Article
The effect of illustrations on pair-work interaction
The Language Teacher
(1999)
Abstract
Illustrations abound in English language textbooks.
Open any popular coursebook and you will likely
find photographs, illustrations, graphs, charts, and
even cartoon illustrations. These visual aids make a
text appear more user-friendly, but their usefulness as
teaching tools has been an issue since S. P. Corder
cautioned that we as teachers “can never take it for
granted that what we present is immediately recognized”
(1966, p. 50). Corder’s observations regarding
the use of visuals in language teaching were supported
by Hammerley (1974), who claimed that pictures
were not useful tools for conveying meaning.
However, many educators feel that using visual aids
to convey meaning when verbal channels are blocked
by a lack of linguistic proficiency is an important consideration
when teaching content. In such situations,
multiple interpretations would cause difficulties.
What happens, however, when illustrations are used
in tasks which promote interaction?
Publication Date
1999
Publisher Statement
Copyright 1999 JALT
Citation Information
Tammy Slater. "The effect of illustrations on pair-work interaction" The Language Teacher Vol. 23 Iss. 3 (1999) p. 15 - 19 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/tammy_slater/11/