Chapter 5: Nonlinguistic Representation

I was very interested to learn about nonlinguistic representation as it is not a concept that I was all too familiar with. According to the text, knowledge is stored in two forms-- linguistic (language) and nonlinguistic (images and sensations). Most often, new information is presented in linguistic form. With the help of technology, educators can facilitate students’ use of nonlinguistic representation, thereby having a positive effect on student achievement.
One technology tool that can be used to access nonlinguistic representation of concepts is Multimedia Applications. Multimedia applications such as movies/videos and presentations are frequently used in classroom instruction. Most often, however, they are teacher created and presented to the students. Research tells us that if we can flip that process and have the students actually create the presentations they are more effective. In the library, I can envision students creating presentations over books that they have read. Student-created presentations in any curriculum area involve research, so this would present an opportunity for the library to provide a lesson on information literacy and copyright. The Power Point program is installed in all of the computers at our campus, so the students have easy and available access. Multimedia applications also give educators the opportunity to engage students in nonlinguistic representation via student-created animations that can also be done on PowerPoint. I think that this particular application would be appealing to many of our students with an interest in art and graphic design. I have never considered using Power Point to create animations, so I am excited to play around with it and see what I can do. Movies and videos can also be created to formulate nonlinguistic representation of a concept. I like the idea of students creating “movie trailers” of books as a means of getting the word out about our library collection and inspiring students to read.
There are also many Web Resources that lend themselves to the nonlinguistic representation of concepts. There are many sites that offer computer simulations of concepts. It seems that the majority of such websites are geared towards math and science, but there are some applications for the library program and language arts classes. One resource that the book lists is Surviving Everest, an interactive site where students can explore what it’s like to climb Mount Everest. In the library, such a site could be used to promote adventure books such as Peak by Roland Smith. As the librarian, I could introduce the site to students and allow them to explore it. Then I can follow up their multimedia simulation with a short book talk about a variety of adventure books in the library. Language arts teachers could similarly use such sites to introduce novels that are read in class. Other web resources offer resources on Clay Animation in Power Point and Digital Storytelling, both which offer valuable opportunities for nonlinguistic representation.