By Jane Krauss
More Than Words Can Say
Good learning experiences
ask students to investigate
and make sense of the
world. While there are
many ways to do this, K– 12
curriculum has traditionally
skewed toward reading
and writing to interpret
and express students’
sense-making. But there
is another way. Infographics
represent data and ideas
visually, in pictures, engaging more parts of the brain
to look at a problem from
more than one angle.
Infographics ask for an
active response from the
viewer, raising the questions, “What am I seeing?”
and “What does it mean?”
As the old adage goes,
a picture is worth 1,000
words, and pictures can be
essential when complexity
demands more than words
can say.
Infographics
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/BUSIMARUSI
The NETS for Students address skill sets that include the
interpretation and creation of infographics. The NETS’
Creativity and Innovation indicators include creating
original works and using models, its Communication
and Collaboration indicators speak to communicating
information and ideas using a variety of media, and
the Research and Information Fluency section refers to
processing data and reporting results using a variety of tools.
iste.org/standards/nets-students
The “anchor standards” in the
Common Core State Standards
define college and career readiness, in part, as the ability to
“integrate and evaluate content
presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.”
www.corestandards.org
