Caitlin M. Dillon
"What can I do to help my students develop better visualization skills?" I have asked myself that question innumerable times. When I first conceived of the present three--week unit for my seventh--grade Language Arts students, I wanted to help them develop a better ability to comprehend and retain the information in texts. I wondered whether and how the ability to picture in one's mind's eye or create internal visualizations based on external images or texts actually contributes to better comprehension when reading and more specific, descriptive language when writing. I found that studies support the use of guided discussion of images as a way to help students of varying ages and levels develop an ability to look critically at images, which involves thinking critically about images, and -- very important -- thinking critically in other settings as well.
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Critical thinking involves the ability to integrate the information within an image or text, draw inferences using relevant background knowledge, and use specific observations to support claims or conclusions. The development of these skills is itself an aid to better comprehension and retention of text, and it increases the ability to write clearly, descriptively, and persuasively. Thus, I have developed the present unit as a way to help students explore visual images and texts using guided discussions and writing assignments. The present unit is intended to help students develop greater ability to (1) notice and remember details and (2) use their observations to help them think critically. Both of these skills improve students' comprehension of texts, their ability to retain and recall the meaning of texts they have read, and their ability to write clearly, descriptively, and persuasively.
