Teaching with
Visual Symbols
Visual Symbols
are representations of
direct reality, which comes
in the form of signs and
symbols.
Introduction
From an experience of a real world
experience we proceed to a word of
symbols.
Visual symbols include drawings, cartoon,
strip drawings, diagrams, formulas,
charts, graphics, maps, globes.
Your experience of the words and the
graphs convinces you that a graph is
easier to understand than the words of a
paragraph.
A graph is “worth a thousand words”.
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.
One essential skill that the teacher
should posses is drawing.
Drawings and sketches
• these are crude and simple lines, which are
effective in showing what needs to be shown
with sufficient clarity, to make the meaning
vivid to the learners or students.
• They are stick drawings with no illusion of
depth but a smart teacher can use them in a
very effective way in explaining and showing
ideas and concepts
Example:
Sketching
Cartoons
Another useful visual symbol
that can bring novelty to our
teaching is the cartoon. A first
rate cartoon tells its story tells a
story metaphorically. The
perfect cartoon needs no
caption. The less the artist
depends on words, the more
effective the symbolism. The
symbolism conveys the
messages.
Example:
This cartoon is
critical of the
so-called
carpetbaggers,
government
agents and
others from the
North who
often took
advantage of
the South after
the American
Civil War
ended in 1865
Cartoons
Cartoons- tell stories
metaphorically through
pictures, which need no
caption. Symbolism
conveys message, 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
Suggestions for the use
of cartoons
• Appropriateness to the experience
level- the age and the experience or
maturity of the target learners must
be taken into consideration
• Simplicity- contains only the essential
features. The cartoon must not contain
so many details.
• Brevity of captions if ever but they
may not be given any. Short and direct
captions are used when necessary.
• Use of clear symbols. Use symbols that
are conventional, like; the dove to
mean peace; the owl to mean wisdom or
education; the coffin to mean death;
the turtle to mean slow or sluggishness
and others
• Adequateness of size. The cartoon
Sources of cartoons:
You can easily collect cartoons for
instruction. They often appear in
newspapers and magazines. In class, you
can give it to individual students for
individual study or project it by an opaque
projector
Where to use cartoons in instruction?
You can also use this as a springboard for
a lesson board for a lesson or concluding
activity. It depends on your purpose
Poster
is a 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.
Characteristics of a good
poster
• It must be bold and simple but
dramatizes features
• It must be appropriate to the grade
level and to the subjects and purpose
or purposes
• It must have only limited text, few
words are generally used and key
words are made to standout by means
of type size or position.
• It must be attractive, pleasing to
the eyes.
Strip
Drawings
These are commonly called
comics or comic strip. Dale(1969)
asserts that a more accurate
term is strip drawings. Make use
of strips that are educational and
entertaining at the same time.
Example:
Where to use drawing as an instruction?
These can serve as a motivation and
starter of your lesson. It can also be given
as an activity for students to express
insights gained at the conclusion of a
lesson.
Sources of drawing
You can obtain strip drawings from
newspapers, magazines and books.
Diagrams
It is “any line drawing that shows
arrangement and relations as a part to the
whole, relative values, origins and
developments, chronological fluctuations,
distribution, etc”.(Dale, 1969)
xample:
Types of diagrams:
Affinity Diagram – used to
cluster complex apparently
unrelated data into natural and
meaningful groups.
Example of Affinity Diagram:
Work Rewards and Organizational
Job Focus
environment Recognition Philosophy
Quick and Communicate
Supportive Interesting
Appropriate organizational
Management work
Rewards Goals
Provide Give Give Good, Provide
Adequate Recognition clear Challenging
Equipment where Due Directions Experiences
Provide Clean &
Opportunity for Make work
Cheerful Double Goals
advancement Meaningful
Environment
Good Focus on our Give
Adequate salary
Instruction mission Responsibility
Provide Effective
Good Benefits Remove red tape
Training Responsibility
Affinity diagram of Keeping Employees Motivated
Tree diagram- used to chart
out, in increasing details, the
various tasks that must be
accomplished to complete a
project or achieve a specific
objective.
Revise
supervisory
Program
Improve work
environment
Refurbish all
admin.
Teachers’
Offices
To create a
Improve and
work ensure
environment Improve system
of rewards and
opportunities
for advancement
where 80-90% Recognition
of employees
are motivated Improve salary
and benefits
Improve
interpersonal
environment
Fishbone diagram- it is also
called the cause-and-effect
diagram. It is most commonly
used to analyze work-related
problems.
