Graphic Materials

GRAPHIC MATERIALS
- Graphic materials translate abstract ideas and relationships into a concrete form.
- They are non-photographic, two-dimensional materials designed to communicate a message to the viewer.
- They often include verbal as well as visual symbols.
- Graphics allow students to pick up on things missed verbally, reduce efforts in receiving messages, and they help focus attention.
- As a group, graphics demands special caution in use by teachers because images are usually symbolic rather than representational that they leave a room  for misinterpretation on the intended meaning (Heinich, R., Molenda, M., & Russell, D., 1993)

Advantages:
·         It is readily available.
·         It can be easily carried from place to place.
·         It is easy to use.
·         It is inexpensive and can be reused.
·         It helps focus attention.
·         These convey certain types of information in a condensed form.

Limitations:
·         This is not interactive.
·         It lacks depths and motion.
·         It can easily be misinterpreted.
·         This is written at a certain reading level.
·         It needs prior knowledge in order to interpret or understand what is presented.

Best Practices in Using Graphics:
·         Use large visuals.
·         Use simple materials.
·         Cover irrelevant materials.
·         Use one at a time.
·         Teach learners how to interpret.
·         Ask questions for clarifications.

1. Drawings and Sketches
·         Drawings and sketches employ the use of lines, either simple or crude.
·         They may not be the real thing but they may represent persons, places, things, and concepts.
·         Drawings are more finished and representational
·         Sketches lack details such as stick figures

2. Cartoons
·         use symbolism and oftentimes bold exaggerations to present at a glance a message or point concerning news events, people or situations
·         This pictorial representation of a person, idea or situation should be drawn around a single idea and presented in a challenging manner.
·         A good cartoon needs not much caption as the symbolism conveys the message.
·         can be used as a springboard for a lesson,  for a follow-up activity, or for evaluation purposes.

Suggestions for the Use of Cartoons (Garo, 2007):
·         Take into consideration the age and experience or maturity of the target learners.
·         The cartoon should not contain so many details but only the essential features.
·         Short and direct captions are used only when necessary.
·         Use symbols that are clear and conventional.
o   dove for peace
o   owl for wisdom
o   coffin for death
o   turtle for slow, etc
·         Make sure that the cartoon is big enough to be seen.

3. Strip Drawings
·         a form of cartooning in which a cast of characters enacts a story in a sequence of closely related drawings.
·         a more accurate term for the commonly called comics or comic strip (Dale, 1969)
·         can be used as an activity for students to express learning gained
·         When making use of strip drawings, make  sure that they are not only educational but also entertaining.

4. Posters
·         are combination of lines, images, colors, and words
·         They are intended to catch attention and communicate a message quickly.
·         Posters can be used to stimulate interest in a new topic, a special class, or a new event.
·         In selecting a poster to use, make sure that it   is appropriate to the grade level, subject, and purpose.

A good poster possesses the following characteristics (Garo, 2007):
§  It is simple but bold and dramatizes features.
§  Only a few words are used and key words are made to standout.
§  It is attractive and pleasing to the eyes.
§  The design and color are carefully selected.
  • It must have elements of dynamism and shock.
5. Charts

Charts are graphic representation of abstract relationship such as chronologies, quantities, and hierarchies.

TYPES OF CHARTS:

Organization Chart
    These show an organization’s structure or chain of command. It illustrates the interrelationships between the different parts of an organization.


Limitations:
¢  They can quickly become out of date
¢  They show only formal relationship
¢  They don’t reflect management style


Classification Chart
¢  Show the classification or categorization of objects, events, or species.

Time Lines
¢  Time lines show in sequence different events or the people and events. It is a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates alongside itself and usually events labelled on points where they would have happened.
Uses of timelines
·         Students will be able to understand the chronology of historic events.   
·         Provide visual aid for identifying cause and effect relationship.
·         Visual prompt to activate student’s prior knowledge.

Tabular Charts or Tables
¢  They contain numerical information or data in a table or columns by means of arranging data in rows and columns.

Flowcharts or Process Charts
¢  It is a diagram that uses algorithm, workflow showing the steps as boxes of various         kinds and their order by connecting them with arrows, which demonstrate a process, sequence or procedure.


Tree or stream Charts
¢  These kinds of chart show change, growth or development by beginning with a single course and then spreads out into many branches or by beginning with many branches which then come together into a single channel.

Gannt Charts
¢  is an activity time chart, that illustrates the start and finish dates of a certain activity or project.


 6. Graphs
¢  Graphs show quantitative data. These kinds of graphics make analysis and interpretation of numerical information easier.
¢  The following are the most common types of graphs:
—  Line Graphs
—  Bar Graphs
—  Pie Graph or Circle Graph
—  Area or Solid Graphs
—  Pictorial Graphs or Pictographs

BAR GRAPHS
¢  Bar graphs are the simplest and easiest to read. The data are presented in horizontal or vertical bars. While the widths of the bars are the same, its length represents the amount or percentage data.

 PIE GRAPH or Circle graph
¢  The sections of these kinds of graphs represent the parts of a whole. These graphs always present whole amounts and its parts are calculated in percentage or fractional parts.

Area or solid graphs
¢  They are used to compare several related totals thru the use of geometric shapes.

Pictorial graphs or pictographs
¢  These graphs utilize related pictures or drawings to show numerical data. It is an adaptation of the bar graph.


 7. Diagrams
¢  Diagrams are intended to show relationships or to help explain a process, how something works or how something is constructed.
¢  A diagram is any line drawing that shows arrangement and relations as of parts of the whole, relative values, origins and development, chronological fluctuations, distributions, etc. (Dale, 1969)
¢  The following are some examples of diagrams:
—  Cluster or Cloud Diagram
—  Chain of Events
—  Fishbone Mapping
—  Cycle
—  Compare/Contrast
—  Venn Diagram

Cluster or cloud diagram
¢  This is used in a nonlinear activity wherein ideas, images, and feelings are generated around a stimulus word. It helps students see patterns in their ideas and help systematize the generation of ideas based upon a central topic.


Chain of events
¢  The diagram illustrates the stages of an event, the actions of a character or the steps in a procedure.

Fishbone mapping
¢  A fishbone map is used to show causal interaction of a complex event (like a nuclear explosion) or a complex phenomenon (like learning disabilities).

Cycle
¢  A cycle illustrates how series of events interact to produce a set of results such as the life cycle.

Compare/contrast
¢  A diagram that is used to show similarities and differences.

Venn diagram
¢  A venn diagram is used to show relationships between sets, similarities and differences between characters, stories or poem. It enables the students to visually organize similarities and differences.