Actually, the active learner may be the only essential component of a successful program. A generous budget can make a huge difference, if it is used to lower class size and move the classroom toward the 21st century, but even with a tight budget, active learners show impressive growth. Accustomed to having pictures created for them, many students are turned off and understandably lost, when expected to read. They become confused and discouraged, wanting to be shown pictures. These images can be used to turn students into eager readers and writers.
Most students are unaware of the similarity between reading and watching a movie.
Students need to understand that fiction is a series of images and that reading is just an internal movie. Realizing this, students, armed with their great storehouse of mental imagery, can actively pursue these images hidden in the written language. Good descriptions of actions, characters, and settings must be visualized before they can be put into words, and clear exposition requires that the writer visualize concrete examples and ideas. Students need to see the imagery in what they are reading or writing, if they are to be successful in either. A common ground is needed to bridge the gap between the media of the eye and the media of the mind.