Some Pedagogical Considerations

Creating visual representation of concepts is a fun way to see what students know and an opportunity to develop multiple literacies (digital skills, design skills, communication, etc. ). This also supports multiple representation of the learning material and multiple ways of expression what students have learned.

About Peer Feedback

I like to combine the creation of images with peer feedback that students give to each other in the discussion forum.

Learners are asked to provide feedback to other students using TAG feedback method:

T – tell something that you liked

A – ask a question

G – give a suggestion

This way learners have the opportunity to see the work of other students and practice valuable skill of giving and receiving feedback.

Another aspect of this process is to learn and practice such soft skills as creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration (if students work in groups).

It is useful to provide students with the definitions if these terms. I use the adapted definitions from Nation Education Association’s Educator’s Guide to the “Four Cs”.

Creativity

Think creatively
• Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)
• Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)
• Elaborate, refine, analyze, and evaluate original ideas to improve and maximize
creative efforts
Work creatively with others
• Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively
• Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and
feedback into the work
• Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real-world limits to
adopting new ideas
• View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation are
part of a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes

Communication

Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal communication skills
in a variety of forms and contexts
• Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions
• Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g., to inform, instruct, motivate, and persuade)
• Use multiple media and technologies, and know how to assess impact and their effectiveness a
priori
• Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multilingual and multicultural)

Collaboration

Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
• Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to
accomplish a common goal
• Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions
made by each team member

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Make judgement and decisions
• Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims, and beliefs
• Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments
• Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
• Reflect critically on learning experiences and process
Solve problems
• Solve different kinds of unfamiliar problems in both conventional and innovative ways
• Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better
solutions

Content Mastery

It is also important to make sure that learners demonstrate content mastery in their work. This refers to instances where learners can demonstrate the mastery of key units of a learned content
as they prepare for application or demonstration.

It may be also good to discuss with students the following criteria:

• All the ideas and terms are defined and illustrated correctly.
• The choice of supportive evidence is based on research.
• Resources used are stated and referenced in APA format.

Reflection

Another useful component that could be added to the learning process is to make students to write a reflection of the process of creating their images and the choice they make while doing this.

Here are some guiding questions for learners:

• What can you tell about the role of statistics in
  our life?
• Was there anything surprising or unexpected in creating your post?
• How is Twitter used to share statistics with the world?
• What was the most difficult part in doing this assignment?
• How creativity is related to statistics and our life?
• What does it mean to be creative?
• What have you learned about image design by doing this project?
• What have you learned by doing this project?