TOPIC 3: VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN LEARNING

INTRODUCTION

LEARNING RESOURCES

This is a term that has evolved over time from visual education/audiovisual education

to teaching aids/teaching materials, teaching tools/instructional or curriculum

materials to technological materials/instructional technology, to audiovisual

communication, and much later to learning resources.

Definition of terms

a) Instructional materials is a broad term that includes printed materials such

as text books, pamphlets, leaflets, and reports and programmed learning

sequences

b) Instructional technology is an inclusive term that refers to both the materials

and instruments, and even to the instruction system to be used by them

c) Educational /Instructional media are the items that are manipulated, seen,

heard, read or talked about, including the instruments that facilitate such

activity. Educational media are both the tools for teaching and the avenues

for learning. They include the following

 Real things: field trips and dissections

 Models: skeleton, exhibits and maths models

 Graphic symbols: all representational materials, diagrams, and maps

 motion pictures: film, footage, slide show

 Still pictures: photographs, pictures, drawings

 film strips: a collection of picture frames or a strip

 Transparencies: still projection materials as the slide and filmstrips are

also transparencies. This term refers to the large sized projectiles of

Transparencies are usually made to specification

 Instructional kits: usually contain a variety of systematic related

material eg. The Writer’s Bureau Kit, Radio Africa Kit. Instructional

kits are designed along the lines of multi-media approach.

1. VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN LEARNING

Visual communication is communication through media that emphasize using the eyes

- It is designed to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of visual

expression as a means of communicating information.

- Visual language is an integral part of human communication

The discipline of visual communication is a method of conveying information that is

more expressive than the literal translations of images and texts

- if the message is packaged successfully, it will overcome the communication

barriers that result from difference in language, social backgrounds, and

educational experiences

- regardless of the resource used, a more effective communication should

result because of greater comprehension by the audience

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF VISUAL LEARNING RESOURCES

Visual learning resources differ widely in their internal characteristics:

 Some are intensely rich in dialogue, pictorial and dramatic treatment, eg song,

dance, movies

 Some are devoid of action eg maps, street and road maps, political maps,

physical maps use symbols to indicate mountains, plateaus, and plains; relief
 maps show various elevations of land, vegetation maps show forests, jungles,

desserts and grasslands; population maps show the distribution of people

 Some are ‘graphic’ in diagrammatic animation. Eg models, diagrams.

Photographs revealing minute details

 Some may be used at one level only, and other may be adapted for use at many

levels eg study trips and excursions

 Some are straight forward presentations by chart diagrams

1. VISUAL LEARNING RESOURCES

- Teaching materials: that are graphic such as maps, graphs, charts, posters,

diagrams, cartoons

- Real materials: observed during field and classroom study such as

demonstrations

- Drama and role playing: Done well, performing can effectively communicate

incidents and conflict situations, feelings and interplay among personalities.

- Objects and models. These may be used to stimulate extended activity when

students are asked to produce them

- Displays, exhibits and study trips/excursions. These enable e students to

see activities such as industrial process production of paper, sugar and places

such as TV/Radio stations.

- TV programmes, motion pictures. Film, photographs, transparencies, slides,

tapes and disc recordings, CDs and DVDs. They convey movement, focus

attention and facilitates the understanding of abstract information

o they can also be kept and re-used either in another class or for

repetition
 o However, its availability is not always guaranteed. Also it may show one

point of view, leaving the teacher to fill in the gap

- photographic enlargements/drawings/illustrations (projected prints)

o These can give an accurate appearance of places, the size of objects,

colour, places etc.

o Drawings have the advantage of being able to change realistic

appearances in any manner that best emphasizes the idea the

teacher/artist is presenting

o However, it may not be easy to find an appropriate picture/drawing;

there may be none on the subject; they sometimes give inaccurate

impressions of size, weight, texture, complexity and functions of

things; when in black and white, they fail to give the viewer the

knowledge of real-life colour of objects and places

NOTE: visual resources refer to all, or a combination of all the above, and more.

3. THE ROLE PLAYED BY VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Visual communication plays the following roles:

 helps the teacher to provide meaningful sources of information

 provides the teacher with interest-compelling factors into a wide variety of

learning activities

 provides the teacher with means of extending the horizon of experience

 assists the teacher in overcoming physical difficulties of presenting the

subject matter

 provides the teacher with rich sources of student purpose when

communication materials are produced jointly by students and teachers

differences

 provides an opportunity to bring the abstract into the classroom

 offers an alternative and appealing method of teaching, hence sustaining

attention.

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL RESOURCE

 the student sees the goals to be attained

 the situation presented consists of all the objects, persons, and symbols in

the learners environment

 it includes abilities of all the typical responses that the teacher brings to the

classroom

 the interpretation is conscious and the student may make several

interpretations

 some events that follow the action are regarded by the learners as

consequences of it

 assists students acquire some specific insights

 helps the student develop the ability to perform a specified operation. Eg the

ability to make accurate observations during a visit to a factory or institution

 the student develops proper attitudes such as open-mindedness

 students appreciate such actions as good planning and clear thining

 the teacher uses it to simplify the difficult level of teaching

 Evaluation of the teaching is instant

1. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF VISUAL RESOURCES

There are several factors to consider in selection of visual resources:

Teaching objectives
 - teachers should base their selection on visual materials upon valid teaching

objectives

- and upon the unique characteristics of a specified group of learners, ie, the

purpose to be achieved by the teacher through its use, and student

characteristics

Teaching purposes

The material should be capable of achieving the following:

- help students to acquire specific insights

- help to develop the ability to perform a specified operation eg. The ability to

make accurate observations, say, during a visit toa factory, industry or

institution

- help to develop proper attitudes such as open-mindedness

- appreciation of such actions as good planning and clear thinking

Ability to serve both the teacher and student purpose

- the teacher purposes are the educational objectives, the identifiable

understandings, abilities, attitudes and appreciations that are built into the

learner as a result of his activity

- the student purposes are the student goal, the problem, the assignment, and

the work that he has accepted and intends to complete

difficulty level

- the material should contribute to easing a difficulty level

enhance recall

- the resource should be likely to recall for explicit discussion and studying

learners problems and activities

- the content to be communicated must be presented in terms of problems and

activities of learners
activeness, distinctive and up to date

evaluation

- the teacher should use involvement, participation and reaction as a vital

condition for learning and ask that type of questions, assignments and

projects.