Pictures are worth a thousand words, or as Dr. Orey would suggest to us, a thousand connections. Virtual field trips allow students to connect with sensory images, which then allow them to manage short term memory, which in turn allow students to process their short term memories into long term memories. Concept webs allow students to organize their short term memory so that they can connect it with the long term.
The more images that we expose our students to the more they are liable to connect with the ideas we are teaching in our classrooms. If a student can then take their images and connect them with ideas or concepts they can make significant gains in any field of education.
In my classroom, texts are almost meaningless for students unless they can experience what they are reading about. This makes classic literature, most of which is set in time periods and settings they don’t understand, impossible for them to connect with. Allowing students to engage in a field trip that may trigger modern images students have stored allows them to connect with the writing. From this connection, students will no longer be turned off by great literature simply because they “think” they can’t relate to it.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head with your post. How can students understand a concept if they do not have the prior knowledge or experiences to connect the new information to. For example, if your students are reading about a child living in a different era, and they are discussing what people are wearing and the different things that people experience during that time, but you had no mental pictures of what the clothes or climate look like from the era. It would be very hard to relate to the characters or have any empathy for the characters. Using virtual field trips, the students can experience the era first hand and then can better relate to the characters and their plight. I use pictures all of the time since I teach elementary and my students are deaf. It would be almost impossible to teach them new vocabulary and concepts without using pictures. Pictures are worth more then 1,000 words in my worlds and my students.
I agree, that by giving images students are able to understand so much more than given text alone. Students cannot picture what the Sahara Desert looks like, or what the Jordan River would look like but by incorporating technology with images and video clips in my classroom I am able to give more depth of knowledge to my students so that they are able to gain understanding of the topic at hand. Have you ever used moviemaker to make a trailer/teaser for a book you are going to be reading to share with your class before you start reading?
Eric, I couldn't agree with you more. Visuals really make learning manageable for many of our students. My students are prime examples of that. Like in your classroom, texts have very little meaning to my students as well. They cannot comprehend print, but when I introduce a picture or other image, they seem to understand it more.
I have never used movie maker to begin a book, but I have had students use it as part of their end of the book project. I have had some incredible presentations, and it genuinely captivates my class. I am eager to begin using it for introductions. My only problem is finding the time. What else is new in the world of planning great units and lessons?
I think that often our students do not have the life experiences they need to fully appreciate written works, which is why they love movies. Movies fill in so many of the voids students have in their experience and education. Instead of rejecting this notion I think it is a great idea to harness it to enhance students abilities to comprehend written stories, because of course, that is where our movies and television shows originate from anyway.
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ReplyDeletePictures are worth a thousand words, or as Dr. Orey would suggest to us, a thousand connections. Virtual field trips allow students to connect with sensory images, which then allow them to manage short term memory, which in turn allow students to process their short term memories into long term memories. Concept webs allow students to organize their short term memory so that they can connect it with the long term.
The more images that we expose our students to the more they are liable to connect with the ideas we are teaching in our classrooms. If a student can then take their images and connect them with ideas or concepts they can make significant gains in any field of education.
In my classroom, texts are almost meaningless for students unless they can experience what they are reading about. This makes classic literature, most of which is set in time periods and settings they don’t understand, impossible for them to connect with. Allowing students to engage in a field trip that may trigger modern images students have stored allows them to connect with the writing. From this connection, students will no longer be turned off by great literature simply because they “think” they can’t relate to it.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head with your post. How can students understand a concept if they do not have the prior knowledge or experiences to connect the new information to. For example, if your students are reading about a child living in a different era, and they are discussing what people are wearing and the different things that people experience during that time, but you had no mental pictures of what the clothes or climate look like from the era. It would be very hard to relate to the characters or have any empathy for the characters. Using virtual field trips, the students can experience the era first hand and then can better relate to the characters and their plight. I use pictures all of the time since I teach elementary and my students are deaf. It would be almost impossible to teach them new vocabulary and concepts without using pictures. Pictures are worth more then 1,000 words in my worlds and my students.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that by giving images students are able to understand so much more than given text alone. Students cannot picture what the Sahara Desert looks like, or what the Jordan River would look like but by incorporating technology with images and video clips in my classroom I am able to give more depth of knowledge to my students so that they are able to gain understanding of the topic at hand. Have you ever used moviemaker to make a trailer/teaser for a book you are going to be reading to share with your class before you start reading?
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. Visuals really make learning manageable for many of our students. My students are prime examples of that. Like in your classroom, texts have very little meaning to my students as well. They cannot comprehend print, but when I introduce a picture or other image, they seem to understand it more.
I have never used movie maker to begin a book, but I have had students use it as part of their end of the book project. I have had some incredible presentations, and it genuinely captivates my class. I am eager to begin using it for introductions. My only problem is finding the time. What else is new in the world of planning great units and lessons?
ReplyDeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteI think that often our students do not have the life experiences they need to fully appreciate written works, which is why they love movies. Movies fill in so many of the voids students have in their experience and education. Instead of rejecting this notion I think it is a great idea to harness it to enhance students abilities to comprehend written stories, because of course, that is where our movies and television shows originate from anyway.