Middle schoolers can be a tough crowd when it comes to focus. But visual tools like creating an infographic can be a great way to make even complex topics interesting and easier to understand.
Sounds too tricky? Well, worry no more because Venngage has got you covered with a plethora of educational infographics that can make learning more interesting for your students.
History, math, science, you name it – we have tons of eye-catching, sharable infographics on pretty much any subject. Keep reading to find out how!
There are a multitude of different ways to use infographics in lessons:
- Educational infographics can be used as visuals aids.
- You can use them as discussion starters.
- You can introduce a topic or give an overview of the lesson.
- They are perfect for visualizing data and teaching data visualization concepts.
Before we go further into infographic examples for students, it’s important to understand why they can be effective in the classroom.
Why are visuals important in the classroom
Visuals can be a powerful tool and important tool in the classroom because they:
- Grab attention: They capture attention and make learning more interesting, especially for visual learners.
- Make things easier to understand: Complex concepts can be broken down and explained visually, making them easier to understand and remember.
- Boost knowledge retention: Visuals like charts, graphs and images help students retain information for longer periods.
- Make learning more interactive: Visuals can spark curiosity and encourage students to think critically about the information presented.
- Work for all kinds of learners: They provide an alternative pathway to understanding information, benefiting students with different learning styles.
- Increase accessibility: Visuals can help bridge language barriers and make learning more inclusive for all students.
How to use infographics in the classroom
In today’s visually-driven world, the use of infographics has become increasingly popular as an effective teaching tool. Integrating infographics into the classroom can significantly enhance the learning experience for students, making complex information more accessible and engaging.
Here are some innovative ways educators can leverage infographics to foster a dynamic learning environment:
1. Use an infographic to spur a classroom debate
Michelle Haiken, a teacher at Rye Middle School, NY, uses infographics to engage her students in her everyday lessons. Check out more details on how she uses infographics in this blog.
She knows how classroom infographic is effective in information dissemination. She uses infographics she finds online to compare information and help spur classroom debates between students.
For example, you could this classroom infographic to show two sides of an argument:
2. Have students create their own infographics as a classroom activity
Michelle Haiken also handles an elective course on Career Exploration where she took the opportunity to make her students create their own infographic about their own career interests. She lets her students complete the task on her class time.
Not only did she develop the students’ computer skills but she also enhanced their critical thinking and creativity.
3. Use infographics to gameify your classroom
Teacher’s incorporate digital games on their teaching to make sure more students are engaged. Similarly, infographics would be a great tool for games inside the class for a fun and interactive learning.
Maybe you can check out examples of infographics for students with a quiz flow chart. These games measure and develop the student’s literacy, reading and math skills.
A recent report by The Joan Ganz Cooney Center entitled, Comparative Analysis of National Teacher Surveys indicated that 43% of the teachers used online video games for learning. Alternatively, you can also use web-based interactive infographics that gives students/viewers the control to modify the results.
4. Use infographics in your lessons as visual aids
The same report also says that 43% of teachers used online images as part of their learning. This makes infographics more ideal because you are gonna be able to express more and show more.
Instead of using a simple image, use school infographics that are readily available online to show images and useful data at the same time.
5. Have students create visual essays with infographics
Urvi Shah is the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. She designs a seamless use of technology within the curriculum and develops and implements teacher PD based on best practices in education and emerging technologies.
They tried using infographics as a different approach instead of essay writing. It turned out good and they ended up displaying the infographics in the school hallways.
6. Ask students to create an infographic as a homework assignment
Vance Kite is a High School Science Teacher academy at City of Medicine Academy, US. He instructs students to create infographics on topics such as controversies in public health, the American obesity epidemic, STDs, and the environmental impact of their purchases.
7. Ask students to use infographics in their presentations
Mia MacMeekin is a lawyer, an educator and an instructional designer at Stratford University; Epigogy, Inc; Liberty University; US. She instructs students to use infographics on a crowdsourcing project in Ethics and any other presentation.
She also used them to explain work flow and assignments. In addition, she really makes good infographics herself. I have seen some and they are awesome! Check out her Pinterest account.
Looking for more presentation templates? Check out our collection of education presentations that you can use for your next lesson plan.
8. Have students use infographics as reporting tools
Shayne Swift is the International Baccalaureate Program Coordinator at Parkdale HS; PGCPS, US. Her students use infographics in reporting. Not only that, she they also share their infographics locally and globally.
9. Make an infographic on the diversity of learners
To promote a culture of inclusive learning within the classroom, consider creating an infographic on the diversity of learners to get to know your students and how to stimulate learning through their learning modalities.
Recognizing the diverse backgrounds, learning styles and needs of students allows educators to tailor their education proposal plans accordingly. By acknowledging and celebrating differences in culture, language, abilities and experiences, educators can create a welcoming and respectful environment.
Think like a middle schooler when incorporating infographics in the classroom
A former middle school math teacher and now a Research Associate and Professional Development Coordinator at Tarrant Institute, Meredith Swallow shared an infographic about the relevance of Math on how middle-schoolers would want to learn their lesson in her article.
The infographic statistics state that 48% of Middle-schoolers would like learning outside of school and prefer using technology for 8 hours outside of school in learning. This is where Educational infographics become handy for a better and more effective teaching strategy.
In addition, the statistics show that 48% of middle schoolers want hands-on applications. Why don’t we let them do the work on their own at home to get great learning results?
Middle schoolers’ minds are creative, impulsive, moody and easily bummed out. That’s why infographics could make a big impact on how they learn if incorporated into learning. They want to be engaged, connected, motivated and independent.
Conclusion
Infographics have almost become a staple of online information delivery and it can be an effective and powerful teaching tool. Indeed, an infographic can transfer knowledge about a topic faster and more effectively than pure text but you need to always keep in mind that an effective infographic is dependent on the quality and presentation of it.
Be creative and let your own style and goals be the key to any lesson plans incorporating infographics.
How about you? How do you use infographics in the classroom?