Example of Fishbone
Diagram:
Charts
It is diagrammatic representation
of relationships among individuals
within an organization.
We can have a seven types of
chart:
1. Time Chart
Is a tabular time chart that
presents data in ordinal
sequence.
Example of Time Chart:
2. Tree Or Stream Chart
Depicts development, growth and change
by beginning with a single course (the
trunk) which spread out into many
branches; or by beginning with the many
tributaries which then converge into a
single channel.
Example of Tree Or Stream
Chart:
3. Flow Chart
Is a visual way of charting or
showing a process from
beginning to end. It is a means of
analyzing a process.
Example of Flow Chart:
START
4. Organizational chart
Shows how one part of the
organization relates to other parts
of the organization.
Example of Organizational
Chart:
5. Comparison or Contrast Chart
Used to show similarities and
differences between two things.
Example of Contrast Chart
Attributte 1 Name 1 Name 2
Attribute 2
Attribute 3
6. Pareto chart
Is a type of bar chart, prioritized
in descending order of magnitude
or importance from left to right. It
shows at a glance which factors
are occurring most.
Example of Pareto chart
Gannt chart
Is an activity time chart
Example of Gannt chart
Graphs
A graphic (such as
a chart or diagram) depicting the
relationship between two or more
variables used, for instance, in
visualizing scientific data.
Graphs are diagrams (pictures)
that can be used to
display/compare collected data.
They communicate "visually
There are several types of graph:
1. Circle or Pie Graph
- recommended for showing parts
of the whole
Example of Pie Graph
food
shelter
water
2. Bar Graph
-use in comparing the magnitude
of similar items at different ties or
seeing relative sizes of the parts
of a whole.
Example of Bar Graph
Enrolment of CTE from 2000-
2010
3. Pictorial Graph
- makes use of pictorial
symbol.
Example of Pictorial Graph :
4. Line Graph
- A line chart or line graph is a
type of graph, which displays
information as a series of data
points connected by
straight line segments
Example of Line Graph
5. Graphic Organizers
- Visual representations of
knowledge, concepts, thoughts,
or ideas. Graphic Organizers
historically have been organized
bits of data in easy-to-understand
formats, such as charts, tables,
and graphs.
Example of Graphic Organizers
Maps
A map is a representation of
the surface of the earth or
some part of it.
Kinds of Map
Physical Map
-combines in a single projection
data like altitude, temperature,
rainfall, presipitation, vegetation,
and soil
Example of Physical Map
Relief Map
- has three dimensional
representations and show
contours the physical data of the
earth or part of the earth
Example of Relief Map
Commercial or Economic Map
-also called product or industrial
map since they show land areas
in relation to the economy.
Example of Economic Map
Regions of the United States
Geographers divide the United States into a number of regions
that share common features. These regions are defined by
similar natural features, such as terrain and climate, or by
cultural factors, including shared economic or historical
influences.
Political Map
-gives detailed information about
country, provinces, cities and
towns, roads and highways.
Oceans, rivers and lakes are the
main features of most political
maps.
Example of Political Map
Map Language
Scale
- shows how much is the actual
earth’s surface is represented by
a given measurement of a map.
Example Of Scale
The scale of a map defines the relationship between
distance on the map and the corresponding distance on
the earth
Symbols- usually a map
has a legend that
explains what each
symbol means
Color
Geographic Grids-
The grid lines are called
meridian and parallel.
Examle of Geographic Grids-
Understanding Maps, Graphs, and
Charts
Read the titles and the subtitles
Read the key, and/or the legend
Read the information shown along
the side and the bottom of the
graphs and charts and tables, if
any.
Determine your purpose of reading
the map
Summing Up
Like a picture, a graph and all other visual
symbols, are worth a thousand words. The
proper use of the visual symbols will
contribute to the optimum learning.
Visual symbol come in many forms. For
these visual symbols to be at your finger
tips, you ought to be skilled in making
them.
The collection, preparation and use of
these various visual symbols depend on
the great extent on your own
resourcefulness and creativity. If you used
them skillfully, your classroom may turn into
a beehive of busy students.
Postscript – A Lot of Visual
Symbols at Your Disposal
You may not realize it. But with visual
symbols alone, you have an array of
teaching materials to choose from. If you
decide and commit yourself to using one
visual symbol for very lesson, you will keep
your teaching crispy and fresh. You must
learn how to draw, sketch make diagrams,
graphs and charts. The computer can now
do the graphs, the charts and some
diagrams.
Thank you!!!!!
