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Do Visuals Help? Standards
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Visual Learning- Learning Trigonometry through Infographics
Inspiration for Capstone
Because it is catchy and applicable to my Capstone, the CRAP principle is the first thing that comes to mind. Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity. I loved reading the Baggio book, because it was relevant, and accessible. The visual principles have helped me see the way I present material to my students in a new way. Dervin was more difficult but the big idea was about that bridge, and making the connection with students. Creating the meaning and sense making bridge for learners to go from the unknown to the understanding. This is a daily struggle, but when you see that light bulb go on for students- it is so very rewarding!
California adopted the Common Core Standards, which are certainly rigorous. I always brought in lessons that students would need to use a graphing calculator, because it aids in comprehension (Visual!). Baggio reinforces this idea with me. I can tell students how changing one value in an equation will change the graph, or I can assign them to graph the different equations and find out for themselves how it changes. I believe that this is not only efficient learning, but also deeper learning. Having the use of online calculators is fabulous as well, but first I need to learn the new technology, explore, see how to fit it in. All of this takes time and, I believe, that is the "wicked" part of TPACK- the integration of Technology, Pedagogy and Content. Time is the commodity that we teachers have to use, to the best of our ability, to benefit our students. I think that this is a constant push-pull situation, there are only 24 hours in a day! Visual learning is my focus and the way I hope to get through to many learners in my classroom. My inspiration comes from some of our course readings, my instructors, other teachers and the students, who are very good at being “critical friends”. I have always drawn pictures and made flowcharts for conceptual understanding but this project allowed me to find digital resources and to create resources with the goal of deeper understanding for all. From my research paper: According to the The High School Longitudinal Survey (2016), 9th grade students at the national level are asked to self-assess as to whether they consider themselves a “math person” or if others consider them a “math person”. The numbers for both male and female students that consider themselves in a positive light have dropped from 2009 to 2012, according to the United States Department of Education. This self-perception can influence the way a student believes if they will be successful or not. This is justified by a study done by Susana Claro and David Paunesku (Stanford University) at a nationwide level in Chile. And: One of the Common Core Standards for Mathematical (2016) practices is: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. In order to approach a math problem and then to continue to work on it, especially when it is difficult, a student needs to have an idea that they could be successful. Before being able to do math, a student needs to think they can as well as have the confidence that they can persevere when it gets difficult. As a teacher, I find that I often feel like I sound like a cheerleader during class time, "you can do this", "give it a try", "what do you think is your first step?", "keep going!", and the like. I realize that it is human nature to stay with the comfortable but I need to help students stretch and grow, try and fail, and persevere when it seems hopeless. For many students, mathematics does carry the stigma of you either are a "math person" or you are not. I will continue to do what I can to open their minds and help them be successful, using growth mindset phrases and more visuals. |
Research
Design Process
Support and Next Steps
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