Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2004

Making Sense of the Visual in Technical Communication: A Visual Literacy Approach to Pedagogy

Tiffany Craft Portewig Texas Tech University

Abstract

We employ an array of terms to denote the visual; however, we have not yet agreed on a clear framework for understanding the function and relationship between visual concepts. I propose a literacy approach to the visual so that as educators, researchers, students, and practitioners, we acquire more than skills that rely on changing definitions and technologies but an intellectual faculty that provides the knowledge, understanding, and abilities that the visual affords. Through an analysis of arguments for visual instruction, I present the wayS in which scholars justify their claims about the visual. These arguments uncover the breadth and depth of the visual and contribute to a taxonomy of visual terminology.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2004-01-01
DOI
10.2190/fgj6-uetb-9ca6-5pc3
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing pedagogy technical communication literacy studies
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (8)

  1. Madson (2023)
    You Shall Not Pass? The Design of Age Gates in an Emerging Cannabis Market
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Santee (2023)
    Cartographic Literacy can Support Social Change Approaches in Technical Communi…
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  3. Watts (2020)
    Using Adapted Studio Critique to Teach Peer Review in the Document Design Classroom
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Colombini et al. (2017)
    Integrating Quantitative Literacy into Technical Writing Instruction
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Sánchez (2017)
    The Roles of Technical Communication Researchers in Design Scholarship
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Show all 8 →
  1. Andrews (2016)
    Making the Familiar Strange: Thinking Visually in a Study Abroad Course in Prof…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Lauer et al. (2011)
    Visuospatial Thinking in the Professional Writing Classroom
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Northcut (2007)
    The Relevance of Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology to Critical Visual Li…
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References (11) · 3 in this index

  1. Mitchell W. J. T. (1994)
    Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation
  2. Jay M. (1996)
    Vision in Context: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Sight
  3. Cook (2002)
    Layered Literacies: A Theoretical Frame for Technical Communication Pedagogy
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Arnheim Rudolph (1972)
    Visual Thinking
  5. van Eemeren F. H. (1996)
    Fundamentals of Argumentation Theory: A Handbook of Historical Backgrounds and Contempora…
Show all 11 →
  1. Barton F. (1985)
    The Technical Writing Teacher
  2. KOSTELNICK (1994)
    From Pen to Print:The New Visual Landscape of Professional Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Brasseur L. (1997)
    Computers and Technical Communication: Pedagogical and Programmatic Perspectives
  4. Salinas (2002)
    Technical Rhetoricians and the Art of Configuring Images
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Kostelnick C. (1998)
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  6. Jones D. (2002)
    Technical Communication: Strategies for College and the Workplace
CrossRef global citation count: 13 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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