The Role of Posters i n Teacher Education Programs By Justina 0 . Osa and Linda R. M usser Pennsylvania State University Abstract Posters abound in education l ibraries as decorative objects yet few l ibraries realize the educa­ tional potential of the poster. Posters are colorfu l , attractive learning r:nedia which ?an enha�ce the learning environment. This paper describes the value of posters 1n the educational sett1ng, offers suggestions on selecting posters for learning, and includes examples of various types of learning posters. The competence of teachers is contingent to a large extent on the quality of the teacher edu­ cation program that prepared them. The qual ity of the resources that support the teacher edu­ cation program has been recognized as a cru­ cial determinant of the qual ity of the knowledge and skills which the prospective teachers store in their repertoire. 1 The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), a body charged with ensuring the qual ity of teachers, suggests in an article "What to Look for in a Teacher Preparation Program" that one of the questions to ask in choosing a good teacher education program is "Does the i l lstitu­ tion have the resources necessary to support each of the programs it offers?"2 Furthermore, teachers are progressively being held ac­ countable for student learning. Teachers have to devise ways and adopt teach ing strategies that match the learning styles of a l l the stu­ dents in a class . The acceptable practice is for teachers to careful ly select instructional mate­ rials and activities that wil l stimu late al l stu­ dents' brains and facil itate effective learning for a l l students. When there is a fit across materi­ a ls, teaching methods, teachers, and learners, learning for students is enhanced. The role of the education l ibrary in this process is to provide materials that wil l enable teachers to prepare and present curricular topics in a variety of ways, making learning possible for al l students, irrespective of their social , ethnic or cultural background, their abi lity, or learning style. Faculty in teacher education programs need to have access to such resources in or­ der to demonstrate their use to teachers-in­ tra in ing. These demonstrations typically occur in method courses during which faculty model methods of: Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 • integrating curricu lum and instruction materials into teaching; • creating learning environment that en­ courages active engagement in learning and self-motivation; • creating learning opportunities that are adapted to the needs of d iverse learners; • using a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking , problem solving, and performance ski l ls; • devising d ifferent approaches to make the learn ing materials, especial ly com­ plex materials, learnable to all students; and • providing the opportunity for students to interact with information to be learned in diverse and different ways. Posters - An Often Neglected Type of In­ structional Material According to Jensen, "our eyes register about 36,000 visual images per hour, while the retina alone suppl ies 40% of all nerve fibers that are connected to the brain ; 90% of the brain's sen­ sory input is from visual sources."3 Research­ ers report that the visual sense is responsible for 90% of brain stimulation4 and that vision and visual memory take up to two-thirds of the brain .5 Since the absorption of knowledge is the key to success in any educational system, it fol lows that education l ibraries should have collections rich in visual materials. A visit to any education l ibrary will confirm the fact that education l ibrarians are aware of the need to build col lections of visual ly stimulating re­ sources. In addition to text books, curriculum guides, instructional materials, and juvenile books, one can find videos, manipulatives, kits, 1 6 d ioramas, multimedia, and e-media. A closer look at the collection, however, wil l l ikely show few posters. While posters abound in educa­ tion l ibraries as decorative objects, few l ibrar­ ies realize the educational potential of the poster. Yet posters are colorfu l , attractive learning media which can enhance the learn­ ing environment. While many of the newer text books are heav­ ily i l lustrated , the text book cannot take the place of a learning poster. Most obviously, a student must first open the text book to view the i l lustration with in whereas a poster is im­ mediately in their view on the classroom wal l . Additionally, unconscious learning can take place through exposure to the information on the poster. Final ly, posters create a more stimulating and interesting environment for learning. Why have they been overlooked? It is un l ikely that it is due to their cost since posters are usually very inexpensive. The challenge of dealing with their size and shape is unl ikely to be daunting to education l ibrarians who rou­ tinely handle kits, puppets, and puzzles. Per­ haps it is because posters effectively del iver very l imited pieces of i nformation. Posters as learning objects are not given adequate atten­ tion by the l iterature. Even ERIC, the premier database of educational resources, does not include many references to posters as sepa­ rate learning objects. In any case, education l ibraries should include these objects as part of their col lection of learning resources. Types of Learning Posters Learning posters can be grouped into four categories. Those that: • i l lustrate a concept or thing • demonstrate a process • differentiate between simi lar things • capture interest and stimulate emotion. Posters that i l lustrate a concept or th ing have several uses. Their primary use is to simply provide an i l lustration of something. For exam­ ple, a poster showing a volcano could be used in an earth science un it. A biology unit on bi­ omes