Blog Entry #3: Images

 

      

Source: https://tastecuvino.com/2017-12-15-thru-12-23-feast-of-the-seven-fishes/

Images help to make a visual connection to what we are reading or learning about.  As a learner, that visual connection helps to support my thoughts or feelings about a topic or subject.  Images can help strengthen understanding and can even help to clarify information.  We teach our students to look for details and pay attention to the setting.  When looking at a picture in books we are reading, I always model pointing out things in the picture that were not talked about in the text.  I share with them that we can often times learn more information from an image that was not included in the text we read.  As a teacher I can ask students probing questions that require them to look deeper into an image.  This allows for great practice so that they are able to do it independently as they grow.

I find it very important to include images when teaching my kindergarten students.  Many of the topics that my students are learning about are brand new to them.  Being able to put a visual with what they are learning helps many of them create a stronger and deeper understanding of the topic.  The images I included above are from my Holidays Around the World lessons that I teach in December.  During each lesson, the students learn about cultural foods and traditions that are often experienced in a particular country during this time.  The image above is one that I share when students are learning about the Feast of Seven Fishes in Italy.  Having a visual image during lessons such as these helps to enhance learning for students who may not otherwise be able to create a mental image of the topic.

I am unfamiliar with the apps that were referenced in our reading for this chapter.  However, it did remind me of an iPad app that I once used many years ago at my old school.  (Of course, I cannot remember the name of it at this moment!)  It was an app that allowed students to create illustrations and record themselves reading their story that they were creating.  I no longer have access to iPads for my classroom, but I would love to look into similar apps that I could use on my current devices.  Often times in my classroom I will pause during videos, images, or stories during student learning time.  I will ask students a specific question about what we have heard so far, while having them look at the image to help them answer what is being asked.  Images are an important part of teaching and learning.  It is equally important to teach students how to use images in a meaningful way.