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Literacy Instruction

Literacy Instruction: Visual Thinking Strategies for Improved Reading Comprehension

Ginia Gowin
University of Missouri, Columbia

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Literacy Instruction

Abstract
According to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, instruction
for grade 7 should include reading, writing, listening, and speaking with a variety of texts and
purposes. Because text is extended to include images, culture, media and other visual
representations, teaching visual literacy is imperative for 21st Century learners. By integrating
visual arts practices into language arts education, students will develop the critical literacy skills
necessary to inquire, analyze, interpret, critique, and explore both visual and written texts.
Visual Thinking Strategies is teaching strategy based on Abigail Housens theory of aesthetic
development, which research suggests is effective in increasing cognitive thinking, conceptual
understanding, and communication skills. My proposal is to explore the implications of VTS art
and text discussions on the reading comprehension levels of seventh grade language arts
students.

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Literacy Instruction

Literacy Instruction: Visual Thinking Strategies for Improved Reading

Statement of Problem
Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than
either parent. Dr. Seuss
Early childhood literacy utilizes imagery to help the reader make meaning. As literacy
develops in adolescents, instructional methods focus on written text where language becomes
privileged, thus creating a division between visual literacy and academic reading and writing
instruction. By contrast, the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSSELA) focus on the interdisciplinary aspect of literacy, including higher order thinking and
conceptual understanding. In an effort to meet the multimodality of the CCSS-ELA, and to meet
the needs of my seventh grade students, I am exploring the implications of applying Visual
Thinking Strategies (VTS) methodology to reading instruction.
Research Proposal
Purpose of the Study: I believe literacy is acquired developmentally through a variety of
interactions with text and images. Early childhood literacy instruction addresses the
developmental needs of emergent readers, but adolescent literacy moves from learning to read to
reading to learn. This transition denies adolescent learners access to continued reading
improvement through interactions with peers and visual texts. Furthermore, literacy in the 21st
Century involves interpretation beyond written text through the multimodality of technology and
its communication capabilities. This study is intended to bridge the gap between traditional

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adolescent reading instruction and reading for the 21st Century learner. Using developmental
theory research and the Visual Thinking Strategies approach to cognitive development, I hope to
develop an effective approach to adolescent reading instruction.
Research Question
What impact, if any, does the inclusion of VTS art and text discussions have on students
reading comprehension in a 7th grade language arts class.

What role does the VTS art discussion play in the language arts lessons?
How do students react to VTS art discussions? How do students react to VTS text

discussions?
What impact, if any, do the VTS text discussions have on students reading and writing

(literacy) skills?
If benefits of the inclusion of VTS methods are observed, how might they be explained?

Definition of Terms

Intertextuality-the interrelationship between texts

Transmediation- the process of translating a work into a different medium
Scaffolding- individual learner supports
Higher Order Thinking- thinking which requires conceptual process, but may be

generalized to other areas

Multimodality- the theory of communication and semiotics utilizing multiple modes
Linguistics- the study of meaning
Semiotics- the study of signs and symbols as means of communication

Theoretical Framework

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A case study approach will be used to conduct the research for this study. Because
developmental theory involves learning through interaction with peers and the environment,
studying the effects of VTS art and text discussions over an extended period of time will be the
most appropriate framework for this study. Qualitative data will be gathered through teacher
observations, session notes/reflections, student interviews, student retellings, and recordings of
art and reading discussions. Quantitative data, in the form of running records and
comprehension assessments will be collected to assess growth in reading comprehension. An
A/r/tography piece of student created works, interweaving text and visual representations, will be
constructed throughout the study.
Permissions and Protection of Human Rights: This study will be conducted in accordance to the
guidelines set forth by the Institutional Review Board. The following concerns will be addressed
in the permissions process: informed consent statements, protection of rights to privacy,
protection of participant confidentiality, protection against physical and psychological risks to
participants, data confidentiality and safe-guarding. Teacher/researcher will be responsible for
the ethical treatment of student participants.
Literature Review
Communication and literacy skills are developmental processes which can be improved
with effective instructional methods. Although traditional literacy focuses mostly on the ability
to read and write, literacy instruction for the 21st Century learner includes higher order thinking
and conceptual understanding of written texts and visual texts. In considering the inclusion of
visual literacy in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA), I
began exploring the implications of aesthetic development research on reading comprehension.

