Visualization for Reading Comprehension

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Visualization for Reading Comprehension

• English Teaching
• and Autonomous Learning Conference,
• Fu Jen University, Taipei, Taiwan 2009
• Dr. Lauren Cifuentes

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Which is more memorable?
The childs playhouse stands thirty feet high
and is ten feet across the front.
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Purpose

• Demonstrate the power of visualization for
  enhancing memory and retention

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Theoretical framework

• Knowledge is constructed as a result of the
  interaction between the learner and environment.
• Visualizations on paper or computers can function
  as cognitive tools to help support, guide, and
  extend learners thinking processes-
• express ones ideas, and understandings
• build connections among old and new knowledge
• meaning making of to-be-learned materials

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Supporting Evidence

1. Cifuentes, L., Hsieh, Y. C. (2004).
   Visualization for middle school students
   engagement in science learning. Journal of
   Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching,
   23(2), 109-137. http//goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi
   _0199-286573/Visualization-for-middle-school-stude
   nts.html
2. Cifuentes, L., Hsieh, Y. C. (2003).
   Visualization for construction of meaning during
   study time A Qualitative Analysis. International
   Journal of Instructional Media, 30(3), 407-417.
   http//www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId500
   2074009
3. Cifuentes, L., Hsieh, Y. C. (2003).
   Visualization for construction of meaning during
   study time A Quantitative Analysis.
   International Journal of Instructional Media,
   30(4), 263-273. http//www.questia.com/googleSchol
   ar.qst?docId5002017117
4. Hsieh, Y.C., Cifuentes, L. (2006).
   Student-generated visualization as a study
   strategy for science concept learning.
   Educational Technology and Society. 9(3),
   137-148. www.ifets.info/journals/9_3/12.pdf
5. Kwon, S. Y., Cifuentes, L. (2007). Using
   computers to individually-generate vs.
   collaboratively generate concept maps. Journal of
   Educational Technology and Society. 10(4),
   269-280. http//www.ifets.info/issues.php?id37
6. Kwon, S. Y., Cifuentes, L. (2008). The
   comparative effect of individually-constructed
   vs. collaboratively-constructed computer-based
   concept maps. Computers and Education.
   http//dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.09.012
7. Hsieh, Yi-Chuan Cifuentes, L. (unpublished).
   Visualization As A Study Strategy A
   Cross-Cultural Study.

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Visualization

• Well written expository text lends itself to
  visualization.
• Autonomous learners can analyze text to determine
  how content should be visualized to clarify
  meaning.
• That process enhances comprehension, memory, and
  retention.
• Both paper and pencil and computer-based
  representations are facilitative when students
  have computer literacy.
• Both individually and collaboratively
  constructing visualizations are facilitative when
  students know how to collaborate.
• Visualization is equally effective for American
  and Taiwanese learners.

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To facilitate learning,autonomous learners can-

• show interrelationships among concepts
• make connections with what they already know
• indicate special characteristics of concepts.
• Lets see how.

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1) Show Interrelationships

• Cause and Effect
• Hierarchy
• Chronology
• Sequence
• Opposition
• Comparison
• Categories
• What visual conventions do we use to represent
  each of these interrelationships?

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1) Show Interrelationships

• Cause and Effect causal chain
• Hierarchy tree, flow chart, pyramid
• Chronology timeline
• Sequence numbers, letters, arrows
• Opposition Ying/Yang, arrows
• Comparison bar, line, pie graphs
• Categories matrices

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Cause Effect Example
Most ocean pollution caused by humans is
concentrated along the coasts of continents.
Industrial wastes, often containing
concentrations of metals and chemicals, sometimes
get into seawater and harm organisms. Pesticides
(insect killers) and herbicides (weed killers)
used in farming reach the ocean as runoff. Crop
fertilizers and human sewage create a different
kind of problem. They fertilize the water. This
causes some types of plant plankton to reproduce
very rapidly. When these plants die, theyre
decomposed by huge numbers of bacteria. The
problem is that the bacteria use up much of the
oxygen in the water during respiration.
Therefore, other organisms such as fish cant get
the oxygen they need, and they die.
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Pesticides (insect killers) Herbicides (weed
killers)
Crop fertilizer Human sewage
Industrial wastes (metals, chemicals)
Ocean Pollution
Rapid growth of plankton
Plankton die
Feed bacteria
Consume oxygen
Harm Organisms
Fish die
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Cause Effect Your Turn
The earths climate has cooled and warmed
naturally with irregular fluctuations over
millions of years. However, mans activities are
contributing to climatic changes. As a result of
mans activities during the industrial and
nuclear ages, the rate of climatic change is
predicted to increase dramatically.  
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Hierarchy Example

• According to Maslow, peoples' lower needs must be
  met in order for the higher needs to be met.
  First physiological needs must be met, then
  safety needs, then social needs, then esteem
  needs, and then the need for self-actualization.

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Hierarchy Your Turn

• According to the Pollution Prevention Act of
  1990, pollution should be prevented or reduced at
  the source whenever feasible. However, pollution
  that cannot be prevented or reduced should be
  recycled in an environmentally safe manner
  whenever feasible. For the pollution that cannot
  be prevented or recycled, it should be treated in
  an environmentally safe manner whenever feasible.
  Disposal or other release into the environment
  should be employed only as a last resort and
  should be conducted in an environmentally safe
  manner.

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Chronology Example
Earths history on the geological time scale is
divided into four geological eras Precambrian
Era, Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, and Cenozoic
Era. The Precambrian Era is the longest era. It
lasts about 4 billion years and accounts for 87
percent of Earths history. The Paleozoic Era
last about 345 million years, and the Mesozoic
Era about 160 million years. The Cenozoic Era,
the era in which we now, has lasted for only 65
million years.
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The Earths History
Paleozoic Era (345 million years)
Precambrian Era (4 billion years)
Mesozoic Era (160 million years)
Cenozoic Era (65 million years)
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Chronology Your Turn

The Scientists divide the Mesozoic Era into three
periods. The oldest period is called the Triassic
Period. The middle period is called the Jurassic
Period. The youngest period is called the
Cretaceous Period.
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Sequence Example
The life-history of the butterfly and fly is made
up of four stages, egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
These insects show complete metamorphosis. The
larva stage resembles a caterpillar or worm. In
the pupa stage, the insect lives in its cocoon.
Grasshoppers and dragonflies are examples of
insects that go through incomplete
metamorphosis in which insects show three
stages, egg, larva, and adult. In the larva stage
the insect looks like a small adult insect.
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Complete Metamorphosis Butterfly Fly
2.Larva
1.Egg
3.Pupa
4.Adult
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Incomplete MetamorphosisGrasshoppers
Dragonflies
2.Larva
1.Eggs
3.Adult
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Sequence Your Turn

• Moon phases are the changing appearances of the
  moon as seen from Earth. The phases of the moon
  start firstly with the New Moon, secondly the
  Waxing Crescent, thirdly the First Quarter,
  fourthly the Waxing Gibbous, fifthly the Full
  Moon, sixthly the Waning Gibbous, seventhly
  the Third Quarter, and the last Waning
  Crescent before the next New Moon occurs. The
  complete cycle of the moons phases take about
  29.5 days.

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Opposition Example

• Among insects we find two suborders, Apterygota
  and Pterygota. Apterygota includes insects
  without wings and Pterygota includes those
  insects with wings.

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Apterygota Pterygota
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Opposition Your Turn

• Two endocrine glands, the thyroid and the
  parathyroid, work together to keep the levels of
  calcium in the blood at equilibrium. Eating
  calcium-rich foods causes a high level of blood
  calcium. This cues the thyroid to release a
  hormone that causes calcium to be deposed in the
  bones and to be excreted in urine from the
  kidneys. On the other hand, a low level of blood
  calcium stimulates the parathyroid gland to
  created a hormone that causes bones to partially
  dissolve and causes the kidneys to conserve
  calcium, not excrete it.

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Comparison Example

• Human blood is much like sea water. While sea
  water contains 55 chlorine, blood contains 45
  chlorine. Sea water contains 34 sodium, 3
  calcium, and 1 potassium. Blood contains 38
  sodium, 2 calcium, and 3 potassium.

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Human blood is much like sea water. While sea
water contains 55 chlorine, blood contains 45
chlorine. Sea water contains 34 sodium, 3
calcium, and 1 potassium. Blood contains 38
sodium, 2 calcium, and 3 potassium.  
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Categories Example

• There are two kinds of cells in blood red cells
  and white cells. Red cells carry food and oxygen,
  and white cells fight disease.

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Red Cells White Cells
Carry food and oxygen Fight disease
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Comparison Your Turn

• The technology for tidal power is essentially the
  same as that for river hydroelectric power. With
  rivers, however, the water flows in only one
  direction, whereas a tidal plant must be adapted
  for the two-way movement of sea water.

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Categories Your Turn

• There are many types of glaciers. For
  example
• Mountain Glaciers develop in high mountainous
  regions, often flowing out of icefields that span
  several peaks or even a mountain range. The
  largest mountain glaciers are found in Arctic
  Canada, Alaska, the Andes in South America, the
  Himalayas in Asia, and on Antarctica.
• Valley Glaciers are commonly originating from
  mountain glaciers or ice fields, these glaciers
  spill down valleys, looking much like giant
  tongues or rivers. Valley glaciers tend to be
  very long, often flowing down beyond the snow
  line, sometimes reaching sea level.
• Cirque Glaciers are named for the bowl-like
  hollows they occupy, which are called cirques.
  Typically, they are found high on mountainsides
  and tend to be wide rather than long.

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2) Relate What Is Learned to What Is Already Known

• Create a direct representation
• Create a visual metaphor
• Create a visual nonexample and/or example
• Create a visual mnemonic

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Direct Representation Example

• Cyme- where the primary axis ends in a flower,
  further growth being continued by lateral
  branches which may again end in a flower.

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Direct Representation Your Turn

• The sun is a ball-shaped object made of extremely
  hot gases. Since it is made only of gases, there
  are no clear boundaries within it. The outermost
  layer of the suns atmosphere is called the
  corona. Beneath the corona is the middle layer of
  the suns atmosphere, the chromosphere. The inner
  layer of the suns atmosphere is called the
  photosphere. The center of the sun is called the
  core.

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Visual Metaphor Example

• Remember the tongue like valley glacier?
• Spiders have book lungs connected to tracheal
  tubes. Book lungs work to remove oxygen from air
  instead of water. Book lungs are series of thin
  plates full of blood vessels that catch and
  carry oxygen throughout the animals body.

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Spiders Book Lung Catches and Carries Oxygen
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Visual Metaphor Your Turn

• Nerve cells have extensions that look like
  electric wires. The job of nerve cells is to pass
  messages in the form of chemical impulses from
  nerve cell to nerve cell throughout the body.

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Visual Nonexample/Example Example

• Cholesterol exists in food as a dietary lipid.
  You'll find cholesterol only in animal products,
  such as meat and dairy foods.

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Examples of Cholesterol
Nonexamples of Cholesterol
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Visual Nonexample/Example Your Turn

• Ice insulates. When temperatures dropped in
  Florida, workers in the orange fields raced into
  the grove hauling long water hoses! These workers
  began to spray the trees with water. The water
  would freeze into ice. The ice would keep the
  oranges warm!

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Visual Mnemonic Example

• Nine Planets
• Mars Mercury Neptune
• Venus Earth Saturn
• Jupiter Pluto Uranus

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My Mercury Very Venus Educated Earth Moth
er Mars Just Jupiter Served Saturn Us U
ranus Nine Neptune Pizzas Pluto
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Visual Mnemonic Your Turn

• The proper ordering of the biological groupings
  used in taxonomy.
• Kingdom Phylum Class
• Order Family Genus Species

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3) Indicate Special Characteristics
Highlighting special characteristics using

• Labels (1,2,3 A.B.C)
• Circles or other shapes
• Asterisks/arrows
• Color
• Shading
• Visual blowup

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Highlighting Special Characteristic Example
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3 legs
1
2
2
3
4 legs
Spiders
Insects
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Highlighting Special Characteristic Your Turn

• A grasshopper has pairs of small openings called
  spiracles that lead to thousands of tracheal
  tubes. Through the spiracles, air travels into
  the tracheal tubes, then to all cells of the
  grasshoppers body. By using muscles to squeeze
  its abdomen, the grasshopper forces air out of
  the tracheal tubes. When it relaxes these
  muscles, air enters again, repeating the
  breathing process.

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Visualize to Learn Concepts

• Show interrelationships among concepts.
• Make connections with what you already know.
• Indicate special characteristics of what you are
  learning.

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Conclusions

• Students should
• be trained to identify the underlying structure
  of English text
• practice visualizing text using both paper and
  pencil
• apply their visualization skills for autonomous
  AND collaborative learning.

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Questions?
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Thank you