We as educators have the responsibility to prepare our students for a more complex world in the digital and multimodal spheres. That subsumes viewing as an important skill along with listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Educators describe viewing as an activity, which can enhance critical thinking through interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of visual and multimedia texts.
Anyone who spends time with children knows that they are constantly processing words and their meanings, sometimes challenging what adults say, often playing with language as they ask “Why?” and “How?” and “What if?” But it’s also clear that you can’t view learning in isolation, even language learning. That is why we’re expanding on the idea with concrete examples, actionable strategies, and examples in classrooms.
Why Viewing Skills Matter?
A New Era of Communication Is Visual.
Today’s learners are inundated with visual texts on a daily basis—Instagram reels, YouTube videos, memes, advertisements, and infographics. If students aren’t instructed in how to interpret these well, then they risk becoming passive consumers instead of active thinkers.
Critical Viewing (think critically about what you are watching.
Viewing furthers students’ thinking in a higher order. They look at visuals, consider what they mean, assess their messages, and make inferences. Those are precisely the skills we need to spend time practicing to handle the nuances of digital communication and visual rhetoric.
A Look at Viewing Integration with Concrete Examples:
Example 1: Critique an Advertisement.
Visual: Billboard or online advertising a product.
Have students describe the image: What do you see? Person, symbols, colors, expressions, etc.
Analyze the Purpose: What is this ad trying to sell? Who is the target audience?
Understand the techniques: What feelings or concepts does the ad provoke? Colors, fonts, or visuals add to what?
Word of the Day: Would you buy this product? Why or why not?
Example 2: Instagram Posts
Image Credit: A travel influencer post with a scenic graphic and caption.
Notice the photo and description.
The other question to answer in relation to this, predict what the story behind the image is: Where is this place? What does the post serve as a purpose?
Detect implicit meanings: Is this an organic post? How is the influencer you write about selling an idea or lifestyle?
Relate it to personal experiences: Have you visited a similar place? How did you feel?
Example 3: Film Clips for Cultural Understanding.
Visual: 2-minute clip from a film
Look at the setting, costumes, and actions.
Talk about non-verbal communication: What feelings are expressed via gestures or postures?
Dads In Culture: Analyze cultural norms; how does the scene reflect the culture?
Apply to real-life contexts: How does this compare to your culture?
EFFECTIVE VIEWING INTEGRATION STRATEGIES
1. Structured Observation.
Provide guiding questions:
What stands out first to you in this image/video? Why?
What’s going on behind the scenes?
2. Critical Discussions.
Promote debate and multiple interpretations:
Example: Show a painting. Have students guess what the artist is trying to get across and have them argue.
3. Making Inferences and Predictions.
Use short silent clips. Pause mid-scene and ask:
What will happen next?
What hints led you to make that prediction?
4. Reflection and Connection.
Inspire one-on-one relationships. For example:
How does this photograph speak to your own experiences?
How do you feel when you look at this image?
5. Cross-Modal Connections.
Pair visuals with written or spoken texts.
For example, where you might analyze a video and transcript for textual-visual consistency.
The Teaching Sequence: Gradually Building Viewing Skills
1. Warm-Up:
In that way, when using an image/post, it will trigger their existing understanding.
For example: Display an image of a market. And have students point to the items and then infer the country or culture.
2. Main Activity:
IE: Introduce a dynamic visual or video. Utilise structured tasks to guide learners from analyzing to evaluating.
For example, a brief video about environmental issues Have students highlight its main message, analyze techniques used to elicit emotion, and propose solutions.
3. Reflection:
Encourage students to share interpretations and different perspectives.
Example: Have learners share their analysis with peers and prompt them to consider what influenced their interpretations.
4. Application:
Assign creative tasks:
Create an infographic on a topic that you like.
Be fun and visualize a storyboard for a short video.
Viewing Skills Assessment Checklist.
To assess how you might integrate viewing into your teaching:
- Do the visuals represent real-life, relevant exposure for students?
- Are your tasks encouraging higher-order thinking?
- Are students thinking critically about visuals: analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating them?
- Do students relate images to real-world experiences?
- Do discussions encourage and respect multiple perspectives?
The successful integration of skills for viewing not only prepares learners for the largely visual world of today but also develops critical thinking, creativity, and independence. Turning Passive Viewing into a Powerful Learning Tool Educators can create powerful learning experiences by embedding structured and purposeful viewing activities into lesson plans.