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Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) was developed to improve cognitive ability and
communication skills, as well as aesthetic development. This article is a literature review of
research related to two key areas: literacy instruction with visual arts integration and VTS and
cognitive development. The purpose of this review to examine the theoretical framework of
VTS and determine what impact, if any, VTS art discussions have on communication and
literacy development in adolescents, thus providing possible implications for applying the VTS
methodology to reading instruction at the middle school level.
Visual Literacy and Cognitive Development:
According to several articles reviewed, literacy development relies heavily on cognitive
psychology and developmental theory. A study by Karin DeSantis and Abigail Housen (1996)
asserts the influence of theorists James Mark Baldwin (1861-1934) and Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
in explaining, the formation of cognitive development theory relies empirically-derived data
observation in the subjects environment as well as documentation of thinking through language
use (p.2). Although individual assessments are used most often to examine student growth in
reading and writing, skill development involved interactions with text and art in some form.
Research suggests that literacy instruction has to address cognitive development of learners,
and the development of literacy itself over time, with specific regard to 21st Century technology.
One study suggests the phrase hidden literacies as a reference to visual representations
acknowledged in all aspects of society except education (Roswell and Kendrick, 2013, p.587).
According to an article by Rowswell and Kendrick (2013), As such, many practices that embed
literacy (e.g., play, art, video games) are invisible because teachers do not define these
activities as literacy. In all fairness, methods for incorporating the visual into language arts and

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English classes are relatively vague, even nebulous (p.587). Teaching to decode text is no
longer sufficient in the classroom; instruction has to involve interactions with peers and with
multimodal forms of texts.
Trisha Weiss Long developed a strategy described as Full Circling in which she used
historical images as visual texts to introduce and develop interest in a topic. Students were
invited to vocalize their awareness of the text/topic, then interpret, analyze, and come full circle
by transmediating what they learned. Long (2008) explains the necessity for and uncertainty of
using visual texts in that, Teacher educatorsespecially those of us who have chosen
multimodal literacies as an intrinsic part of our practiceare currently traveling a precarious and
unpredictable path in education that requires us to reflect upon and act as pedagogical advocates
for the students in our care( p.498).
One study conducted by Ali Nihat Eken, used film as text. Eken (2002) argued that the use
of film improved critical literacy and higher order thinking skills in university students any
student who actively tries to understand a film is indeed involved in a process of criticism and
creative expression, which helps him or her to develop skills to effectively read both films and
other media products (p.1.) Similar conclusions were drawn in each of the studies reviewed:
visual texts improved cognitive development.
The VTS Approach:
In considering the use of VTS in the language arts classroom, I reviewed several works by
Abigail Housen and Philip Yenawine. Housens theory of aesthetic development incorporates
cognitive development theory and developmental stage theory, which provides a framework to
explain the way a person constructs an understanding in many areas, such as science, language,

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ethics, oraesthetics (Housen and Yenawine, 1996, p.1). Housens stages account for growth
related to age, but recognizes that growth is not determined by age. In terms of literacy
development, this theme emerged in many studies, which involved struggling readers and writers
who were not performing at grade (i.e. age) level. Through the implementation of the VTS
curriculum, research shows viewers progressing through Housens stages of aesthetic
development, which may hold implications when applied to other subjects.
VTS is a student centered approach in which the teacher/facilitator uses three prescribed
questions to elicit student responses. Students share ideas and inquiries in a non-threatening
environment as all responses are acknowledged equally and there is no wrong answer. Housen
(1992) explains the approach, In practical terms, we found that the most effective experiences
for stimulating aesthetic development are question-based, give the learner repeated opportunity
to construct meaning from different points of view, takes place in an environment that supports
looking in new and meaningful ways, and are inspired by rich, varied, and carefully chosen
works of art (p.7). Each article reviewed used the same prescribed approach to elicit student
responses, and all reported favorable outcomes.
A Study of VTS in an Arts-Based Literacy Program
A case study conducted by Mary Franco and Kathleen Unrath implemented VTS in an artsbased literacy program for elementary boys who were identified as struggling writers. Through
weekly literacy lessons, each beginning with a rigorous VTS discussion and followed by artmaking, advanced literacy behaviors began to emerge. Franco and Unrath (2014) describe the
integration of literacy and visual arts experienced in this study as a carpe diem moment: the
opportunity to demonstrate that the capacities upheld by the CCSS-ELA are authentically invited

