Matthew Lovett

ID# 20566522

Investigative Essay
Are visuals more effective than writing when it comes to teaching? The way we are taught has a
tremendous effect on how we perceive the world as we mature and there are certain concepts that are
difficult to understand through text. Specifically, the basic understanding of English and the concepts of
literacy that shape what we read, view, and listen to everyday. So, what is a more beneficial approach to
learning these subjects in the classroom so that the young minds of tomorrow will be prepared for the
world they will inhabit and influence? Is there an innate psychology aspect to our brains that prefer one
method of learning over another, and if so, why do we prefer that particular style? I am hoping the
answers to these questions as I investigate further into this inquiry.
What motivated me to delve into exploring this question was when I was rummaging through
some old personal items of my dad’s while cleaning around the house. I stumbled upon some old
paperback novels of his, a couple of which I remember him reading to me. As I looked at the cover
artwork, I brough back to that time in my childhood when my mind was still fresh and unaccustomed to
the world. It was very nostalgic for me, but when I opened the book to reveal the contents of its pages, I
realized I had never actually read the text within. I had only simply listened to the words that came from
my dad and imagined the scenes he was invoking with my mind as he described the story. It was those
novels and readings with my father that sparked my interest into the art of storytelling and what surprised
me even more is I wouldn’t even had understood the vocabulary and diction the book was comprised of at
that age. Because of the inspiration the books incited in me, I was interested in understanding the English
language and I slowly began to understand how literacy functions as a tool to create engaging immersive
narratives and literary pieces. All of this was at a young age and much of this I learned from visual media
such as movies, it was at this point I also found some of some of dad’s old VHS cassettes he filmed off of
the TV. He had played them and showed me when I was young and re-watching them, it dawned on me
that a lot of the films and shows introduced me to numerous literary themes and concepts I wouldn’t fully
understand until years later such as “Good versues Evil” and the “Hero’s Journey”. But when I was
learning about them I already had a basic grasp of these concepts, and combined with the novels my
father would read, I realized that visual learning is equally if not more important to learning literacy than
actual text and writing.
I began to research if there was any merit to this claim and what I found seems to indicate that I
might have a valid point. I’ve compiled some sources which seem to suggest strongly that there seems to
be a connection with visual learning and how it affects how quick we learn certain subjects. One source
that I found is an internet non-academic article by an educational foundation on their website Edutopia
which I found searching Google. It is titled, "How Important is Teaching Literacy in all Content Areas?",
written by Rebecca Alber, an Instructor at UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Literary Specialist.
The main point of the article is that it is equally important to encourage other forms of literacy in a
educational environment other than the act of listening. Alber goes on to examine different academic
subjects such as math, history, science, and art and how literacy plays a part in each and how teaching
literary skills is not solely the responsibility of English instructors. She argues that it is important to the
development of children to learn a variety of different literary skills because as adults, we read and write
more than any other point in our lives, which is very much true. With the examples she mentions, she
emphasizes that regardless of academic subject, you should promote conversation among students to
better their speaking and implement writing activities like quick writes and one-minute essays. By the end
of the article, you are able to conclude that every teacher is a reading and literary instructor regardless of
subject and literacy doesn't only apply when reading a book or writing an essay. Another source I found a
online video of a presentation by Dartmouth College director Brian Kennedy where he lectures about how
essential it is for visual literacy, the ability to read, write and create visual images, to be taught more in
 Matthew Lovett
ID# 20566522

academic environments and how it impacts our lives. My final source is another online video of a
presentation by a literary researcher Keisha Siroboe, who shares insightful studying behaviors that
parents, educators, and involved adults can follow inside their lives in addition to withinside the lives of
children. shows me there is not simply visual and text formats in which to demonstrate literacy, but there
is also audio. This hadn’t dawned on me until I watched this presentation and now, I have a new
perspective in which to approach my question.
At this point, I can safely say my overall approach and thoughts have changed significantly over
the course of my research. This has been evident by the fact the actual wording of my question has
changed as I’ve been gathering information. It started as,” Is it possible to understand concepts of writing
through other visual means instead text?”, to “Are their other means of learning and improving your
literary skills besides text?". Now I have been less restrictive about the subject of my question, so it is
simply about if visual teaching is more effective for learning instead of textual teaching. Because I found
that the first incarnation of my question didn’t make much sense and I also realized there is more to
learning than just literacy. You can practically teach anything depending on how well you teach it, which
is what makes my question significant. Which is a better way to teach, regardless of whatever it is you
maybe instructing? Like I have said previously, the way we are taught affects us significantly and will
determine how we act and view the world. Its vital we are taught in the best possible way so we can
ensure we will be able to properly navigate certain aspects of life. My sources have demonstrated that it
doesn’t matter whether you are a Arts, Science, or Math instructor, we all must do what’s best for our
students and I’ve come to realize that visual teaching is superior in allowing students to better understand
and grasp what it is they are being taught.
I am currently pondering how the mind interprets information how what form of media is more
digestible in understanding information, visual or textual? Imagery or Text? As of the time I write this,
my research has led me to believe that humans are instinctually better at visualizing and can gather
information better through imagery instead of a form of text. My research I've gathered so far has
supported this, as they all have a recurring theme. That which throughout the course of human history, we
have been taught through many ways but we are more capable at retaining information better through
some sort of visual teaching or media then we are when we observe or read textual media.