Building Data Fluency - Visually And Literally

ASIDE 2017

In this data-rich world, our students face growing amounts of statistical content. That's why we believe  teaching graphicacy is vital to the modern classroom. We develop ways to incorporate visual literacy and visual thinking in some capacity in most assignments and consistently look for ways that students can transfer content from a linear to visual format. This process enables them to connect more deeply with the material. The graphs in this post represent statistics on immigration that our students used to build graphs for a project-based learning unit on immigration.

ASIDE 2017

Each student studied a particular immigrant group for the project. For the graph assignment, they gathered the data for their group’s country of origin, as well as immigration data for two other countries. They recorded the information in a table format for five consecutive decades. While the organization of the data gave them a quick overview, the disparity in size of immigration over the course of 50 years was not immediately evident.

ASIDE 2017

Giving the students the opportunity to literally construct the graphs allowed them to experience visual data firsthand. Using the decades along the horizontal axis was easy; however, the vertical axis required a bit more intellectual work to determine the coordinates for plotting the data. Some had to revise their decisions several times by reexamining the numbers to adjust the coordinate values.

ASIDE 2017

The process of using statistics to construct meaning regarding immigration to the United States as visual data reinforced their understanding from both a historical and mathematical perspective. The students could visually see the highs and lows by group over time in addition to the places where immigration intersected or overlapped.

ASIDE 2017

Using statistics is an effective tool for learning. Since we know that our students will encounter numbers on a daily basis, the more we can do to build in data analysis, the better they will be able to make choices based on evidence and authenticity. Visual data is used in everything from household products to political campaigns. Without the proper skills, learners, like any other consumer, can be misled. Interpreting the pictorial representation of information is an essential skill of graphicacy; all students must master this proficiency.

Infographic Design Provides Students In Grades 2 – 4 Context For Content

Source: ASIDE 2016 - 2nd Grade Infographics

Since we began working with students to create infographics several years ago, we’ve witness tremendous growth in their ability to give context to their content. They’ve become accustomed to keeping font choices simple, careful about not typing in all caps for easier readability, and selective with color and images.

Source: ASIDE 2016 - 3rd Grade Infographics

They think about placement of text, simplify the information, and see the connections that each part plays in the overall design. It’s no longer a battle to compile the content and type the copy first, and then make it POP! There is no doubt in our minds that our continued integration of design as a method to transform information so that it can be easily understood at a glance is becoming second nature for our students. We spend less and less time instructing them to go back to rework problem areas.

Source: ASIDE 2016 - 4th Grade Infographics

Their mastery of the elements and principles of design show a natural progression with each advance in grade level. We’ve built a vocabulary of terms and expressions such as “1 + 1 = 3” that roll off their tongues as they help others around them. They understand that it’s not about the math, but the spatial adjacency of items that are side by side; they get that the middle counts. They love putting the infographic side-by-side with their research notes. The visual vs. linear comparison really hits home, and the sense of pride in their work is huge.

Source: ASIDE 2016 - 4th Grade Infographic

We firmly believe in the benefits of pushing the design of information within the curricula as a way of helping students internalize their research as well as create a context for it. With each year that we do this, the process becomes easier.