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by the unique content of art (p.29). Through this integration of literacy and VTS discussions,
with sequential images carefully chosen to stimulate interest, inquiry, and cognitive growth, the
young boys began constructing narratives, developing perspective, and supporting their thinking,
which was evidenced in their artworks and writing.
Recommended Practices:
Research supports visual arts integration in literacy instruction. 21st Century learners are
tasked with interpreting a variety of texts in complex multimodalities, and in meeting the
literacy needs of todays students, new practices must emerge which value visual texts along with
written text. Reading and writing programs should integrate images, technology, and a variety of
communicative means to prepare learners for the future. As Franco and Unrath (2014) state,
Students who are prepared for college, careers, and life in the 21st century are responsive
communicators who adapt their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language to
communicative requirements of the situation at hand (p.31).
Methods and Data Analysis
This case study will be conducted with a class of 20-25 seventh grade Language Arts students
in a rural Missouri public school. Students will participate in VTS art and text discussions
within the context of the literacy classroom. Pre-VTS assessments will be completed at the onset
of the study and compared to post-VTS assessments. Pre- and post- assessments are identical,
and will therefore provide analysis of progress. VTS discussions will be recorded and analyzed
according to the VTS Facilitator Feedback Form. Throughout the study, students will complete
reading comprehension assessments through Literably, which assesses fluency, comprehension,

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and records student retellings of a reading passage. The pre-VTS and post-VTS assessment form
will be used to analyze passage retellings.
Timeline: This study will be conducted within one quarter of the school year, over the course of
nine weeks.
Discussion
This study is intended to explore the transference possibilities of VTS art discussions to VTS
text discussions. Research suggests commonalities between meaning making of visual texts and
phonetic texts, which is evidenced in childrens books. Children first begin reading pictures,
and then move to written text. The developmental ideology, as proposed here, is accessible to
adolescent readers as well through the phenomenon of intertextuality. When literacy is
perceived as more than written and spoken language, there is a theoretical shift from linguistics
to semiotics. From a semiotics perspective, words are simply images twice removed from the
original context (Gillenwater, 2014, p.252). Franco and Unrath(2014) found that through VTS
art discussions, students intuitively utilized their available resourcesthe visual text, prior
knowledge, past experience, and one anotherto make sense of the image (p. 29).
Approaching reading comprehension in regards to semiotics theory, transferring VTS art
discussions to text discussion could result in the utilization of similar resources to make meaning
of text. Visual literacy and phonemic literacy pedagogies are similar in that they both include
formal instruction as a critical method for skill development. Using VTS art discussions foster
self-regulated learning, increase learner motivation, create a positive classroom community, and
improve visual literacy. Using VTS discussions as a formal instructional model with written

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texts may provide the aforementioned results, as well as increase reading comprehension skills in
adolescents.

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References:
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Azevedo, N. R., & Goncalves, M. J. (2012). Writing and Reading with Art: Adult Literacy,
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Arts Program: Respecting Pedagogues from the Community. Journal of Adolescent &
Adult Literacy, 57(1), 51-59.
Connors, S. P. (2012). Toward a Shared Vocabulary for Visual Analysis: An Analytic Toolkit for
Deconstructing the Visual Design of Graphic Novels. Journal of Visual Literacy, 31(1),
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DeSantis, K., & Housen, A. (1996). VTS: A Brief Guide to Developmental theory and Aesthetic
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Eken, A. N. (2002). The Third Eye. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(3), 220-30.
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Hill, A. E. (2014). Using Interdisciplinary, Project-Based, Multimodal Activities to Facilitate

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Literacy Across the Content Areas. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(6), 450460.
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Long, T. W. (2008). The Full Circling Process: Leaping into the Ethics of History Using Critical
Visual Literacy and Arts-Based Activism. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(6),
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