Outside the classroom, Personal development, Reflection, Teambuilding
> 60 min.
Large group, Small group
1 hour +
Advanced, Beginner, Moderate
Speaking, Writing, Listening, Reading
Cultural awareness, Digital skills, Visual literacy, Information literacy, Sharing knowledge
Asking for help, Collaboration, Independency
Objectives
In our everyday lives, we encounter an abundance of visual content: emojis, pictograms, logos, pictures and videos. While this can feel overwhelming, these visuals are actually helpful in navigating and communicating effectively. Emojis and pictograms provide a universal language for expressing emotions and ideas. By developing visual literacy, we can navigate this visual world and connect with others more easily.
The objectives of the activity are for learners to
- Become familiair with tools used for visual communication
- Learn to interpret and use visual communication tools effectively
- Be able to use visual input to move around more independently
Material
Notebook, glue, scissors, printer, Padlet or another platform to create a digital dictionary.
Preparation
Take 30-60 minutes for preparation of the introduction
Instructions
In this activity, participants will collaboratively create a pictogram dictionary containing various pictograms. You can do this activity after completing “Let’s Play with Emojis,” but both activities can also be done independently of each other.
The picto dictionary is a living document. Regularly ask for new pictograms. This will keep participants engaged with the picto dictionary, increasing the likelyhood that it will continue to expand over time.
Variant
There are a lot of variations possible:
- You can go on outings to discover and photograph pictograms together.
- Ask participants to create their own pictogram.
- Print pictograms of objects and functions present in the (school) building, ask participants to match the pictograms with the corresponding object or function in te building. Ask the participants to stick the printed pictograms next to the corresponding objects, functions, or actions.
- Print pictograms of objects and functions around the school area. Go outside together and see if you can find the matching object, function or action.
- Create pictograms that are incorrect; for example, a pictogram of a toilet next to a refrigerator, or a pictogram of food on a coffee pot… Ask participants to look around and identify what doesn’t match. Which pictogram belongs where?
- Pictogram of the day: Show a pictogram to the class in every lesson. Discuss its meaning together and add the pictogram to your picto dictionary.
- Ask participants to create a short story/sentence using pictograms from the picto dictionary. Do other participants understand what’s being conveyed?