Reading Cultural Knowledge Through Visual Representation: An Instrument For Research On How To Use Students’ Cultural Background In The EFL Classroom.

PORTO, MELINA Y BEACON, GRISELDA

Buenos Aires

Encuentro; UBERT 2011 (Universidad de Belgrano English Round Table); 2011

Universidad de Belgrano

Reading Cultural Knowledge Through Visual Representation: An Instrument For Research On How To Use Students’ Cultural Background In The EFL Classroom     Abstract: The aim of this session is to introduce attendees to the visual representation. This is a research instrument specifically designed to investigate the cultural dimension of EFL reading. It has been used in a study of EFL reading and cultural understanding financed by the Program of teacher-researchers called “Incentivos” and CONICET. We shall look at the visual representation from two perspectives: research and practice. Regarding the former, we shall describe it in detail, discuss its advantages and limitations as a research instrument, and argue in its favour when the cultural dimension of EFL is the focus of attention. In connection with the latter, we shall offer samples of visual representations done by real students and analyze possible classroom applications and implications. We shall argue in favour of the visual representation on the following grounds: it is a form of textual intervention (Pope, 1995), it is useful to justify emotional responses in reading – an area in which the theories of schemata have weaknesses (Sadoski and Paivio, 1994), it is simple and has power of representation (Derrida, 1994), it provides access to the learners’ non-verbal, imaginative systems (Arizpe, 2001; Pope Edwards and Mayo Willis, 2000; Sadoski and Paivio, 1994), its visual format is related with the comprehension, integration, and appreciation of reading material (Pope Edwards and Mayo Willis, 2000; Sadoski and Paivio, 1994) and it aims at stimulating the cognitive through the affective in order to satisfy the perceived need to unify the cognitive sphere and the affective domain (Millard and Marsh, 2001; Sanders Bustle, 2004) References Arizpe, E. (2001). ‘Letting the story out’: Visual encounters with Anthony Browne’s The Tunnel. READING literacy and language, 115-119. Derrida, J. (1994). Márgenes de la Filosofía. Segunda edición. Traducción de Carmen González Marín. Madrid, Ediciones Cátedra. Millard, E. and Marsh, J. (2001). Words with pictures: The role of visual literacy in writing and its implication for schooling. READING literacy and language, 54-61. Pope, R. (1995). Textual Intervention: Critical and Creative Strategies for Literary Studies. New York: Routledge. Pope Edwards, C. and Mayo Willis, L. (2000). Integrating Visual and Verbal Literacies in the Early Childhood Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 27, 259-265. Sadoski, M. and Paivio, A. (1994). A Dual Coding View of Imagery and Verbal Processes in Reading Comprehension. In Ruddell, R., Ruddell, M. and Singer, H. (Eds.), Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, 4th ed. (pp. 582-601). Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association Inc. Sanders Bustle, L. (2004). The role of visual representation in the assessment of learning. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47/5, 416-423.