Aira Bado BSED MATH III-D Prof Ed 7(9:30-10:30am) October 19, 2020

ACTIVITY 14: Teaching with Visual Symbols

1. WHAT INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FALL UNDER VISUAL SYMBOL?

Visual Aids are instructional materials fall under Visual symbols because it supplements words
with pictures, charts, graphs, or other visual information. They are important because they help
the audience understand and remember, increase audience interest, and act as notes or reminders
for the speaker.

2. WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF VISUAL SYMBOLS?

A. Drawings
 A drawing may not be real thing but better to have a
concrete visual aid than nothing. To avoid confusion, it
is good that our drawing correctly represents the real
thing.

B. Cartoons
 Another useful visual symbols that can bring novelty to
our teaching is the cartoon. A first-rate cartoon tells its
story metaphorically. The perfect cartoon needs no
caption. The less the artist depends on words, the more
effective the symbolism. The symbolism conveys the
message.

C. Strip drawing
 These are commonly called comics or comic strip. Dale (1969) asserts that a more accurate
term is strip drawings. Make use of strip that are educational and entertaining at the same time.

D. Diagram
 It is any line drawing that shows arrangement and relations as of parts to the whole, relative
values, origins and development, chronological fluctuations, distribution etc.
E. Posters
 A poster is combination of bold designs and color primarily intended to catch attention on a
significant fact, idea or message. Simply stated, a poster is a picture with appropriate caption.

F. Charts
 Charts are graphic or pictorial representations of a large mass of information or show
progression thru time and space of people or events, ideas and objects.

G. Graphs
 Graphs present quantitative data for easier analysis and interpretation. It shows comparative
relationship of data involved in size, trends and growth. Graphs are best used in developing
and in summarizing a unit.
3. WHERE CAN THEY BE INTEGRATED IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS?
 Well-integrated use of technology resources by thoroughly trained teachers makes twenty-
first-century learning process effective. Technology integration is the use of technology tools
in general content areas in education in order to allow students to apply computer and
technology skills to learning and problem-solving. Technology integration is defined as the
use of technology to enhance and support the educational environment.

4. WHAT GUIDELINES SHALL WE FOLLOW WHEN WE READ CHARTS, GRAPHS AND

MAPS?
 Through the use of charts, data can often be understood better, because it becomes easier to
see hidden patterns. Charts are particularly good when comparing magnitudes, changes over
time, distributions, correlations and relative shares of a whole. The decision about the type of
chart to decide to use should be based on the composition of the audience, what the data shows
and what relationships are important to highlight. Depending on the above considerations,
some charts will be more appropriate than others.
 For presenters who are not very experienced in deciding which type of chart to use, it is
recommended to experiment by drawing several types of charts to see which one is the most
suitable. A trial-and-error approach can be very helpful in improving graphs. It is unlikely that
you will find the right graph will be found the first time.
Some Guidelines
 Graphs should have a clear, self‐explanatory title
 The units of measurement should be stated
 Graphs should be simple and not too cluttered
 All axes should be carefully labelled
 Include the source of the data
 The scale on each axis should not distort or hide any information.
 Graphs should clearly show trends or differences between the data
 Use two‐dimensional designs
 Avoid data point markers on line graphs
 Graphs should be accurate in a visual sense (e.g. if one value on the chart is 15 and
another 30, then the second value should appear to be twice the size of the first)
 Avoid abbreviations and acronyms
 Avoid legends except on maps
 Color use should be consistent. For example, if males are shown in blue and females
in red, this convention should be followed across all charts.

5. WHAT ARE DRAWINGS, CARTOONS, DIAGRAMS, CHARTS, GRAPHS AND MAPS?

A. Drawings
A drawing may not be the real thing but better to have a concrete visual aid than nothing. To
avoid confusion, it is good that our drawing correctly represents the real thing.
B. Cartoons
 Cartoons tell stories metaphorically through pictures, which need no captions. Symbolism
conveys messages, less words more symbolism the better. The cartoon presents a certain issue or
concern which could be either for or against it.
 It is a pictorial representation or caricature of a person, idea, situation or issue that is designed to
influence public opinion. Therefore, cartoons must be presented in a challenging manner. For
better understanding they should be drawn around a single idea.

C. Diagrams
 It is “any line drawing that shows arrangements and relations as of parts to the whole,
relative values, origins and development, chronological fluctuations, distribution. Etc.”
(Dale, 1969)
 If you can draw stick figures, you can easily draw the diagrams that you need as you go
along. To emphasize the key points in your diagram, make use of color whether you use
the chalkboard or the OHP and transparencies.
Types of diagram
a. Affinity diagram- used to cluster complex apparently unrelated data into natural and meaningful
groups.

b. Tree diagram- used to chart out, in increasing detail, the various tasks that must be accomplished
to complete a project or achieve a specific objective.
 c. Fishbone diagram- it is also called cause-and-effect diagram

D. Charts
 Charts are graphic or pictorial representations of a large mass of information or show
progression thru time and space of people or events, ideas and objects.

Kinds of charts and examples

a. Time chart- is a tabular time chart that presents data in ordinal sequence.

b. Tree or stream chart- depicts development, growth and change by beginning with a single course
(the trunk) which spreads out into many branches; or by beginning with the many tributaries
which then converge into a single channel.
c. Flow chart- is a visual way of charting or showing a process from beginning to end.

d. Organizational chart- how one part of the organization relates to other parts of the organization.

e. Comparison and contrast chart- used to show similarities and differences between two things.
 f. Pareto chart- is a type of bar chart, prioritized in descending order of magnitude or importance
from left to right.

E. Graphs
 Graphs present quantitative data for easier analysis and interpretation. It shows comparative
relationship of data involved in size, trends and growth. Graphs are best used in developing
and in summarizing a unit.

Kinds of graphs
1. Line graph – is the most accurate of all graphs used in plotting trends of relationships between two
series of data. It is used when there is a considerable number of data to be plotted and if these data are
continuous.

2. Bar graphs – simplest of all graphs to read. They are represented either by vertical or horizontal
bars. The lengths of the bars represent an amount or percentage data. It is best when number of values
to be compared is small.
3. Circle or pie graph – the sections of which are used to represent component parts of a whole. They
always present total amounts, their parts or segments are calculated in percentage or fractional parts
of a whole.

4. Area or Solid graphs – use for the simplest quantitative comparison thru the use of geometric
shapes. It is used to compare two or three related totals.

5. Pictorial Statistics or pictograph – it makes use of related pictures in showing quantitative data.
Pictures give realism and interest so it is widely used specially in the elementary grades.
F. Maps
 A map is a representation of the surface of the earth or some part of it.

Kinds of map
a. Physical map- combines in a single projection data like altitude, temperature, rainfall,
precipitation, vegetation, and soil.

b. Relief map- has three dimensional representations and show contours of the physical data of the
earth or part of the earth.

c. Commercial or economic map- also called product or industrial map since they show land areas
in relation to the economy.

d. Political map- gives detailed information about country, provinces, cities and towns, roads and
highways.
e. Map language Scale- shows how much of the actual earth’s surface is represented by a given
measurement on a map.

f. Symbols- usually a map has a legend that explains what each symbol represent highways,
railroads, mountains lakes and plains.

g. Color- the different colors of the map are part of the map language.

h. Geographic grids- the entire system of these grid lines are called grid lines.