Abstract:

Infographics are visual representations of information that communicate ideas in a clear and simple way (Lankow et al., 2012; Smicklas, 2012). This can enhance communication, comprehension, learning, and motivation in language learning (Bicen & Beheshti, 2022; Rezaei & Sayadian, 2015). Learners can practice process analysis by creating infographics to explain how something is done by drawing upon their diverse funds of knowledge from their lives outside of school (González et al., 2005). This poster session will illustrate a lesson focused on creating process analysis infographics from learners’ life experiences. Students select something specific they know how to do well based on their hobbies, jobs, experiences, language and cultural backgrounds, etc. The teacher addresses the importance of instructions when learning how to do something new and how frustrating unclear instructions are. Learners consider how they would explain to someone the skill they have chosen and write down all the specific steps involved in the process in the order they typically occur. Then they create infographics by hand or digitally to illustrate each step of the process. This lesson can be adapted to a younger age or lower level by providing cue cards with different common daily tasks written and/or displayed as images and sentence starters. Learners can present their infographics or act them out and have the class guess the steps involved, which may help them discover missing steps forgotten along the way. This activity can be extended for adult learners or those at more advanced levels by considering common mistakes people make when they first start learning a skill, including cautions and tips. Moreover, to promote rhetorical awareness, learners can be asked to include an artist statement reflecting on their visual and rhetorical choices about how they chose to communicate their message to their audience, including the graphics, layout, tone, intentions, rhetorical appeals, and strategies. Ultimately, this multimodal lesson is versatile and positions students as experts who can draw upon their knowledge and experiences outside of the classroom to acquire new language skills.

References:
[1] Bicen, H., & Beheshti, M. (2022). Assessing perceptions and evaluating achievements of ESL learners with the usage of infographics in a flipped classroom learning environment. Interactive Learning Environments, 30(3), 498-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1666285
[2] González, N., Moll, L., & Amanti, C. (Eds). (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities and classrooms. Erlbaum.
[3] Lankow, J., Ritchie, J., & Crooks, R. (2012). Infographics: The power of visual storytelling. John Wiley & Sons.
[4] Rezaei, N., & Sayadian, S. (2015). The impact of infographics on Iranian EFL learners’ grammar learning. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(1), 78–85.
[5] Smiciklas, M. (2012). The power of infographics: Using pictures to communicate and connect with your audiences. Que Publishing.

Keywords:

Education, language learning, multimodality, multiliteracy.