In today's digital and technologically-savvy world, infographics have become more and more popular. In the book, Argument in the Real World, Turner and Hicks (2017) explain that infographics are a type of digital text that is an integration of words, numbers, and visual components. Infographics present a visual for students in addition to information they may be reading in a textbook. Visual aids are necessary for teaching and can also be created by students to share and present to their class to defend their perspective on a certain topic.
Infographics increase student engagement. According to the Youtube video, Why Do Infographics Matter?, “90 percent of information transmitted through the brain is visual” (2017). I completely agree with this statement. I am a visual learner and learn best through seeing pictures or other visual representations with short captions and explanations.
When thinking about students creating infographics, I envision students collaborating with one another. Turner and Hicks (2017) mention “...creating infographics allows students to engage in inquiry in interesting ways” (pg. 74). Infographics can be used with nearly any subject. They would be an engaging and fun activity for students to demonstrate their understanding during or to conclude a unit of study. In my class, we cover several units of study including The Road to Revolution, Natural Disasters, and Ecosystems. Students could create an infographic with their research at the end of each unit to show their knowledge and what they have learned throughout the unit. Students could also create an infographic to explain certain math concepts we may be learning. The possibilities are endless when it comes to using infographics in the classroom!
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
Just like with any good lesson should begin, modeling and showing students examples of infographics will help set expectations and get students thinking about what they want their infographic to include and look like. I have included an infographic above that I would use to model when teaching our Road to Revolution unit. In this unit, we discuss the events that led up to the Revolutionary War and America becoming a free country. This allows students to build background knowledge and truly understand why the Declaration of Independence is so important. Pinterest also includes many infographic boards created by educators to share with their students. As I was looking through this board, 100 Best Infographics for Kids images | general knowledge, knowledge, infographic, I found many amazing infographics that I could share with my students!
References:
Doyle, L. (2020, October 01). Why Are Infographics Effective in the Classroom? Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.easel.ly/blog/infographics-effective-classroom/
Easelly: Infographic Design Tips and Tutorials. (2017). Why Do Infographics Matter [Youtube Video]. In Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLDxBbQcwNY&feature=emb_logo
Kiger, P. (2019, August 20). 7 Events That Enraged Colonists and Led to the American Revolution. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.history.com/news/american-revolution-causes
Kumar, P. (2020, March 02). Advantages of Infographics for Education: Slidebazaar. Retrieved October 13, 2020, from https://slidebazaar.com/blog/advantages-of-infographics-for-education/
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Vernons. (2020, September 24). How Infographics Can Be Used for Any Classroom Subject. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.easel.ly/blog/infographics-can-be-used-for-any-subject/
