Teachers Link to Persuasive Visuals

 

Literature regarding argument teaching practice indicates that we need, as teachers, to have a wide focus on a variety of argumentative texts which are not solely limited to oral and written. Visual texts also communicate persuasion and argument.  Analysing and having the ability to be critical viewers of visual texts is an essential skill in english studies. Texts  in general are not limited to print only writing and thus persuasive texts are also not limited to written articles (Stephens 2010). Students must be encouraged to explore all kinds of modes of argument as it is portrayed in a miyriad of genres. Advertising, social commentary/political/satirical cartoons and campaigning issues are examples of visually persuasive texts. The analysis of visual rhetoric opens the door to a wider understanding of argument. Argumentive and persuasive texts are everywhere in modern society and the analysis of visual persuasive texts caters to a wide variety of learners.  According to Newell et al, ‘argumentation involves a more sophisticated set of genre practices compared with narration and exposition in that a range of genres, challenging the formalist notion that there is a single argumentative essay genre form’ (2011, p. 277).

 

The Visual Text resourse for teaching argument aims to equip students with the knowledge and understanding to analyse visual texts (such as satyrical cartoons, advertisements, and visual campaigns). The suggested activities in this resource aim to develop students analytical skills to ‘Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)’. Students are also given the opportunity to create their own visual texts which represent an argument or position. This teaching resource requires students to consider how visual elements, including semiotics & symbolism work to create meaning and persuade and audience. Visual Literacy can be defined as ‘the analytical understanding of visual images’ which adress a ‘wide range of intentions’ (Stephens, p.97)

 

Curriculum Link: Advertising

AusVELS Level 10: Use a range of software, including word processing programs, confidently, flexibly and imaginatively to create, edit and publish texts, considering the identified purpose and the characteristics of the user (ACELY1776)

 

Curriculum Link: Campaigns

AusVELS Level 10: Evaluate the impact on audiences of different choices in the representation of still and moving images (ACELA1572)

 

Curriculum Link: Political Cartoons

AusVELS Level 10: Analyse and evaluate how people, cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are represented in texts, including media texts, through language, structural and/or visual choices (ACELY1749)

 

Identify and analyse implicit or explicit values, beliefs and assumptions in texts and how these are influenced by purposes and likely audiences (ACELY1752)

 

Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)