Visual images as pedagogical resources in the education of a deaf teenager: a case study

Abstract

Visual images have been adopted by Reily as a pedagogical resource with deaf children. In the present study, this use was tested with a deaf teenager girl. The objective was to identify possible contributions of the use of visual images in her learning process. The study was conducted during the meetings with the pedagogue, at an institution for especial education. For the three meetings analyzed, visual images were systematically used (drawings, photos, pictures). The sessions were taped, transcribed and then analyzed. The results indicated the development of discursive practices with extended dialogues, that included descriptions, associations and inferences among the topics. The study confirmed previous data about the facilitating effect of visual images in the education of a deaf person. It brought forward the discussion about the difficulties of social inclusion of young deaf people.