Using Infographics in the Classroom

Why might incorporating graphic design into your classroom be valuable?

Incorporating graphic design into my instruction can be valuable in so many ways.  First of all, it makes any material highly engaging.  The eye is drawn to all the different parts as if it were looking at a piece of art, immediately looking at maybe one focal point but then wandering around the page to take in all the related information.  I also thing using varied graphics as an option for displaying learning is valuable as it teaches students to be thoughtful about what they are choosing to show and how to show it, from what is MOST important to what is just a detail.

Thinking about how our students absorb information, how might we better support the learners in our classrooms?

I found it interesting one graphic I saw about how middle school students feel about math.  I thought about all the information I got from the infographic and how much more involved and interested I was with this format instead of just simply reading an article full of statistics. We need to support our earners by providing them with many opportunities to see information outside a textbook.  Even reading that only 4% of kids enjoy learning new material through video learning is making me rethink my “forward practices” in my classroom.  If I would have read that in an article, I may have missed that tidbit.  I made sure to look at every little piece of information on the infographic.

         

Envision an activity, unit or event that is approaching how might you incorporate some of the design principles?

We are getting ready for State Fair.  There are many many ways to use these design principles with everything we do.  This year, we are going paperless, so the kids can no longer have a booklet with their project display, but I WILL incorporate allowing one page where the students have to thoughtfully pick and choose what information is important and how to display it.  We research landforms, weather, attractions, major cities, history, people, and more so there will be a lot of information to choose from!  I will definitely use some of the resources suggested in this module, including google drawing, into our work this year.