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Comprehension
through Pictures
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Often we hear our students complain that
although they understand a reading passage, they cannot answer the comprehension questions
correctly, because they do not know the right words, or they simply make a mistake in
writing. As teachers, we may have comprehension in mind, but we are testing it by means of
production usually through writing. It is important to remember what is meant by
comprehension: The process by which a person understands the meaning of written or spoken
language. (Richards, Platt and Weber 1985:54)
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In other words, comprehension does not go any
further than understanding a piece of language, whereas answering comprehension questions
requires production and entails different strategies.
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My proposal is to use pictures for checking
comprehension. In my personal experience, drawing or using pictures avoids all kinds of
problems which could arise with production. At the same time, they seem to be more highly
motivating than the traditional techniques for measuring comprehension.
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I am going to present three different passages
that I have used in class for the last three years.
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The monster. The students draw a
"monster" according to the physical description given in the reading text. The
students should be as imaginative as possible but stay within the description of the text.
The core of the vocabulary will be parts of the body and adjectives of size and shape. The
structure "have/has," location words ( right, left, top , etc.), numbers,
comparatives, and some prepositions will also play a part in the passage.
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"The monster has a big head. It has a
little mouth, asmall nose and threeeyes. The eye in the middle ismuch bigger than the
others. It has a long neck thatis a bit fat. The right arm is longer than the left one.The
right hand has three fingers and the left one hassix. The monster has five legs. The outer
legs, bothright and left, are thick The one in the middle is verythin and the other two
are normal size. Its short tail isfurry at the end.
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Once their drawings are finished, a few minutes
should be devoted to classroom presentation. Satisfaction and fun result. Students enjoy
looking at what their classmates have done.
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The room. Another passage may be
given to the students where a description of a room is given. The vocabulary of furniture
is essential as well as prepositions. The structure there is/are will be widely
used, too.
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This is the sitting-room in my friend's
house. There is a largetable in the middle surrounded by four chairs. On the rightside of
the room, there is a television and a cupboard withthree shelves. There is a nice vase
with flowers on the bottomshelf and a fishbowl on the top. On the left side of the
room,there is a hi-fi set. A mirror is over the set. There is a carpetunder the table and
usually the cat is sleeping there.
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Again, all the drawings should include the same
pieces of furniture but they will have a slightly different look, depending on their
creator. The students should share their drawings with the whole class before evaluation.
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Buildings. This final text is
quite similar to the one above. The students will be given a paragraph which locates a
good number of buildings on any main street of a town or city. Consequently, the
vocabulary has to include all the "facilities" a person may use in daily life: a
post office, a church, a bank, a supermarket, a public library, a school, a theatre, etc.
It is obvious that prepositions will also be necessary.
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"This is old Market Hill. At the bottom,
is MarketSquare, and Queen's Walk is just at the top. At thebottom right corner, there is
a travel agency.Just opposite it, is the supermarket. Next to it, is alarge school that
extends to the next corner. Halfwayto the top of the hill there is a zebra crossing and
atraffic light. Nearby is the main post office. Betweenthe post office and the travel
agency, there is a new fastfood restaurant. Behind the post office, there is a verynice
park where we usually go for a walk."
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Once more the students' imaginations will play
an important role in the activity. Presentation before the whole group and evaluation
follow.
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This type of activity holds rich potential not
only for English comprehension skills but also for meeting broader educational goals. I
make the following observations to show how pictures offer both students and teachers more
than meets the eye:
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- Evaluating comprehension through pictures can be adapted for higher or lower levels,
using authentic materials for advanced groups and simplified texts for beginners.
- If the students are young and absolute beginners, colouring the drawings will work as a
hook to catch their interest.
- The activity fosters motivation because it allows a desirable amount of freedom.
- In a teaching situation where there is a shortage of materials, drawing is one of the
least expensive and easiest things to do.
- If we want to use dictation, the students can be asked to make a drawing instead of
writing down what they are listening to.
- If we want to do a writing activity, we can provide students with a picture and ask them
to write a description. Therefore, any drawing may become a two-way instrument a final
output in a comprehension activity or a stimulating input for production.
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- Richards, J., J. Platt, and H. Weber. 1985. Longman dictionary of applied linguistics.
Harlow, Essex: Longman.
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