Reading Response

I chose to do my weekly reflection on Johanna Riddle's Engaging the Eye Generation, Chapter One. There were several statements from this chapter that I wanted to reflect on. On page seven, Riddle states, "As teachers, our job is to help students do more than merely look at symbols; we must show them how to interpret and communicate the meaning of images, to develop intelligent vision."  She further states that children "use images to make sense of the world" (p. 8).  I think Riddle is right on target with these two statements.  As teachers, we indeed have to help children develop intelligent vision so they can make sense of the world around them.
Another statement that stood out to me was that students need "guided questioning, discussion, observation, and time to consider various forms of information before they can successfully integrate their understanding of text and images" (p. 10).  Teachers need to provide students with different types of learning strategies to help interpret texts and images.  I liked the section about Venn diagrams from Riddle's book.  I love using Venn diagrams in my classroom because it is an easy way to distinguish similarities and differences and can be used for all subjects.
I liked how Riddle stated, "Once we unlock the door to intelligent vision, we set the stage for richer understanding and communication" (p. 29).  When students can interpret and communicate the meaning of images, they get a deeper understanding and can understand the world around them in a more meaningful way.