would benefit from pictures of deserts and rainforests . A secondary use of this type of poster is in foreign language instruction . A language un it aimed at teaching the names of parts of the body can be made more effective by using i l lustrations in conjunction with termi- Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 nology. Posters are also an effective means of i l l ustrating processes. Examples include post­ ers showing the water cycle from rainfall to rivers to oceans to clouds, or posters showing how food gets from the producer to the table. The third type of poster is one that i l lustrates simi lar things, which al lows users to see the differences between similar objects. An exam­ ple of this type of poster would be one showing basketry from d ifferent cultures. The final cate­ gory, posters designed to stimulate the imagi­ nation and interest in a topic, are the type most commonly found in l ibraries. The best example of this type is the READ series of posters pub­ l ished by the American Library Association . The primary purpose of these posters is to in­ spire rather than to educate. Additional exam­ ples of learning posters are provided in the appendix. Selecting Learning Posters Most posters are attractive but not all are ef­ fective teaching tools. A poster that promotes learning wil l have some or al l of the fol lowing characteristics. The learning poster wi l l : • motive and inspire students to learn • stimu late interest in the topic • effectively i l lustrate a concept or skill • give the teacher guidance on how to use the poster • provide reproducibles for student use • provide directions for hands-on activities • provide suggestions for additional in­ structional activities. In addition to these criteria, the poster itself should be wel l-designed, wel l-organized , legi­ ble, and attractive. The best learning posters present concepts succinctly, grabbing and re­ taining students' attention and interest. Concl usion Teacher education programs have the prepa­ ration of teachers as their overarching goal . The raison d'�tre of the education l ibrary is to meet the instructional and research needs of these teacher education programs. The suc­ cess of teacher education programs can be l inked to the adequacy of resources ava i lable in the education l ibrary. Education l ibrarians have a rich tradition of collecting d iverse types of materials that can be used to augment and stimulate learning at all levels. Posters are in- 1 7 expensive and useful teach ing tools and de­ serve a place in the collection as well as a place on the wal l . APPENDIX - Examples o f Learning Posters The String Instruments. St. Paul , MN : Trend Enterprises, 2001 . There is a colorful visual representation of the ten d ifferent string instruments. Each image is labeled . On the reverse side of the poster there are vital pieces of information on string instruments such as string instrument facts . To make learning information on the string instru­ ments fun there is an I nstrument Scramble which requ i res students to unscramble each of the string i nstrument names. An answer key is also provided. There are reproducible activity pages that teachers can use to help students learn important information on string instru­ ments in genera l and on the ten string instru­ ments shown on the poster. Wind Instruments. St. Pau l , MN : Trend Enter­ prises, 200 1 . This poster has colorfu l pictures of fifteen wind instruments that are labeled. The instruments are put into two groups -- brass and woodwind. On the back of the poster is Wind Instrument Facts and facts on Woodwinds and on 'Brass. To make learning exciting for students there is also a Wind I nstruments Crossword . The stu­ dents are provided clues that assist them to complete the crossword . An answer key is provided. There are reproducible activity pages that teachers can use to help students learn important information on wind instruments in general and on the fifteen wind instruments shown on the poster. Percussion Instruments. St. Paul , MN : Trend Enterprises, 2001 . Nineteen percussion instruments are displayed on the poster. On the reverse side are impor­ tant features such as Percussion Instrument Facts, Percussion Instruments Word Search , an answer key, and reproducibles for instruc­ tional activities. Weather. Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publ ications, 1 989. This interactive learning chart lets students move an arrow to desired weather photo such as windy, foggy, warm, cloudy, cold, rainy, snowy, sunny. On the reverse side of the poster is useful information including informa- Education Libraries Volume 27,. No. 1 Summer 2004 tion on the weather and tips for activities. There are also reproducible activities. What is a Bird? Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Pub. , 1 993. This poster features a total of twenty-four b irds. The front side of the poster presents n ine b irds in beautiful bight colors and a con­ cise definition of birds and their basic biolog ical information. The reverse side of the poster shows pictures of twenty-four birds. Each bird is put in a cel l and there is a short write-up on each one of the b irds. The information on the poster is reproducible for instructional use. Life Cycle of a Frog. Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publ ications, 1 992. This poster presents in very simple colorful . fashion the l ife cycle of a frog. The language is very elementary and understandable for young learners. On the back of the poster, there are d ifferent interesting and educational informa­ tion on frogs titled Frog Talk, From Pol l iwog to Frog , Frogs and Toads, and Sleeping ln . The exercise on Frog Talk al lows students to have fun using Professor Croaker's code to fi l l in the missing words. Correct answers are provided. Information in the section titled Frogs and Toads is presented in overlapping circles that distinctly l ist how frogs and toads are simi lar and different. This presentation method makes it possible for students to complete the as­ signment on how frogs and toads are al ike and different. This instructional presentation of concepts enhances the chances for a l l stu­ dents to achieve in class . There are posters on other life cycles such as Life Cycle of the But­ terfly, The Life Cycle of Cecropia, Life Cycle of Alaska Salmon, The Silkworm Life Cycle. There are several posters that focus on differ­ ent parts and systems of the human body. Some of them include: 1 . The Nervous System, St. Paul , MN : Trend Enterprises, Inc. , 2001 . 2. The Digestive System. St. Paul , MN : Frank Schaffer Publ ications, 1 992. 3. Reproductive, Endocrine, & Excretory Systems. St. Pau l , MN : Trend Enter­ prises, 2001 . These posters provide colorfu l , visual repre­ sentations of the d ifferent systems. The d iffer­ ent parts of each system is clearly labeled . On the reverse side of the posters are learning resource materials to further enhance the level of student comprehension of these systems. 1 8 There are crossword exercises and special activities such as A-maze-ing Brains maze for the lesson on the nervous system, and Dig Those Bones for the lesson on the skeletal system. How Plants Make Food. Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publications, 1 994 . The poster g ives a short introduction on how plants make food. The six steps of the process of photosynthesis are described in simple lan­ guage. There are four reproducibles on the reverse side of the poster. They are: Nature's Food Factory; Plant Facts; Autumn Color Change; and Plants We Eat. The Brainwork is also provided to stimulate students' critical thinking . Parts of A Letter ([S. I .] : Carson-Dellosa Publ . , n . d . This poster i s a display of a business letter, a friendly letter, and an addressed envelop. Each component part of both the letter and envelop is labeled . There is even a U S Mai l with the Pick up hours displayed. The mail man can be seen holding the letters he picked up with the ones he is about to distribute in his bag . On the reverse side of the poster there is a rich Letter Writing Resource Guide with some ideas for using the poster. Students have easy access to useful information on let­ ter writing such as tips for writing both busi­ ness and friendly letters, samples of letter, ad­ dressing an envelop correctly paying special attention to the three important areas - the del ivery address, the return address and the stamp, and helpful facts about zip codes. Teachers are also given address of possible places to contact to get pen pals for their stu­ dents. The Eight Parts of Speech. Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publications, 2000. The eight parts of speech is the focus of this poster. A simple brief definition and examples of their usage in short sentences are g iven, and the parts of speech are highl ighted in red to promote easy learning. Pictures i l lustrating the parts of speech are also provided. On the verso of the poster there are reinforcement exercises for students. For example the exer­ cise on Common and Proper Nouns instructs the students to change the proper nouns to common nouns, and students are to circle ad­ verbs and adjectives in the review exercises on adjectives and adverbs. Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 Using Sensory Words. Huntington Beach, CA: Creative Teaching Press, 1 999. Writing is a challenging activity for most stu­ dents. This poster sparks students' power of imagination and encourages them to be crea­ tive, innovative and free to express themselves in unique ways that make sense to them. The poster gives examples of Touching Words, Seeing Words, Hearing Words, Smell ing Words and Tasting Words. There are vibrant i l lustrations of the different groups of sensory words. On the reverse side of the poster there are four reproducibles for teachers to use to encourage students use sensory words effec­ tively in their written assignments. Teachers are given ideas on how to use the reproduci­ bles - Onomatopoetic Words, Cavorting Col­ ors, to promote learning. Statistics: Collecting and Representing Data. 'Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publ ica­ tions, 1 997. This poster exposes students to the process involved in gathering and using data . In this "science court"" science is the law and scien­ tific thinking rules ."6 On the back side of the poster are sections on sample size, random­ ness, bias, and collection data . Students are told what to do to properly complete assign­ ment in each of the sections. This is just one of the titles in the Science Court To Serve and Observe materials. Each poster focuses on one vital science concept, and students com­ plete activities that make them put the science concept they are learning into practice. The mock court activities and scenes make learn­ ing science concepts pleasant and east to learn . Other simi lar titles include: Inertia, Water Cycle, Work, Gravity, Work, Gravity, and Sound. The Food Pyramid. Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publ ications, 1 993. This poster is a colorful representation of the food pyramid. On the back side of the poster there is information on What Is A Serving? There are reproducibles for the teachers to use in class. The Food Pyramid exercise instructs each student to make a balanced food plan for one day and to draw on the pyramid the foods the student selected. The exercise Food for Thought instructs the students to keep a re­ cord of everything they eat. The poster makes learn about the food pyramid a meaningful and useful for every day living. 