Pupils' books in primary science are either rarely used, underused, or misused, even though many excellent books and schemes exist. Various explanations have been offered, such as cost, lack of "match" to the QCA scheme, failure to differentiate, lack of visual literacy, cultural inappropriateness, and language problems (Peacock, 1995, 1997). So…

A survey of BizCom listserv subscribers suggests that visual rhetoric receives relatively little attention within business communication curricula. Results indicate that programs typically do not require a course in visual rhetoric, and on average, 20% or less of teaching in undergraduate courses is dedicated to visual communication. The findings…

The ability to interpret information from any source, and increasingly visual sources, is a vital skill for all graduates in contemporary culture. The development of the skills to read visual texts and communicate that understanding requires a certain level of critical thinking and reflection, skills which can only be developed over time, through…

In this article, the authors designed a study to explore what children's own drawings reveal about their viewing skills and to examine the interplay between visual and verbal literacies. Specifically, the authors wanted to determine how two communication systems--visual and verbal literacies--contribute to children's abilities to extract meaning…

Presents a review of emerging changes in developmental psychology drawn from the research and theoretical literature. Relates these changes to the goals and methods of discipline-based art education. (JDH)

Divides visual literacy into three categories: basic, artistic, and aesthetic. Maintains that this expanded conception of visual literacy contains the potential to significantly alter the content and methods of art education. (JDH)

There is no natural or genetically determined talent for aesthetic appreciation, but at most a widely distributed capacity that, fortified by interest, can be developed. The aesthetic experience should be cultivated but for its own sake. (RM)

Argues that people are connected or separated more by media experience than by chronological years. Examines how media develop their own grammars, how individuals acquire media literacy, and the effects of media literacy on ways people relate to each other. (PD)

One hundred thirty undergraduate communications students were administered a two-part survey designed to test their abilities as visual interpreters. Results indicate student respondents were surprisingly inaccurate in determining the correct meaning elements of political cartoons, perhaps because of visual illiteracy, cultural lag of the cartoon,…

An outreach program for gifted upper elementary students developed at the Hirshhorn Museum is described. Objectives are to teach visual literacy, to present the materials using the inquiry method, to use art history and criticism to develop students' looking skills, and to encourage parents to attend classes and museum visits. (RM)

Discusses a number of books requiring the reader to examine their illustrations and pictures closely and making a visual statement that could be lost if only surface meanings are considered. (FL)

Investigates the role of visuals in the instructional and evaluation phases of a high school biology unit on the human heart. Results indicate that the instructional strategy of implementing visualization in both the presentation and evaluation phases is a viable instructional variable. Forty-four references are listed. (Author/MER)

The laterality preference patterns and types of oral reading errors were examined for seventh-grade males. Results support the initial argument that difference-poor readers fail to comprehend because of problems in organizing visual input, which seems intimately tied to a bilateralization of functions. (Author)

Describes the development of Media Now, a program for students to develop their own media presentations, including slide and videotape delivery, for building visual literacy and understanding the use and effects of media propaganda. (CMV)

Throughout European history, artists have celebrated the values of their patrons. Today, the schools are the largest employer of artists. To justify art education according to current Back-to-Basics values, art teachers should explain visual art as a language, which they can teach students to read and use. (SJL)