"Introduced by CompuServe in mid-1987, GIF provided a compressed colour image data format to download large images quickly in all kinds modems including the slow ones. With the special feature of animation delays of different speeds for multiple images, it can be used for academic purposes besides the commenting, amusement and entertainment purposes. Since smartphone cameras now have GIF editing feature, it was thought of creating and experimenting with academic GIFs for science instruction which turned out to be an effective way of visual communication for successive and sequenced presentation to which learners reacted significantly positive," said Dr Lalit Kishore, researcher at Disha, the abstract of whose paper "Teaching Laws of Reflection Using Visual Communication in
Graphics Interchange Format: A Lesson Study at Grade Eight " has been accepted for the upcoming 'International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research & Innovations' to be held in Chennai in December, 2021.
According to the researcher, for the conference being organised by Chennai-based 'Alpha Art and Science College', the lesson study in science instruction using three researcher-created GIFs will be presented. The GIFs are titled as 'Introducing visual-text or dual code vocabulary'; 'The process of reflection of light'; and "Laws of reflection'.
"Creating GIFs through the photographed pictures of successively drawn and labelled frames, the process, concept and phenomenon of reflection became vivid because of the element of visual communication since most learners are basically the visual learners," added Dr Kishore.
The abstract of the paper of Dr Kishore is as follows.
Abstract : A lesson study was undertaken to teach laws of reflection at grade level eight through three GIFs - Graphics Interchange Format animations - as visual communication for action research to improve teaching practice. A triangulated research lesson was produced, rehearsed and delivered with centrality of GIF visual communication by the teacher as classroom practitioner with the other two research lesson writers as observers during the delivery. The post lesson delivery reflection led to standardization of the lesson for future use. The reactions of students (N=30; Urban English Medium School; Age group: 13-15 years) were found significantly positive at 0.01 level of significance when analysed through sign test and chi-squared non-parametric statistical analysis. The lesson study was deemed multi-disciplinary since it blended GIF communication, science instruction and triangulated action research in the form of lesson study. The study has implications for teaching children with learning disability of disgraphia who are predominantly visual-verbal learners and learn better through visual communication and articulation through picture reading or visual decoding. The conclusion is that the centrality of visual communication leads to efficacious inclusive education across the ability spectrum since most learners are visual learners.
Keywords: GIF, inclusive education, lesson study, science instruction, visual communication
An academic GIF: Watch and make sense
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