While I agree with the necessity of needing to engage students in learning to communicate and read visual information, I call it visual literacy and so do many others. I DO think that it can and should be taught by those that have a visual background. I DO think the place to teach it is in the art room...and I think it IS being taught in the art rooms where there are certified art specialists to teach and where students have meaningful amounts of time to be engaged in making and discussing art and all that is visual. Teaching graphics and design is certainly best taught by someone with that background. I think the struggle is with the current paradigm in our society that the only type of literacy that matters is the written word. I think you would be hard pressed to find a teacher of the arts that would not love to have it recognized by those in society at large that we need to engage students in ALL kinds of communication. I DO NOT feel that the better way to do it is to lump all forms of communication together into one class. There would not be many human beings qualified to teach every area well. The most effective way to accomplish this is to open the dilaogue among teachers of the arts, including writing and languages, music too (although not visual is communication in its own right) and helping students to see the connections in all areas of communication.

I agree. You might say that our native tongue is images, since we were processing them long before we could speak.

At the risk of teaching my Grandmom to suck eggs...

George, are you familiar with the work of Charles Sanders Peirce on
the logic of communication?

Liszka's book on Peirce is a good place to start.

Also the pre-war German Gestalt philosophers are seriously worth
looking at.

Oh, also Aby Warburg's work on visual literacy.

Lesson over.

Dear Mr. Lucas,

A Buddhist Monk taught me the quote:

"Communication is the essence of the Holy Spirit"

I agree with you 100%, and thank you for "communicating" on this topic!

Respectfully,

Robert Patrik Winston

Fully agree with you Mr. Lucas, especially since I just finished my PhD and have learned that it seems that we engage all our senses even when we complete individual tasks, like listening comprehension. Would love to contribute to your wonderful endevours. Education makes the world a better place, Zsuzsa Londe

Thank you! Being a middle school English teacher who strives to keep the interest of my 8th grade students, I have long been incorporating art, music and other forms of self expression into my teaching. The use of the multiple intelligences is a fantastic way to reach the variety of students in class who have a wider variety of needs. I will often surprise my students with "another strange approach" and all levels of my classes engage a lot more than they did with the "traditional" lesson plans. Finding and planning these more captivating plans is a bit more difficult than the old open your books to page 34 and do exercise a, b and c. It is so worth it to try new things. It is extemely time consuming and requires a lot of energy, but it is so worth it.

As we only have a few weeks of school left, I found myself this weekend a bit worn out. My husband and I went to your new Indiana Jones movie on Saturday, and it energized me again with your wonderful message about teachers and the importance of education. Today, I happened upon your edutopia site, and I became an even bigger fan of yours. Thank you, George Lucas, for such wonderful support of teachers and the importance you put on the arts. I am now energized to go back to school tomorrow humming the Indiana Jones theme song all the way!

Mr. Lucas your words here are right on...I recently finished a two year project with a looped class. We went from first to second grade communicating through music. Over time we worked with the music of the brilliant John Coltrane. Reporter Corey Kilgannon from the New York Times asked me how I had the courage to teach through Coltrane. I told him that children welcome what is complicated and then take it apart. They heard Coltrane and all the other musicians communicating their thoughts and feelings through the different genres of music. We worked on a similar project using the visual arts in what is called Artful Thinking. There will be an article in the Wall Street Journal about my work by Nat Hentoff using jazz to educate children. It is all about communication, and creating the connections needed to help human beings follow their bliss. Joseph Campbell would be very proud of your work here. Congratulations!
Teacher,
Christine Passarella
New York

More people in positions of educational leadership and direction need to hear Mr. Lucas, as he is right on target. Although many of us believe visual learning and interactive learning are some of the best ways to teach and learn, it is not all that new. Reading the words of Leonardo daVinci, he advised teachers of anatomy to use pictures, drawings, and dissections over the written word. This is from 1492, and while most of current medical education incorporates as much of the visual and interactive teaching as time permits, the web offers even greater opportunities. Even more so for K-12 populations.

So with epidemic obesity, failing national science achievement, and yet, a growing internet of resources, why isn't this incorporated more into our classrooms and at home? Learning health can be fun, and can also inspire and perhaps change outcomes, but the message is not getting out there fast enough.

Just as Star Wars excited generations about the outer worlds, so can the same attention to visual learning when applied to the inner world. Thanks, George Lucas, for putting this together! I am "on board."

I came across this interview tid-bit by accident and I was thrilled by the core idea. I spend a great deal of time working to integrate various curricula with art/craft programs and projects. I am convinced this heightens the learning experience in general, but, as Mr. Lucas says, I also believe it helps the learners become more precise and skilled communicators. More confident communicators, as well. Being able to think and communicate in a precise and, even, creative way also seems to yield more success for all parties concerned. This has convinced me that we need to take our national leaders and put them back in school with some lessons in history or social studies or civics or all of the above, COMBINED with some music and film and visual arts and theatre. Heck, maybe a visit to the craft closet would be enough to get them to re-think the muck and mire of their typical process. And, oh, I suspect a math class couldn't hurt.
At any rate, bravo, George, for focusing attention (and resources)in some productive arenas.
marnie in san anselmo, ca

I am so glad to hear that someone of George Lucas' stature has decided that this is an important enough banner to take up!
I have an extremely creative ADHD 4th grader who has a "failure to thrive" in what I am continually told is "one of the best school systems in the country". However, when I sit in those dreadful IEP meetings and say, "There's got to be another way of teaching are children!" I am met with blank stares. Because, I guess it's working for the majority of the kids who, apparently, require less of the educational system. But even those kids - what could be opened up for them if their minds were allowed to soar rather than forced to conform? What do we want to create in our children? Mindless following of rules? Or innovation?