LB# 13: Teaching with Visual Symbols

Visual symbols make up for real things when we're in the classroom and when computers and televisions are not available. The visual aids are what helps the students understand what the lesson is all about. The are different kinds of visual symbols. These include drawings, cartoons, strip drawings, diagrams, charts, graphs and maps.

Let's expound each kind of visual symbol. Drawings represent the real thing. It helps if a teacher is capable of freehand drawing. Elaborate pictures are not necessary. Basic stick figures can do a lot.

A well illustrated cartoon can tell a story. You can get get cartoon pictures from the newspaper, magazines and posters. Sketching a cartoon can be made simple.

Strip drawings or better known as comics or comic strips can be found in newspapers. Facial expressions, conversations and gestures can be conveyed in a strip drawing.

Diagrams "show arrangement and relations of parts to a whole, relative values, origins and development, chronological fluctuations, distributions, etc" (Dale, 1969).

Charts are diagrammatic representation of relationships among individuals within an organization. A famous example is a flow chart which shows step-by-step processes and the organizational chart which shows the ranking and functions from the top ranking official down to its subordinates. Another is the family tree, using the tree chart.

Graphs represent comparison. The pie graph and the bar graph are a common example.

Maps represent the surface of the earth. Different kinds of maps can be used depending on what the lesson is about.

These visual symbols can be used in so many ways. They can be made colorful and fun. They can also be interactive if the students are asked to stick the right piece in a graph or chart.