Types of Visual Supports
- Works of Art
- Images
- Photographs
- Charts/diagrams
- Demonstration
- Props
- Realia (Real objects)
- Symbols
- Videos
Benefits of Quality Visual Supports
- Focuses students’ attention
- Creates access to complex ideas without being dependent on verbal input
- Supports multi-modality learning
- Stimulates inquiry and imagination
- Supports higher order thinking
Criteria for Selecting Visual Supports
Examples of Effective Use of Visuals to Support a Goal
Students will create their own narratives
- Images must be narrative not abstract and reflect the elements of a narrative (character, setting, problem).
- Images should be relatable to students and include subject matter that is familiar to them so they can make connections to it.
- Explore the various story elements in the image through discussion.
Students will build emotion and dialogue into their scene work
- Images should represent people and situations where you can clearly see the expressions and body language of subjects in the image.
- Images should be relatable to students and include subject matter that is familiar to them so they can make connections to it.
- Use an emotions chart with faces and words so students can identify and expand their knowledge of emotions.
- Explore emotions through personal connections with the image.
Students will create a dance phrase that conveys a particular mood
- Images should be relatable to students and include subject matter that is familiar to them so they can make connections to it.
- Images depicting strong emotion and feeling are needed. These could be abstract images.
- Model how to move from a 2D image to a 3D dance in a physical space.
Students are being introduced to a new idea or concept which is central to the lesson
- Images should be directly relatable to that new idea or concept.
- They can be used as an entry point for students to connect to and build upon prior knowledge.
- Allow the students to have a physical copy of the image that they can look closely at and examine details. Have them pass it around in a small group, each student pointing out one thing they see or notice.
- This can be expanded in a whole group discussion by using a chart to record what students, See, Think and Wonder about the image. This chart is the basis for building the necessary vocabulary to discuss the new idea and concepts in the lesson. It can also be used as a resource while students create their own works.
- Students at entering levels of proficiency can point to something in the image of interest and teacher can scaffold the English word or they can speak about that particular object in the first language and have another student translate.