The expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” is why content providers add pictures and videos online to generate traffic and improve conversion rates. Copywriters, bloggers and content providers try to add relevant impactful pictures and videos to their content for this reason. Does this influence student performance in academics?
It is believed that the human brain processes image 60,000 times faster than it can process words. Images are believed to convey messages that can stick much longer than the words on the pages of any textbook. This fact has the potential to change the way students learn and study.
This may have inspired the authors of “The Visuals Biology” to write a book exploring the core topics in the syllabuses of some examinations written by secondary school students, in a different and more visual way. These include IGCSE, WAEC, NECO, and JAMB syllabuses.
“The Visuals Biology“ is a fully illustrated Biology Textbook, and the foreword is written by a professor of Education and this gives some validity to the contents of this book.
This book contains a lot of annotated realistic anatomical diagrams that highlight the salient features in the topics covered in that book. The diagrams are very colorful too. They look very much like the kind of diagrams one would find in infographics. They are attractive and will definitely captivate and appeal to teenagers preparing for their biology examinations. These annotated diagrams illustrate theories, relationships and provide descriptions of biological processes and systems.
Visualization objects are believed to assist in explaining, learning and developing concepts in the field of science (Phillips, Norris and Macnab 2010, 63). So I can boldly say, reading this book will confer visual literacy on the readers and improve their understanding of the objects and subject.
The author(s) used illustrations to communicate the essential features and functions of the biological systems and concepts. Words and pictures are used to clarify the topics discussed. These illustrations can enhance the textual explanations of these biology topics, thereby improving the students’ concentration, comprehension, retention, and recall of the topics discussed.
I see this becoming a popular and innovative method of teaching not just biology, but many other subjects as well. This book can be a useful adjunct and visual aid to other biology textbooks that are less illustrated. Students of biology who need visual stimulation to understand difficult topics better will find this book an essential addition to their bookshelves.
You can get a copy of “The Visuals Biology“ on Okadabooks. Please click here.
Mrs C.A. Mbadugha’s debut short story collection “Beyond the Trial” won the 2017 Samuel Ajayi Crowther Award for best Christian Fiction. She tries to balance family and work commitments with book and manuscript proofreading, editing and reviews. She is presently trying to rouse her muse to write a sequel to “Beyond the Trial”. The stories in “Beyond The Trial” are published on Okadabooks as the stand-alone novellas:
Erased Reproach
Rude Awakening
Shadows from the Past.
Leave a Reply