Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Visual Literacy and High School Mathematics

Jonathan Lillie
University of West Georgia
MEDT 7490
July 22, 2016

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Visual Literacy and High School Mathematics

Article 1
The first article I reviewed, Mathematics in the Middle: Measure, Picture, Gesture, Sign,
and Word, was authored by J. L. Lemke. The paper focuses on defining and analyzing semiotics,
the study of signs or symbolic representations, and discussing why understanding the idea is
important to teachers and students of mathematics. The author draws from more than 35 other
published sources to make his conclusions.
Visual literacy takes many forms. In mathematics, visual literacy means studying the
language of mathematics. That language includes our natural language, visual representations
and symbols. They all work together as a single unit to make meaning. Understanding why
certain symbols are used and how they represent mathematics can be advantageous in retaining
mathematical knowledge.
Drawing from my own personal experience in the mathematics classroom I have come to
understand that understanding mathematics is much more than memorizing a process of steps by
which you manipulate the numbers to come to an answer. It is necessary to think mathematically,
which means explaining your reasoning using diagrams, mathematical symbols and words. If
math teachers do not use geometric representations and real world examples tied to mathematical
concepts, mathematics loses its meaning and students become disinterested because it appears to
have no application. It is more difficult to remember mathematical ideas because the student has
nothing visually familiar to hook the information onto and it appears unimportant because it
appear to have no application.
The author concludes that understanding mathematics requires us to use mathematical
symbols as part of a larger system that includes our natural language and visual representations.

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

The natural language alone is not enough to make meaning of mathematics. Signs and visual
representations are not enough. Together, much like a diagram with words on it, they form a
complete picture that gives meaning to mathematical ideas (Lemke, 2003). These conclusions are
closely tied to the dual-coding theory we studied this semester.
I learned about semiotics. I also see how it relates to visual literacy and mathematics.
Many of the examples we studied this semester were closely tied to other subjects. In the article
the author talked about the importance of including multiple semiotic resources. Videos, written
lessons, example problems and notes taken all play a role in what can be understood by the
student and how the student is processing the information. In this way visual literacy is closely
connected to learning modalities. This article, though difficult to find, helped me clearly define
visual literacy in the mathematics classroom and why it is so important.

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Article #2
The second article I reviewed, entitled Assessing Understanding Through Reading and
Writing in Mathematics, was coauthored by Kwaka Adu-Gyamfi, Michael Bosse and Johna
Faulconer. It discusses the importance of assessments are and why we should use questions
focused on reading and writing to assess a students understanding of mathematical concepts. In
addition it outlines a number of techniques that can be used to integrate reading and writing into
mathematics assessments to promote understanding. The author uses published studies and
literature to make his arguments and draw conclusions.
The current reading and writing practices of many, if not most, mathematics classrooms
are limited to taking notes, reading a math text and reading directions to solve a math problem.
These examples represent methods of extracting information, but not articulating information
(Adu-Gyamfi, 2010). Math texts are conceptually dense and more difficult to understand because
they use symbols, tables, diagrams and common language to form a complete picture of the
concept. This means one can not assume that reading a math text equals understanding what was
written in it. This argument drives home the need for assessment questions that require a student
to explain in words what is happening mathematically. Open-ended questions that require a
student to read, understand and compose a response are closer to teaching the actual concept than
memorizing a series of steps to get to a final answer. Being able to teach someone else how to do
a problem shows the ability to think at a higher level.
The techniques mentioned in the article are grouped into two categories, aptitude
assessments and content assessments. Aptitude assessments include using peer evaluation, two
stage testing, portfolios and journal writing. Content assessments include using the investigate

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

and explain technique, create your own example, definition or theorem altering and connecting
representations.
This article was fantastic. In my opinion, it was the most educational and immediately
applicable to my current position. The techniques in the classroom were all eye-opening for me. I
have used very traditional questions on my assessments in the recent past, mainly because math
has changed so much in Georgia since I started my career in teaching. It is also easier to use
traditional questions because they are easier to grade. They have been underutilized, but new
tests are being created that include these kinds of problems. Now, teachers will be forced to
change if they want to improve their test scores. These questions will help teachers engage their
students.

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Article #3
The third article I analyzed, Making Sense of Graphs: Critical Factors Influencing
Comprehension and Instructional Implications, was written by Susan Friel, Frances Curcio, and
George Bright. This article identifies four critical factors affect graph comprehension: the
purpose for using graphs, task characteristics, discipline characteristics, and reader
characteristics. This paper is a synthesis of information about the nature and structure of graphs.
The use of visual displays are ubiquitous in society today. Data is presented in many
formats and serves many purposes. Data is often used to mislead or hide information that the
creator wants you to overlook. This stresses the importance of being visually literate when it
comes to reading, analyzing, and interpreting information in visual representations.
Research was gathered from countless studies. It was used appropriately. They sought to
create a framework for graphs, their comprehension, critical factors, and the instructional
implications. It was well written and critical in helping teachers take that next step in providing a
higher level of visual literacy in the math classroom. In the end, the authors call for further
research to be directed at studying the cause of difficulties that influence graph comprehension
(Friel, 2001).
I have learned many things from this article. It provided definitions to aid understanding
graphs. The structural components of graphs include the framework, specifiers, labels and
background. The paper moves past this quickly to stress the importance of understanding the
language each graph uses. Interpreting graphs is important, but promoting a higher level of
understanding means extrapolating and interpolating the data that is graphically provided.
Questioning techniques are very important when trying to teach this kind of visual literacy. Low
level questions are important, but deeper questioning that encourages inference, application,

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

synthesis and evaluation of the data displayed is necessary. Levels of graph comprehension are
defined. The elementary level is an ability to extract the data from a graph. The intermediate
level is an ability to find relationships in the data that has been extracted. The advanced level of
understanding is apparent when a student can analyze the relationships and extrapolate the data,
using it to predict what might happen.
The critical factors influencing graph comprehension are numerous. The paper analyzed a
persons purpose for using certain graphs, graph perceptions, visually decoding graphs, and
contextual settings. Understanding the purpose behind using a certain type of graph is important.
Everyone has a reason for construction their graph a certain way. They expect you to see certain
things and accept them at face value. Research studies may leave out important information that
seems to discount the relationships they are trying to prove exist. Advertisers gloss over
important information about the risks related to using their product.
The instructional implications are obvious. Graph comprehension is a skill that students must
have. This skill is developed by reading, comprehending, analyzing, extrapolating, and creating
graphs. Teaching the skill is complicated task that this paper defines and addresses effectively. It
is clear there are lots of definitions out there that seek to define graph comprehension and visual
literacy in the math classroom. Significant overlap in those definitions exist and reinforce the
importance of defining and understanding these concepts. Effective instruction is needed and the
article has done a great job educating me. I will be able to more effectively verbalize and explain
graphs and the role they play in visual literacy. I also feel more capable to teach students how to
analyze graphs and create more complicated graphs.

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

References
Adu-Gyamfi, K., Boss, M. J., & Faulconer, J. (2010). Assessing understanding through reading
and writing in mathematics. International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and
Learning, 11(5), 1-22.
Friel, S. N., Curcio, F. R., & Bright, G. W. (2001). Making sense of graphs: Critical factors
influencing comprehension and instructional implications. Journal for Research in
mathematics Education, 124-158.
Lemke, J. L. (2003). Mathematics in the middle: Measure, picture, gesture, sign, and word.
Educational perspectives on mathematics as semiosis: From thinking to interpreting to
knowing, 215-234.

Running head: VISUAL LITERACY AND HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS