Visualizing intercultural literacy: engaging critically with diversity and migration in the classroom through an image-based approach

Abstract

Accessible forms of language, learning and literacy, as well as strategies that support intercultural communication are needed for the diverse population of refugee, asylum seeker and migrant children within schools. The research project Journeys from Images to Words explored the potential of visual texts to address these issues. Working in Glasgow primary schools within critical pedagogical frameworks that invite sharing of personal narratives and of cultural knowledge, the researchers examined and evaluated an image-based approach, both for reading and responding to a selection of children's texts and for obtaining an insight into the home literacy practices of diverse communities. In this article, a ‘generative theme’, as used by Paulo Freire is used to examine how students engaged with reading visual texts, shared their responses and extended their intercultural understanding. The results from this project provide evidence for the inclusion of visual texts and methodologies within critical pedagogies in order to develop intercultural literacy in the classroom.

Para apoyar a la población diversa de niños refugiados, solicitantes de asilo y migrantes en el colegio, son necesarias tanto formas accessibles de lenguage, aprendizaje y prácticas letradas, como también estrategias de comunicación intercultural. El proyecto de investigación, Travesías desde las imágenes hacia las palabras se dirige a este tema al explorar el potencial de textos visuales. Las investigadoras trabajaron en colegios de primaria en Glasgow a partir de marcos pedagógicos que invitaron a compartir narrativas personales y conocimientos culturales. Examinaron y evaluaron estrategias visuales, tanto para la lectura de una selección de textos para niños, como para obtener una mejor percepción de las prácticas de lectura de comunidades diversas. En este artículo, el ‘tema generador’, según Paulo Freire, se usa para examinar cómo los alumnos se acercaron a los textos visuales, compartieron sus respuestas y extendieron su con entendimiento intercultural. Los resultados de este proyecto aportan evidencia para incluir textos y metodologías visuales dentro de pedagogías críticas con el objetivo de desarrollar prácticas letradas interculturales en el aula.

Keywords:

• intercultural literacy
• immigration
• visual methods
• visual texts
• critical pedagogy
• generative themes

Notes

1. Journeys from Images to Words: Examining the efficacy of visual meaning-making strategies in the development of inclusive communities of critical readers was funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, 2011–2012 and based at the School of Education, University of Glasgow. http://journeys-fromimagestowords.com/

2. Visual Journeys: Exploring children's visual literacy through intercultural responses to wordless picture books was funded in the UK by the UK Literacy Association 2009–2010. See Arizpe et al. (2013).

3. According to United Nations, approximately 191 million individuals (3.0% of the world population) were living outside of their native countries as of 2005 (United Nations 2008). http://esa.un.org/migration.index.asp?panel=1

4. Ethical approval was obtained from the Local Authority and the School of Education (University of Glasgow) to conduct the present study. We have used pseudonyms to protect the anonymity of participants. All the examples that appear in this article are taken from students' work in both schools, which was found to have more commonalities than differences. We have not specifically attributed the children's quotes because these exemplify the emerging themes presented by the students in keeping with the use of the Freirian culture circles employed in the methodology.