Teaching Literacy Through the Visual Arts in a Multicultural World by Smilan & Towell
The Role of Post Modern Picture Books by Hellman
The two articles gave me a greater appreciation for picture books. I always assumed children enjoyed picture books for the aesthetic quality and fun stories to match the text but I never realized how eminent they are during a child’s development. While I began reading about Post Modern picture books in “The Role of Post Modern Picture Books” I thought they had a negative connotation. These books cause the reader’s attention to move from place to place, from text to picture and back, in a fluid way (Mackey and McClay, 2000). This immediately reminded me of attention deficit disorder. I also learned that a characteristic of a post modern picture book has “info on the side bar, like computers”. I would definitely find this distracting. This might incline a student to focus less on what is going on in the actual story and have scattered thoughts floating away from the book. However, I was very intrigued by the picture book titled “Black and White”. Reading about the book made me actually want to read the book in its entirety. I can see myself enjoying a book in this style at a young age. At the same time, it also encourages a student to switch focuses and change thought directions immediately. I think this can be both positive and negative.
“Teaching Literacy Through the Visual World in a Multicultural World” by Towell and Smilan was very eye opening for me. This article puts a lot of valid points into perspective. I had always thought of literacy as reading and writing, yet seeing, listening, speaking, interpreting, and revising are also integral components of this tasks. I loved the lesson plan idea where the participants were asked to transport themselves into the painting and to conduct their own “viewer response” (Gilbert, 2003). This allows the participants to truly use their imagination and look at the painting from a completely different perspective. This is a lesson I know I would have enjoyed if it was presented to me in a classroom, or any type of setting. Students enter classrooms with a wide array of experiences, cultures, and traditions. I learned how important it is to honor multicultural heritages of the country by studying indigenous literature and art. Teachers must be aware that culture is as “fluid and ever-changing” as the students who enter the classrooms (Jacks, 2006).
