From perception to creative writing: A multi-method pilot study of a visual literacy instructional approach

Visual literacy is the set of skills used to ascertain meaning in visual stimuli (e.g., visual art, pictures, or abstract representations). We present a new visual-literacy based instructional approach—and its underlying theoretical model—in which museum educators introduced children and their teachers to works of art in a museum setting, then guided teachers to bring visual images and art objects into the classroom to present children with new visual experiences, increase their visual and verbal skills, and, ultimately, promote their development as writers. A set of three multi-method exploratory studies is then presented to examine key aspects of the instructional program: (a) observations of children's verbalizations in a group discussion of a work of art before and during exposure to the program; (b) examination of story-writing skill development in a pre-posttest control-study design; and (c) retrospective interview analysis, tracing the underlying thinking processes engaged during a visual-literacy based writing activity. Although the new instructional approach presented here is still under development, preliminary results show promise that visual-literacy practices may facilitate children's development of writing skills with regard to vocabulary, narrative structure and originality, through a better sense of observation and increased inferential thinking.

► A visual-literacy based instructional approach to promote children’s writing is presented.
► The promise of this approach was explored in three multi-method exploratory studies.
► The instructional approach facilitates the development of writing skills (vocabulary, narrative structure and originality).
► Visual-literacy practices may increase observational skills and inferential thinking leading to improved writing outcomes.