Of the six strands of language learning–listening and speaking, reading and writing, viewing and representing–the latter two are often not taught as explicitly (or used as often) as the others.
And yet today, students are bombarded with an unprecedented volume of images, videos, and information–some of it real and some of it deceptively close. It is therefore essential that we teach them to become discerning, critical-thinking viewers. Consider how you might embed regular opportunities to view and discuss a variety of media forms with your students.
We can also embed representing into our lessons in all subjects with a simple open-ended instruction: “Use pictures and words to demonstrate your understanding of today’s lesson.” If we use this strategy often, students become quite adept at representing their learning–some may use diagrams, others metaphors, some may be technical, others more abstract and creative–whatever works best for them.
What might you do to ensure viewing and representing play an intentional role in your classroom?