The first thing I found interesting in this chapter is that is mentions not using books with images. Originally, I did not consider which types of books should be used for a visualization lesson. Stephanie Harvey explains that books without images requires students to make their own images in their mind. My first question is: Why might creating your own images in your mind or on a paper be beneficial while reading?
On page 99, Stephanie Harvey mentions that visualizations can be an effective way to dispel misconceptions for students. For example, the book says that a teacher gave a lesson that required students to draw a picture about a particular scene described in a book. Some students drew a simplistic scene encompassing the details from the book, while others included their own smaller details (extra things in a room for example, which make a house seem more homely). I think that including extra images can be extremely beneficial and shows a students understanding of the scene, and not just what is explicitly described.
One student in particular drew a baby that sprouted wings and flew into the clouds. This did not actually happen in the book. As a result, this could be a prime opportunity for the teacher to sit down and talk with the student about their visualization. I have two questions here: "How does a teacher 'correct" a students thinking or visualization without stating they are wrong?" and "Can a visualization be wrong?"
No two students pictures or visualizations are the same. Can picture diversity be a good thing? I believe it could be an opportunity for students and the teacher to share his/her ideas. This could be part of a group or class-wide discussion.
Next, I really liked how the author mentioned that you want to use all of your senses while describing a scene or the story, not just what you see. I have never really thought about included sensations like touch, sound, taste, etc. How could a teacher model these type of sensations? Perhaps you could start out with the teacher describing what he/she feels, sees, etc., and then moving on to what students notice. This would be a perfect place to take advantage of a white board list where students can compile everything they notice.
Lastly, I wanted to mention that visualizations can be beneficial to make inferences in the story. For example, if you spent time visualizing a scene, you may notice the author mention a few small details about a barn.
Consider:
"There was a large red barn looming over the trees that surround it. The barn was being flanked by an overgrowth of vines that crept up it's walls and grabbed hold of it's frame, as if it had no intention of letting go.
Specks of red paint were peeling off the side of the barn and being picked up by the wind. The flakes of paint were lazily spiraling through the air until they settled on the cold, dry dirt. "Empty," I thought.
There was gaping opening on the front of the barn. It looked as if the barn was hiding many secrets, as not even the sun's light could penetrate it's mouth. I crept inside the barn.
The walls were dark and covered in cob webs. I had to see more. I began to walk towards the center of the barn. Each step I took sent puffs of dust into the air, only to be eaten up by the darkness moments later. The air felt heavy and dry.
Along the walls were piles of hay. This was not the type of hay that was fresh and green. The hay looked as if it was long forgotten and has grown old, much like this barn that is slowly decaying. I picked up a single piece of hay from an overwhelming large stack and began to play with it. I bent it forwards and backwards until it broke. Dust. Always turning to dust.
'Hey John, what are you doing in there," I hear a voice call from outside the barn."
This type of scene could allow the student to make many inferences. A student could spend time imagining what the author wrote, and then considering why the author might have included this. Perhaps the dry hay will start a fire later in the novel? It's a possibility.
Consider:
"There was a large red barn looming over the trees that surround it. The barn was being flanked by an overgrowth of vines that crept up it's walls and grabbed hold of it's frame, as if it had no intention of letting go.
Specks of red paint were peeling off the side of the barn and being picked up by the wind. The flakes of paint were lazily spiraling through the air until they settled on the cold, dry dirt. "Empty," I thought.
There was gaping opening on the front of the barn. It looked as if the barn was hiding many secrets, as not even the sun's light could penetrate it's mouth. I crept inside the barn.
The walls were dark and covered in cob webs. I had to see more. I began to walk towards the center of the barn. Each step I took sent puffs of dust into the air, only to be eaten up by the darkness moments later. The air felt heavy and dry.
Along the walls were piles of hay. This was not the type of hay that was fresh and green. The hay looked as if it was long forgotten and has grown old, much like this barn that is slowly decaying. I picked up a single piece of hay from an overwhelming large stack and began to play with it. I bent it forwards and backwards until it broke. Dust. Always turning to dust.
'Hey John, what are you doing in there," I hear a voice call from outside the barn."
This type of scene could allow the student to make many inferences. A student could spend time imagining what the author wrote, and then considering why the author might have included this. Perhaps the dry hay will start a fire later in the novel? It's a possibility.
So what do you guys think about visualizations? I personally was never taught how to do them, but I naturally developed the habit. I believe it's beneficial and would like to have teachers teach this technique. Are there certain times when visualization may be better used? Or a certain genre of book?
I threw out a bunch of authentic and regular questions throughout this writing. Just pick and choose what was most interesting.
Matt
Hi Matt- Great post! I really enjoyed reading about your personal thoughts about Visualization. It’s pretty interesting because I don’t ever remember being explicitly taught visualization skills- I guess I just assumed that this was something readers just get better at the more they read. But, after reading about this strategy in our book and reading your thoughts about it on your post, I probably was taught this strategy when I was in lower el, and I just don’t remember. I, like you, use this strategy all the time- a good example in my mind was when I read the Harry Potter series and then the movies came out. At first I was very upset- that’s not at ALL like what I thought the characters would look like or what the setting would look like (this also happened to me with the hunger games) which just exemplifies the important role visualization plays while reading. I also think that having good visualization skills really allows the reader to become invested in stories and novels- I was so obsessed with harry potter because I had such strong visuals from the text and attachment to the characters and places in the series.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of reading students a non-picture book in order to do a Visualization activity. I think I would personally select a book that I love that might be at a higher reading level than a lot of the students would normally be able to read themselves. This would give them experiences with high-level vocabulary, which might give them more ideas to work with while doing the activity. I feel like I might have hated this activity as a child, however, because I really do not like drawing- I never have. I cannot imagine the annoyance I would feel if I had to attempt to draw what I thought Hogwarts looked like; the image was in my mind, but I could never translate it on to paper. However, especially for younger children, I think that this is a perfect intro activity to do with Visualization in order for students to start to become aware of the text and how it influenced their thinking.
Another Idea that I have for visualization, with older children, would be to give them a selection of text in which they had to actually highlight or circle areas that influenced their drawings. This would give them more interaction with the text. Then, they could show what things they added to their visualization based on imagination. This activity might help students decide between what you are able to add to a story that isn’t explicitly stated without it changing the story itself (in relation to your baby sprouted wings and flew into a cloud) example.
This post gave me a lot to think about- visualization is definitely a strategy I want to incorporate into my future classroom. ☺
I absolutely agree with the both of you. Visualization is a very important skill that needs to be taught to the modern student. This is an important skill that is meaningful to the student because their imagination is very active. I also agree with the sentiment that these lessons are best done with a book with no pictures in it. Additionally, I would add the stipulation that there should be no movie of the book either. I cannot tell you how my imagination completely went away while reading the Harry Potter books came out. Curse you Daniel Radcliffe!
ReplyDeleteVisualization is something that I struggle with even to today. I frequently skip descriptive paragraphs and tend to try to focus on the action. I know this is a problem and it often affects my scores on reading tests as I get bogged down in the details. It is important to get the students in the habit of focusing on every single sentence and detail at a young age, as it will only help them in the future. The better they visualize, the better they will comprehend, the closer they will be able to make connections to the readings. Ultimately, this will make every text they make more meaningful to each and every student. I think being very explicit and specific in asking for details in a visualization lesson is important. The teacher should always ask for more, more, more details and descriptions. Students can choose to do it drawing or even by oral descriptions. Every student has different learning styles and visualization lessons at need to be differentiated and individualized for each student. Ultimately, there is no doubt that this is an essential learning technique that needs to be emphasized.