Chapter28

Training the Eye of the Beholder Using Visual Resources with Elementary Students Kendra Waldenberger, Sabrina Smith Amy Stroeder, Shaelynn Senyk How can you encourage your students to be critical and question what they see in visual resources? CAUTION: Visuals are not always as they appear.

· It is important to remember that visual resources are not always a true recollection of a situation or event. For instance a staged photograph, an authentic “artifact” with a made in China stamp and a video about Canadian history filmed in the United States.

· As stated in Chapter 28, page 290, there are many different visual resources which include; o travel brochure o calendars o newspapers o magazines o government publications o textbooks o CD-ROM encyclopaedias o archives and museums o the internet o art books o family albums o public relations material o art galleries


 * Paintings are often used in classrooms but we must remember to be critical of the scene being depicted.
 * Photographs are also common as they can be found in textbooks and easily accessed on the internet. “While photographs may not lie, liars may photograph” (Lewis Hine, quoted in Everett-Green 1996, E1).

[|DOVE EVOLUTION VIDEO]
 * There are four types of unreliable photographs:
 * **Staged Photographs**
 * Are used to depict the view of the photographer and can be rearranged in order to display from one point of view.
 * **Unrepresentative Images**
 * A one second image can create an inaccurate representation of the person, place or event.
 * **Altered Photographs**
 * With current technology it is easy to move, insert, as well as remove anything within a photograph.
 * **Selective Focus**
 * A photograph can be presented in a way in which only a part of the story is represented.

· __Strategies for analyzing a photograph or painting__ o Pay careful attention to detail <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Look at data (landscape, geography) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Consider history (lifestyle, homes, physical appearance) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Think about relationships and socioeconomic status <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Examine feelings of those in photo or painting <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Consider the elements of the visual art <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Always remember the artist or photographer is a person with a perspective

Subject, frame, light, and focus are techniques for analyzing photos and paintings. All four need to be considered and questioned thoroughly while analyzing a visual.

· __Audiovisuals__ <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Examples: CD’s, video, film, <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o Audiovisuals can help students to visualize and understand a topic, issue or event. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o It is important to be cautious regarding the authenticity of audiovisual resources.

Creating Critical Viewers- students need to be critical of the following topics in audiovisuals; Using Audiovisuals
 * Dialogue
 * Actors
 * Character Development
 * Colour and Lighting
 * Music
 * Camera Angle and Choice of Shot
 * Selection and Arrangement of Scenes
 * Overall Impression
 * **Previewing Activity**- gain interest, introduce background knowledge, reason for watching, ties in prerequisite learning.
 * **Viewing Activity-** give students something specific to focus on during the viewing
 * **Follow-Up Activity**- have students list and compare their personal observations and discuss any inconsistencies. If needed review visual more than once to clarify inconsistencies.