Pictures offer a universal language for thinking and expressing ideas. This is one of the core beliefs behind Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy Through Art^® and Image-Making Within The Writing Process^®—two art and literature–based approaches to literacy learning presented at the 2013 TESOL Convention by developer Beth Olshansky. Moving beyond the traditional “verbocentric” paradigm, Picturing Writing and Image-Making treat words and pictures as complementary, parallel, and equal languages for learning. These models provide a proven hands-on visual approach to writing that is both engaging and accessible to English language learners, no matter their level of English proficiency.

Picturing Writing utilizes simple crayon resist art techniques (crayon drawings washed with watercolor) and quality picture books to study meaning-making in pictures and words. Image-Making offers a dynamic collage-based approach to writing in which students literally construct meaning using cut-and-torn shapes made from hand-painted papers they have created. The paper-texturing techniques are accessible to all students, even those who have never painted before. As students use cut-and-torn papers to give shape to their ideas, they are able to rehearse, draft, and revise their stories before ever putting pencil to paper.

Using either approach, students craft their own quality inquiry-based picture books aligned with their social studies and science curriculum and the ELA Common Core. Students’ hand-made books become favorite reading material in the elementary classroom. Both models have demonstrated their ability to significantly improve writing and strengthen reading.

View an excerpt from an instructional video shown (in part) at the 2013 TESOL Convention that details a Picturing Writing research-based animal poetry unit facilitated by Beth in an ELL Magnet classroom.

View an excerpt from Our Stories in Pictures and Words as Told by Immigrant and Refugee Children (an Image-Making unit of study shown at the Convention). (An instructional DVD for this unit is currently in process.)

Beyond the obvious engagement of English language learners in each video, a federally funded research study conducted in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, a national refugee resettlement community, documented in their research findings (PDF) significant gains in the writing and visual literacy skills of participating English language learning students as compared to those in demographically matched comparison groups.

Picturing Writing and Image-Making have found a natural home among English language learners and their teachers. The video clips referenced above offer readers a peek into the classroom to see for themselves why this is so.

Girl displays Picturing Writing accordion folder that embodies the parallel, complementary, and equal languages of pictures and words.

Boy uses the Image-Making collage process to construct an image depicting his first day in the United States.

Two boys read a classmate's Image-Making book about his recent journey to America.

Resources

Olshansky, B. (2010). Our stories in pictures and words as told by immigrant and refugee children. Durham, NH: Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy, University of New Hampshire.

Olshansky, B. (2010). Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy Through Art^® animal poetry unit with English language learners. Durham, NH: Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy, University of New Hampshire.

Olshansky, B. (2008). The power of pictures: Creating pathways to literacy through art. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Beth Olshansky is the developer of two innovative approaches to literacy learning: Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy Through Art^® and Image-Making Within the Writing Process^®. She is the founder and director of the Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy at the University of New Hampshire, which offers hands-on on-site teacher training. Beth is the author of The Power of Pictures: Creating Pathways to Literacy Through Art (Jossey-Bass, 2008) and has produced numerous teacher manuals and DVDs. For more information, visit: www.picturingwriting.org or e-mail Beth.