I think that data is becoming more relevant and important than it ever has been. Many schools are shifting into data walls and data notebooks/binders to represent how their students are growing and learning throughout the year. I think that is a great way to visually show the students how far they have come. Throughout my experience I have not been in a school that places too much of an importance on visually representing data for the students to use. It has all been for the teachers' use.
I think that these schools have missed out on an opportunity for students to take ownership in their growth as a learner and take pride in seeing how far they have come. It is a lot of work and sometimes I think it focuses on numbers too much, but I believe that it is becoming more prevalent in today's world to see how you have grown and what you need to work on. It is also nice to have the parents look at this data to see what they can work on with their child. This is a goal for me, to try and incorporate using visually represented data in parts of my classroom so students can see their growth year long.
Data represented visually is nice, because I think it is universally appealing for all learners. It creates the information and shows the reader in a quick and easy way. I love infographics because I can pick out the important information very quickly and it gives me an idea of what information it wants to get across.
I liked what you said about students taking ownership over their learning and having them be able to visually see the progress they are making. I feel like by doing so, it serves as a motivation and will keep them interested in learning so they can meet the highest goals set for them. I am working through a reading program with my Pre-K kiddos and have star charts they take home and color in every time a book is read to them. Then when they bring them back each week, they get stickers for their sticker charts for every three books they read. They love going over to them and counting how many stickers they have and still need to fill it up! They get excited about going home and reading more books so they can get more stickers and love seeing the progress they are making!
ReplyDeleteKirsten.
ReplyDeleteRE: “Data represented visually is nice, because I think it is universally appealing for all learners. It creates the information and shows the reader in a quick and easy way.”
That in a nutshell is why infographics are becoming so popular. They present data in a visual way that makes it easy to understand. Data has no value until it is presented in an understandable way. In the Information Age, students will be presented with more data than ever before. It is our job as educators, to help students make sense of data so they can better understand the world they live in. Guiding them in the process of making infographics will give them practice at presenting complex concepts or ideas as easily understood visual representations. This skill is in high demand in today’s world and will only become more important.
Dr. Dell