Since the advent of the Internet, images are surrounding us everywhere. Images – be it advertisement, press photographs, or art – are important means of communication. To see, to interpret a visual image is as important as a foreign language. While an image might say more than a thousand words, we do not communicate in single words. There is a narrative, a grammar; there are culturally-determined connotations and messages that make up the communicative value of images. If we talk about media literacy of our students, we also have to talk about “image literacy.”
Moreover, images are supremely suited for use in the foreign language classroom: as discussion starter, story prompt for both oral and written communication, as gateway for dialogues (“What do the people in the image say to each other?”), and so on.
This workshop explores the different uses of images from a wide range of sources – newspaper, art photography, art, cartoons, and others. It gives examples of image integration in the German language classroom and lets participants develop their own image-based lesson plans.
Time: 2.5 – 4 hours
