This chapter, all about literacy in Visual Arts classrooms, deciphers some misconceptions about literacy. Especially in heavily visual classrooms like art (or heavily aural classrooms like music), literacy is usually forced in through traditional print texts. However, the vignette reveals the cooperation between the literacy specialist and the visual arts teacher without resorting to this traditional paper-and-ink idea of literacy.
I found the vignettes to be the most helpful in grasphing the chapter. Because of Mrs. Greene content area in the visual arts, students most likely wouldn't read textbooks or write papers. Her initial hesistation to team up with a literacy specialist proves her fear of yanking her content area in the wrong direction. Instead, her ability to make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections with visual media made the literacy relevant to students. Her text included physical items that connected to the culture: clothing, lunchboxes, magazines, etc. Using these non-traditional non-print items, Mrs. Greene was able to help students understanding their ideas about themselves as they related to the culture. In having them create their own visual pieces, she helps students bring the text to life and make it applicable to themselves.
As an English teacher, I found this classroom lecture exceptionally useful. I think I would be able to create a similar lesson with similar items, but instead of connecting it to a visual artist's style, I could connect it to an author. Instead of having my students create vests (which would still work in an English classroom anyways, I think), I could have them write a journal response or a short story which incorporated that day's lesson.
Draper, J. (2010). (Re)imagining content-area literacy instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment