Interpreting Ambiguous Images

Chris GrodoskiNorthern Illinois University

&Franklin Middle School Wheaton, IL

Schedule, Goals, and Doughnuts• Presentation Time: 9:00

– 10:45

• Unpacking: an approach for understanding creative visual

imagery: 9:00 – 9:25

• Collaborative Exploration: 9:25 – 9:35

• Workshop: 9:35 – 10:20

• Assessment, Scaffolding, and Review: 10:20-

10:45

Part I

Unpacking Ambiguous Images

Traditional Interpretive Process

DESCRIPTION

ANALYSIS

INTERPRETATION

EVALUATION

Meaningful Interpretations

“...[students] want to be certain to get the “right” interpretation, to get the best grade, and they do not trust that their own experience ... They are

not confident enough to take risks, and to create meanings based upon visual signifiers and

their own experiences” (Smith-Shank, 2004, p. 2)

What is Unpacking?• A five step process for the

interpretation and production of creative visual imagery

• Phrasing for students: “Images are like suitcases,

they have a lot of ‘stuff’ in them. Since they are not real things, they can be understood in many ways. We have to unpack them, like a suitcase, to see everything inside of them.”

Why use Unpacking ?

• Unpacking:– Honors a variety of

creative visual work– Develops student

interpretive process– Can be reversed and

applied to production– Utilizes best practices in

teaching and learning– Highlights multiple points

of view simultaneously– Fosters inquiry

Why Unpack?• Integrates symbol processing and socio-cultural learning into student-owned strategies, an

approach advocated for by Efland (2002).• Address James’s (1997) call that art educators should develop “instructional strategies that

help both non-art and art majors to feel confident and knowledgeable about the personal, social, domain-specific, and process-based aspects of engaging in artistic creativity” (James, 1997)

• Unpacking is best instructed through a student-generated visual organizer, which aids in the development of schemata and increases learning retention (Efland, 2002; Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002; Moreno & Valdez, 2005).

• Unpacking highlights connotative and denotative interpretations, as advocated for by Barrett (2003).

• Unpacking provides a way for students to understand that images are created for contexts, as well as that images represent a point of view (Duncum, 2010; Freedman, 1996).

• Finally, this device provides students a way to metacognitively reflect on their own thinking, an important goal for middle-level learners (Arredondo, Blackburn, Brandt, Marzano, & Moffett, 1997; Marshall, 2005).

• Unpacking should be viewed in contrast to interpretive guides like Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) (Housen & Yenawine, 2000).

Unpacking:Actual Function, Emotion, Audience, Image

Reference, & Metaphor

Description

• What do I see?• Use formal qualities• Increases focus on

separating meaning & emotion from descriptive processes

Emotion

• What feelings are being communicated?

• What feelings am I experiencing?

Elevated Conversations around Emotion

“I think that if someone created a spider this big, they are trying to show… if you are afraid of spiders, they would seem big.”

“Interesting theory. So a possible conclusion might be that fear can cause thing to be noticed?”

Image References

• What images does this one remind me of?

• Encourage knowledge from popular culture, personal experiences, social knowledge and, when applicable, art world knowledge.

Audience

• Who is this image for?• Who would this image

appeal to?• What about this image

would make it appealing to that group/individual?

• Students can identify gender, age, and interests of the audience as a starting point.

Metaphor

• What might this image symbolize?

• How can I summarize the theme of the image?

• Challenge students to develop one-word themes

Getting started• Description: “What do I see?” • Emotion: “What feelings are being

communicated? What feelings am I experiencing?”

• Image References: “What images does this one remind me of?”

• Audience: “Who is this image for? Who would this image appeal to? What about this image would make it appealing to that group/individual?

• Metaphor: What might this image symbolize? How can I summarize the theme of the image?

• Continued Inquiry: What questions do I still have?

Part II

Assessment and Scaffolding

Assessment: Design and composition

Assessing Narratives: Convergent thinking and declarative knowledge

Increasing Complexity

Assessment: Elaboration

Assessment: Elaboration

Reverse Unpacking

IMAGE REFERENCES

MET

APH

OR

AUDIENCE

DESCRIPTION EMOTION

Thank you!

Chris Grodoskicgrodoski@gmail.com