Students notoriously struggle with the nuances and implied meanings of new vocabulary words.  More often than not, most students can prattle off the part of speech and definitions, but seldom understand how to use new words in the proper context.  Therefore, I try tap into what the students’ perception or understanding of the new words are by having them assign images and pictures to demonstrate their understanding. By doing this, I can assess student comprehension as well as provide them an engaging opportunity to study/learn new vocabulary. Additionally, this type of activity lends itself to the creation of a cache of classroom vocabulary resources.

In addition to using visual imagery to enhance student learning of vocabulary, I also try to utilize a wide variety of visual images and graphics to engage and hook students when introducing new topics and other class activities. For example, when discussing the Grade 7 theme of Tradition and Change, I used a variety of photos which highlight traditions from around the world. These images alone provided the impetus for engaging conversations in the classroom. Additionally, it permits students the opportunity to not only “hear” or “read” about older traditions, but it provides visuals so the learners develop a deeper understanding and connection to the topic.

Another example of using visual/digital imagery to increase understanding and engage the students is the use of a short story “hook”. The idea is to examine a short story already completed and review the key literary elements. Afterward, students began analyzing a new story. Through the use of a variety of images, the class focused on a variety of pre-reading strategies – discussing their thoughts regarding the meaning of the title as well as their predictions about the story. After reading the story, the class used discussed a variety of items provided by visual cues in the attached video. Again, the use of images provides students deeper access to the information at hand as well as helps open doors of understanding as they read the story.