Making sense of photographs in science textbooks and lectures
Date
2003
Authors
Pozzer-Ardenghi, Lilian
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Abstract
Photographs constitute a major aspect of high school biology textbooks, which dominate current classroom approaches to teaching and learning. However, little is known about how students make sense of and learn from photographs; even less is known about the different resources available for making sense of photographs both in textbooks and in lecture situations. Constituted of three interrelated studies, this thesis is concerned with the use of photographs as pedagogical resources to teach scientific concepts. In the first study I investigate the semiotic resources for interpreting photographs that high school biology textbooks make available to their readers. In the second study, I analyze gestures and body position as semiotic resources made available by lecturers who used photographs as part of their presentations. In my third study [ investigate how students make sense of photographs associated with written texts. The results of my study have implications for textbooks' authors and readers, and for teachers and lecturers.