster VAS3.2 Makes artworks for different audiences, assembling materials in a variety of ways *Considers the specific requirements of an artwork (poster) to clearly convey message to an audience VAS3.3 Acknowledges that audiences respond in different ways to artworks and that there are different opinions about the values of artworks *Understands that artworks can be made for different reasons. *Recognises that an audience may have different views about the meaning of an artwork Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

31. * Need to continue visual literacy lesson s to further develop self-regulated and guided learning * Engagement by the students depended on the subject content and the task set * Further research into other areas of KLA’s such as Drama and Interactive Technology (website) * Visual literacy lessons should be incorporated into KLA’s not just as a focused lesson * Further implementation of visual literacy lessons in a main-stream class Implications for Future Practice Conclusions from ARP *Continue to incorporate visual literacy in teaching as it enhances student learning and is part of the curriculum. *Students developed meaning making skills using technical language *Increase in High ( 17% - 48%) & outstanding ( 0% - 14%) assessments results and decrease in Basic (33% to 10%) *Visual literacy skills of students needs to be developed through constructing not just discussing *Important to always give students a range of experiences when learning and developing new Skills Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

32. Bibliography Board of Studies, Creative Arts K-6, NSW Board of Studies , 1998 Board of Studies, English K-6, NSW Board of Studies , 1998 Board of Studies, ‘O utrageous Reactions’ , Classroom Assessment Resource Stage 3: Module 3 Seeing the meaning, Callow, Jon (ed.) ‘Image matters: Visual texts in the classroom’ (1999) PETA, Sydney Kress & Van Leuween ‘Reading images, The Grammar of Visual Design’ Routledge Publishing, 1996, New York, NY Rowan, L., Gauld, J., Cole-Adams, J., & Connolly, A., ‘Teaching Values’, Primary English Teaching Association 2007, Sydney, Australia Simpson, Alyson, PEN 142 ‘ Visual literacy: A coded language for viewing in the classroom.‘ (2004) PETA, Sydney. Unsworth, Len, ‘Teaching Multiliteracies across the curriculum’, Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education, NY, 2001 Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904

33. Questions ? Erika Rimes Sydney University 306 205 904