1 9 Newton 's Apple Science Series. St. Paul , MN : Trend, 1 996. This set of posters teach students concepts by answering questions students often ask. These posters take advantage of the inquisitive ten­ dencies in students to spark their problem solving skills, to promote discovery learning. For example, on the poster How does a Jumbo Jet Take Off? students are given information on forces. The four main forces -- lift, g ravity, thrust and drag that act on a plane in fl ight are explained. On the reverse side of the poster there are i nstructional, hands-on, inquiry­ based , and reinforcement science activities for students. Posters in this group include How Does Television Work?, Why Does a Roller coaster Make Me Feel Sick?, and Why Do We Cry? Social Studies posters series. Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publications, n . d. There colorfu l , simple but very informative posters can enhance the teach ing of social studies and make learning a pleasant and ex­ citing experience for students. Such posters are The Declaration of Independence, The White House, The Pledge of Allegiance, and State Birds and Flowers. These posters pro­ vide vital information in very understandable language and form on each of the topics the posters focus on. For example, the poster on The Declaration of Independence lays out un­ der the heading Events That led to the Decla­ ration, and The Preamble. On the back of the poster are exciting instructional activities such as students' research on the I ntolerable Act of 1 774, a new Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, and newspaper assignment on the issue of al l people being equal . The De­ bate Time instructs the students to work in g roups of eight students. Foreign Language Posters These posters assist teachers in presenting concepts in languages other than Engl ish. I n Spanish for example there are posters such as: El Alfabeto. New York:_McGraw-Hi l l , n. d . This poster helps teach the Spanish alphabet. There are pictures to make it easy for young learners to make the right sounds when read­ ing the alphabets in Spanish . Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 Banderas de Europa, . Huddersfield, England : Schofield and Sim, n. d . This poster helps teach students European flags. The Spanish name for each of the coun­ tries is g iven, and a colorful flag for each coun­ try is d isplayed . A map of Europe reinforces the location of each country. Contrarios. Huddersfield , England: Schofield and Sim, n. d . This poster teaches the concept of opposites. Pictures are provides to g ive the students vis­ ual meaning of the different examples of oppo­ sites g iven . Dias d e Ia Semana. Grand Rapids, Ml : Frank Schaffer Publ ications, 1 997. On this poster the seven days of the week are written in Span ish . The students can write on and wipe off this chart. Las Estaciones. Huddersfield, England : Schofield and Sim, n . d . Th is poster teaches the four major seasons in Spanish . Los Co/ores,_Huddersfield, England: Schofield and Sim, n. d . This poster teaches colors in Spanish . Nuestro Cuerpo. Huddersfield, England : Scho­ field and Sim, n. d . This poster teaches students the Spanish names for the d ifferent parts of the human bodies - both male and female. Que Hora Es? Huddersfie ld , England: Scho­ field and Sim, n. d . This poster teaches students how to tell the time in Spanish . I n German there are posters such as: Zahlen 1-20. Huddersfield , England : Schofield and Sim, n . d. This poster helps students learn to count 1 -20 in German . Pictures are provided to help the ch i ldren count numbers. Unsere Korper. Huddersfield, England: Scho­ field and Sim, n. d . This poster helps students learn the different parts of the human bodies, male and female, in German. 20 Unser Sonnensystem. Huddersfield, England : Schofield and Sim, n . d . This poster teaches the solar system in Ger­ man. Musikinstrumente. Huddersfield, England: Schofield and Simm, n. d. This poster displays colorfu l visual representa­ tions of thirty musical instruments and their names in German. Flaggen Europas. Huddersfield , England : Schofield and Sim, n . d . This poster provides a colorful map of Europe and flags for each European country in Ger­ man. Die Uhrzeit. Huddersfield, England: Schofield and Sim, n. d . This poster teaches students to tel l the time i n German. References 1 National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. (2001 ) . What to Look for in a Teacher Preparation Program. Retrieved on August 1 0 , 2004, http://www. ncate .org/ future/ lookfor.htm. z ___ , 1 . 3 Jensen , E. (2000}. Brain-Based Learning in Hardiman, M . H . (2003). Connecting Brain Research with Effective Teaching: the Brain- Targeted Teaching Model. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. 4 Visual Education. (2003). XY Multiply Poster: Educator's Guide. International Quality Education Environment. Retrieved August 1 0, 2004, http://www . iqee.com/XY­ PTv5.htm. 5 I nternational Qual ity Visual Education . (2003). About Us. I nternational Quality Education Environment. Retrieved August 1 0, 2004, http://www. iqee.com/about.html . 6 Statistics Collecting and Representing Data. ( 1 997). Grand Rapids, M l : Frank Schaffer Publications. The next issue will feature ethical issues in educational libraries. Some of the im­ portant questions include: • How do librarians teach students and faculty about ethnical practice rela­ tive to research processes? • Why is plagiarism such a problem in higher education, and what can be done to address this issue? • How does technology impact ethical issues in educational librarianship? • How are the rights of patrons/users balanced with the needs of the collec­ tive? • What unique ethical issues arise in online reference service, and how can they be addressed? • Does the ethical code of the American Library Association fully cover edu­ cational library services? The deadline for submissions to this issue is March 30, 2005. Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 2 1