Worth a thousand words…

I have blogged before about the power of visualisation as a way of capturing data – Ewan McIntosh had this as a key thread in his CORE Breakfast seminars in 2010.

Here’s a great website for profiling different infographics [a graphic or image that represents information] that are out there: FlowingData | Data Visualization, Infographics, and Statistics [image source]

We all know that many people learn best through visuals, images, graphics and so on. For many students, especially those with learning challenges that arise due to Attention Deficit Disorder or autism spectrum, presenting information visually can help maintain attention and focus on the matter being explored.

Capturing thinking in mind-maps and the like is well-trodden ground for educators now – but teaching students to read and interpret visual information is also important. Exploring language, symbols and texts (a New Zealand Curriculum Key Competency) is a pathway towards this.

So next time you have to explain an idea or present a complex set of data, use images and visual representation instead – a powerful way to convey your thoughts.

[Thanks to dk @ mediasnackers via Ali Hughes @ CORE Education for the link]