What you can learn from an infographic

We all have a voice. The more we get in touch with what’s important to us, the more we can add value to our society.

When I teach, I want students to find their voice and express their emotions, their perspectives, and ideas. We can’t contribute if we’re conforming. We can only contribute if we are authentic.

So when I led grades 4 and 5 during the “Spring into Reading” sessions at Brockton School, Part 1 of creating an info-graphic, (exploration), was spurred by each student’s desire to know and to question.

Because you can’t learn if you’re not in the proper “state”, relaxation, and focus techniques, as well as mastery and confidence were explored.

In this learning environment, the “360” as I like to call it, the real value is that the students are bound to learn a variety of tools and techniques that they can apply in their daily lives. At ARTCi we are providing kids and adults with an organic framework to discover their voices.

Think of user experience: I meet my students where they are at. Their creativity is not constricted by the lesson, but rather liberated by it. In Part 2 of creating an info-graphic (creation) ART becomes the expression of their personal experience, of those voices questioning and (especially in this digital era) sifting through information.

Over these two sessions students learned about infographics, researched water conservation topics dear to their hearts and inspired by the book reading (“We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom), while being introduced to a variety of learning modalities, and while exploring social activism, curation, communication and design.