Seeing Culture: Engaging Children with Indonesia’s Diversity through Visual Literacy Picture Books
Melihat Budaya: Mengajak Anak Mengenal Keberagaman Indonesia melalui Literasi Visual dan Buku Cerita Bergambar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31849/dinamisia.v10i1.29294Keywords:
Visual Literacy, read aloud, Picture Books, Cultural Diversity, Multicultural Education, Elementary Students, Indonesian Children’s Literature, Cultural IdentityAbstract
Limited exposure of elementary school students to local culture–based literacy has resulted in restricted understanding of Indonesia’s cultural diversity. Reading instruction in classrooms generally focuses on national textbooks and has not optimally utilized contextual story media that relate to children’s daily experiences. This community service program aimed to improve students’ cultural understanding through visual literacy mentoring using the interactive read-aloud method with culturally themed picture books from the Indonesian archipelago. The mentoring was conducted with third- and fourth-grade elementary students through four stages: needs identification with the partner school, short teacher training, implementation of interactive read-aloud sessions, and evaluation and reflection. Reading activities were carried out dialogically through pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading stages, accompanied by discussion as well as drawing and story-retelling activities.The results showed changes in student learning engagement, indicated by increased participation in discussions, the ability to identify cultural elements (traditional clothing, traditional houses, and community practices), and improved ability to retell the stories. In addition, teachers began to apply expressive reading techniques and open-ended questioning in their instruction. Therefore, culturally themed picture-book-based interactive read-aloud proved to be a practical strategy for integrating reading literacy with the introduction of cultural diversity in elementary education.
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