The Fabric of Images in Meaning-making
Prof María Teresa Manteo
mmanteo@supportlearning.com.ar

Images are the reservoir of our emotional and cognitive response to the world; they are essential elements in the representations we make of the external world, allowing the passage to symbolic thinking; they are the seat of memory and our mark of identity. Most importantly, they embody the potential for renewal and growth.
The process of creating mental images is spontaneous and unconscious. However, this process can be cultivated. As teachers, we need to make room in our classroom agendas for our students to invest time and energy in the process of image-making to connect to the world of colours, shapes, textures, sound and movement.
Images are not confined to visual representations only; imaging refers to the human being’s capacity of generating inner images from the different sensory systems. They can take shape in any form - visual, auditory, kinesthetic, gustatory and olfactory. It is seeing by what we call the mind’s eye, hearing by the mind’s ear and, feeling and moving in our mind.
Imaging as a cognitive process can lead to:

• Enhanced thinking dispositions
• The creation of meaning from text
• Improved inner states and increased confidence in our capacities

Traditionally educational systems have tended to favour left brain activity, pushing away from the picture right brain activities, as the following chart shows:

One way to stimulate image-making in our classrooms is through the use of sensory wheels as presented by Mantione and Smead in their book Weaving through Words.
Readers illustrate the images that have had the strongest impact on their minds. The following are some examples of sensory wheels, as depicted by sixth formers from a non-bilingual school, who stopped to think about their sensory responses to the story The Peddler from Swaffham.

Images connect our being to the power of creative energy and self-actualization (1). When we make room in our classroom agendas for imaging, we trust our students’ capacity to web meanings in sensorial language; in this way, we create stimulating environments where identity is forged and strengthened.
Bibliography
Arnold, Jane (Ed.) (1999) Affect in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mantione, R. & Smead, S.(2002).Weaving Through Words Using the Arts to Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies. Newark, DE: International Reading Association

Recommended Reading
Lupton, Hugh ( 2006) Tales of Wisdom and Wonder. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books
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•  Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory as the final level of psychological development that can be achieved when all basic and mental needs are fulfilled and the "actualization" of the full personal potential takes place.

EXTENSION WORKSHOP ON THIS TOPIC!
Imaging as a Pathway to Understanding and Well-Being   (On-site Training at schools)
This workshop explores the transformational power of imaging. Picture books, image-making and visual journaling are addressed to engage learners in contemplative states that feed circles of understanding and well-being. The session will also provide strategies to enhance reading skills and comprehension.

Biodata
Marí­a Teresa Manteo holds a degree as an English Teacher for Primary and Secondary School from the Lenguas Vivas Teachers' Training College, where she also completed a post-graduate course in English Literature. She has obtained a Further Professional Studies Certificate in Education Management from the University of Bristol UK as well as a Practitioner's Certificate in Neurolinguistic Programming Applied to Education.  

-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED-
For counseling or Touch the Author Workshops for Children, contact
María Teresa Manteo
mmanteo@supportlearning.com.ar
www.supportlearning.com.ar

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