Visual Elements Aren't Just for Looks:
Incorporating Visual Elements in Composition Studies
Visual elements are the norm today. Because it's estimated that over 65% of learners are visual learners, I'm a huge believer in incorporating visual elements into my lessons and Canvas courses. One of the companies I work with shows the importance of visual elements in marketing. Likewise, I try to engage students through visuals as well.
Visual Representations of Rhetorical Concepts
It is exciting to help students understand the concepts of rhetorical situations and their constituents (as defined by Bitzer, Vatz & Consigny, and later Secor and Grant-Davie). Rhetorical knowledge and an understanding of the composing process empowers students to expand their circles and join conversations. When introducing students to the idea of rhetorical situations, I often use an example we can all relate to: trying to convince ourselves to NOT press the snooze button in the morning. Both the audience and the rhetor is ourselves, creating a divisive interior monologue. The exigence, of course, is the matter and motivation of the whole situation--getting to work and school in order to create a better life. The constraints of a warm bed and too little sleep will always threaten the potential success of the discourse. In rhetorical situations, there is a struggle to balance audience and constraints with rhetor and exigence. I try to represent that delicate situation in a graphic with scales. Below are the slides I created to introduce and discuss rhetorical situations:
Incorporating Visual Elements in Composition Studies
Visual elements are the norm today. Because it's estimated that over 65% of learners are visual learners, I'm a huge believer in incorporating visual elements into my lessons and Canvas courses. One of the companies I work with shows the importance of visual elements in marketing. Likewise, I try to engage students through visuals as well.
Visual Representations of Rhetorical Concepts
It is exciting to help students understand the concepts of rhetorical situations and their constituents (as defined by Bitzer, Vatz & Consigny, and later Secor and Grant-Davie). Rhetorical knowledge and an understanding of the composing process empowers students to expand their circles and join conversations. When introducing students to the idea of rhetorical situations, I often use an example we can all relate to: trying to convince ourselves to NOT press the snooze button in the morning. Both the audience and the rhetor is ourselves, creating a divisive interior monologue. The exigence, of course, is the matter and motivation of the whole situation--getting to work and school in order to create a better life. The constraints of a warm bed and too little sleep will always threaten the potential success of the discourse. In rhetorical situations, there is a struggle to balance audience and constraints with rhetor and exigence. I try to represent that delicate situation in a graphic with scales. Below are the slides I created to introduce and discuss rhetorical situations:
When working with students individually in Online Plus course, I felt students could use a visual aid to better understand the rhetorical appeals. This graphic is part of the Canvas English 1010 Online Plus class:
Infographics Are a Tool for Summarizing and Outlining
While visual elements make for more interesting presentations and help visual learners process information better, infographics can be used as a tool for comprehension, outlining, and creating an awareness of visual rhetoric. Using an online infographic editor allows the focus to be on the reading or rhetorical skill rather than using the time to learn a new software program that not every computer might have. I like to use Piktochart.com in my classes because it is free and relatively easy to get clean looking results. My students enjoy using this tool as we study critical reading and visual rhetoric. We've also used infographics to outline and present research projects before actually drafting the paper. Below is an example Piktochart I created for my class discussion on learning and critical reading; my students have created similar infographics:
While visual elements make for more interesting presentations and help visual learners process information better, infographics can be used as a tool for comprehension, outlining, and creating an awareness of visual rhetoric. Using an online infographic editor allows the focus to be on the reading or rhetorical skill rather than using the time to learn a new software program that not every computer might have. I like to use Piktochart.com in my classes because it is free and relatively easy to get clean looking results. My students enjoy using this tool as we study critical reading and visual rhetoric. We've also used infographics to outline and present research projects before actually drafting the paper. Below is an example Piktochart I created for my class discussion on learning and critical reading; my students have created similar infographics:
Sometimes We Just Need a Map
Often I'd rather have my students deeply understand and engage with their readings and sources rather than struggle with organization. Using templates like the ones in They Say I Say by Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst helps demystify how to arrange a paper. I also like to draw a "map" of how the essay will "look." Before I began teaching Online Plus, I'd assign my English 1010 students a Summary/Response essay. I created this assignment outline to appeal to visual learners:
Often I'd rather have my students deeply understand and engage with their readings and sources rather than struggle with organization. Using templates like the ones in They Say I Say by Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst helps demystify how to arrange a paper. I also like to draw a "map" of how the essay will "look." Before I began teaching Online Plus, I'd assign my English 1010 students a Summary/Response essay. I created this assignment outline to appeal to visual learners:
Adding Kinesthetics to Make Learning Hands On
I see beginning composition classes as a series of steps that lead to higher level abilities, and I base much of the order of my assignments on Bloom's Taxonomy. Synthesizing ideas and arguments comes after an understanding of texts and ideas. Being able to articulate a response to a text and form connections between texts allows for a student to begin adding their insight to the conversation. Some semesters, I've come to class with blank square, triangle, and rectangle shapes for my students to write their notes. These different shapes can create new shapes, forms, and systems, and being able to visually and physically arrange the shapes allows for new ways of thinking about the texts. It gives another dimension to thinking about the subjects:
I see beginning composition classes as a series of steps that lead to higher level abilities, and I base much of the order of my assignments on Bloom's Taxonomy. Synthesizing ideas and arguments comes after an understanding of texts and ideas. Being able to articulate a response to a text and form connections between texts allows for a student to begin adding their insight to the conversation. Some semesters, I've come to class with blank square, triangle, and rectangle shapes for my students to write their notes. These different shapes can create new shapes, forms, and systems, and being able to visually and physically arrange the shapes allows for new ways of thinking about the texts. It gives another dimension to thinking about the subjects:
"Real World" Examples.
Finding the source of the source
As a freelance content marketing writer, I'm able to give students examples of projects I do. I can really relate to students as they struggle to do research or reach for the development necessary to achieve the word count. I can also testify to students that the word we do in composition classes isn't busy work. The implications for their future classes, careers, and relationships are real. To illustrate the research process for the English 1010 Online Plus class, I've shown my process from actual writing projects:
Finding the source of the source
As a freelance content marketing writer, I'm able to give students examples of projects I do. I can really relate to students as they struggle to do research or reach for the development necessary to achieve the word count. I can also testify to students that the word we do in composition classes isn't busy work. The implications for their future classes, careers, and relationships are real. To illustrate the research process for the English 1010 Online Plus class, I've shown my process from actual writing projects:
Annotated Bibliographies Are Actually Pretty Useful.
Every semester there's more than one student who feels overwhelmed by the amount of work they see in doing an annotated bibliography. By the middle of the research process, however, they begin to see how useful it is to record your sources and processes. An annotated bibliography is a tool for not only recording and organizing sources, but also for making rhetorical decisions about the research to use to support a claim. I'm living proof that annotated bibliographies aren't just something English teachers invented to ruin weekends. I'm living proof that they have real applications. Below is an the annotated bibliography example I've added to the English Online Plus curriculum:
Every semester there's more than one student who feels overwhelmed by the amount of work they see in doing an annotated bibliography. By the middle of the research process, however, they begin to see how useful it is to record your sources and processes. An annotated bibliography is a tool for not only recording and organizing sources, but also for making rhetorical decisions about the research to use to support a claim. I'm living proof that annotated bibliographies aren't just something English teachers invented to ruin weekends. I'm living proof that they have real applications. Below is an the annotated bibliography example I've added to the English Online Plus curriculum: