Why Visual Representations Matter for English Learners
Strategic visuals give English Learners the support they need to connect sounds to meaning and help all students strengthen comprehension and vocabulary.
Only 31% of U.S. fourth graders performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level on the 2024 reading assessment. This reflects a 2-percentage point drop from 2022 (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024). For English Learners (ELs), the gap is even greater. They are tasked with decoding new words, acquiring grade-level content, and building oral language all at the same time. One powerful yet frequently underused tool to support this complex learning load is using images of the words being taught.
Teachers can enhance reading instruction when they use instructional graphics to bridge the connection between a word and its meaning, reinforcing comprehension and vocabulary for Multilingual Learners (MLs). Visuals should never replace decoding or encourage guessing. When used to support, not substitute, they keep instruction fully aligned with the Science of Reading.
Native English speakers often rely on an invisible scaffold when reading. They can usually connect the words that they read to words they already know orally. Depending on their background knowledge a student who reads the word “net,” might know it refers to sports or fishing.
For Marco, a Multilingual Learner, “net” is just a sound he decoded. Without visual support, he has no assurance that the word carries meaning. He may even get a high five for pronouncing it correctly but still walk away without comprehension. Instructional graphics provide the missing scaffold by making meaning explicit in the moment. Teachers do not need to add visual supports for every single word, but they should focus on purposeful use, particularly with new vocabulary, academic terms, or words with multiple meanings.
Teachers often praise English Learners for recognizing sight words or pronouncing phonics patterns, but they overlook comprehension. Scarborough’s Reading Rope shows that skilled reading requires more than phonics. Readers must weave language comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, and syntax together with word recognition.
Visual representations play a powerful role in the learning process for English Learners. They strengthen the language comprehension strand by linking decoding to meaning and by supporting semantic reasoning, the ability to connect words with concepts and context. When teachers pair visual supports with oral practice and comprehension checks, students do more than pronounce words, they use them accurately and understand them in real situations. As a reminder, visuals should serve as support for Multilingual Learners, not a substitute for language instruction. Classrooms build true comprehension when they prioritize conversation and meaning making, with instructional graphics, reinforcing and deepening that work.
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Visuals are critical for Multilingual Learners, and they also accelerate learning for native English speakers. Every child benefits when oral language, comprehension, and vocabulary are taught alongside phonics. Research consistently shows that students remember and apply information more effectively when text and visuals are combined (Guo, 2020; Mayer, 2009). The benefits are not limited to elementary classrooms. Middle and high school students also strengthen their academic vocabulary and content-area comprehension when teachers engage them with charts, diagrams, and infographics during instruction (Carney & Levin, 2002; Ozdamli et al., 2016).
- Use instructional graphics to reinforce academic vocabulary in all subjects.
- Pair new words with visual supports during read-alouds.
- Incorporate diagrams, infographics, and anchor charts that remain visible as students work.
- Ask comprehension questions that require students to connect the visual to the word, not just decode it.
The goal is not to overwhelm with endless images. Rather, it is to create intentional pairings that help students attach meaning to what they read and hear to reinforce the connection and enhance comprehension. When done well, visuals provide clarity for English Learners and deepen understanding for every student.
- Multilingual Learners lack the invisible scaffold of oral and written language alignment. Visuals provide it.
- Comprehension must grow alongside decoding. Scarborough’s Rope shows that both word recognition and language comprehension matter.
- Native English speakers also benefit from visual supprots, which strengthens recall and understanding for all learners.
- Strategic visuals, combined with oral practice and vocabulary development, ensure students learn to use, not just pronounce, words.
Full Citations:
- Carney, R. N., & Levin, J. R. (2002). Pictorial illustrations still improve students’ learning from text. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1), 5–26.
- Guo, J. (2020). Do you get the picture? A meta-analysis of the effect of graphics on reading comprehension. Educational Psychology Review, 32(4), 1103–1138.
- Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Reading: Grade 4 national results—Trends. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
- Ozdamli, F., Kocakoyun, S., Sahin, T., & Akdag, S. (2016). Statistical reasoning of impact of infographics on education. Procedia Computer Science, 102, 370–377.