Visual Literacy:  how i SEE it 

Humans are visual creatures. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text. (Sources: 3M Corporation and Zabisco) Before the written word, images were used for communication.  In an individual’s formative years of education, visuals play a big part in the learning process.  Pictures are used to identify and relate objects to written words.  As students get older, the visual part of learning is slowly removed which in my opinion is a shame because today's students live in a world where visuals beyond the ordinary daily visuals are everywhere.  An example of this, is the weather report on the news.  You no longer have a map of the country with little cut out suns and clouds representing the conditions.  Now you are presented with a visual which is delivered via a computerized system and google satellite maps for the viewer to decipher and analyze alongside the weather person.  Visual literacy is necessary for all but as a science person I believe it is even more essential for students who intend to pursue careers in science and technology.   

As important as visual literacy is, one must take into consideration that culture can affect our view of the world and thus, will affect the perceptions of different visuals.  Our culture can shape our perceptions. For example, if red is positive happy color in one's culture, then a visual with such color would bring about a positive response and a greater desire for a student to analyze and interpret the visual.  Research conducted by Denise Park of the University of Illinois in Urbana, US, concluded that over the course of decades, culture shapes how the brain perceives images.This needs to be taken into consideration when teachers are teaching visual literacy to the diverse classroom.  

As a science teacher, charts, graphs, photographs, and other visual information are my life.  I am a visual learner and for me, they are all an intricate part of who I am and what I do. My world would be quite blah without the visuals and the challenge that some of them present in interpreting them.  On a more personal note, I have two confessions to make.  First, I must confess that when I read a scholarly article I keep hoping that there would be some kind of visual to it because the picture would take the place of a thousand words. Secondly, I confess that I still look for the pictures first when I read through a book or magazine.  

Reference

Can culture dictate the way we see? (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11785-can-culture-dictate-the-way-we-see.html#.VN_NISvF8qw