Vizuální akty ve výukové komunikaci. / Visual acts in instructional communication.

This empirical study describes the functions of visual acts of meaning in the educational communication between teachers and their pupils. The study understands visual acts to be visual messages that have meaning for participants of communication. The data was gathered through direct observation of 32 classes of humanities subjects at lower secondary schools. Visual acts were firstly divided into topic visual acts (which convey events, objects or thoughts directly related to the topic of conversation) and interactive visual acts (which can be characterized as contact messages). In the context of lessons, topic visual acts are presented as a tool for conceptualisation of educational content. On the other side, interactive visual acts are described as a mechanism which participates in establishing the setting of educational communication. Although visual acts of meaning often have the same functions and structure, it transpires that their nature is highly individualized and it can be seen as a sign of a teacher’s professional identity