Visual perception is regarded able to intrigue imagination, reduce cognitive load of comprehension and inspire thinking. Enlightened by theories of visual thinking, this study is to explore if visual images(pictures, pictograms, icons, schematic drawings ) and visualizing skills ( mind map, matrix grid and pyramid pattern, diagrams ) are helpful when used to complement text reading, facilitate topic discussion and opinion sharing in the hard-to-get-students-involved class of “Comparison Between Chinese and Western Cultures”. The setting is an independent college and the participants are sophomores who were reportedly daunted by learning tasks concerning cultural texts defined “abstract and abstruse” by them. We plan to conduct an action research throughout the course with intervention planning following the cyclic path of either ““image-based text reading—discussion for visual interpretation—English presentation” or “text-reading—discussion for visual expression—English presentation” in different units. Evidence-based observation and reflection will be reported to evaluate how and to what extent visualization can stimulate students’ productive thinking and English output.
 

visualization,cultural comparison class;,action research,independent college,productive ability