Message Design For the Math Classroom
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Message DesignFor the Math Classroom K. Hitt PSHS February 2011
What is Message Design? • It’s the way you use signs and symbols to change the cognitive, affective or psychomotor behavior of the students. • Signs are the forms that instruction takes • It describes anything that stands place for something else
When do you use it? • Whenever you create instructional materials in your classroom • Printed Material • Worksheets • Tests • Notes • Electronic Material • PowerPoint • Webpage
Why Does Message Design Matter? • It affects what the learner pays attention to and perceives • Hopefully, but not necessarily, it will help student comprehension, retention or retrieval
Printed Materials • Type Size • Use 10, 11, or 12 point font • Most textbooks use these sizes • below 10 point is too small • above 12 point is too large (except as a heading) EXAMPLES: This is way to small to read. This is pretty good when on printed material. This takes up too much space to be used for the entire page.
Printed Materials • Typeface • Consider the purpose of the text • Make sure the character set contains mathematical symbols • Serif (finishing strokes on ends of letters) versus San Serif • Consider how well it will stand up to repeated copying This font is not good for tests. Neither is this one. This is a serif type font and this is a san serif type font. This is a good font to use. This is another good font. Remember: Math Symbols!! > <%$≠÷±
Printed Materials • Color • Extra colors need to be used sparingly • Watch for color combinations of text on colored paper • Certain color combinations do not print well in black and white • Capital Letters • Should not be used for the entire paper • Italics • Use for emphasizing words and variables only IT WOULD BE HARD TO READ THIS IF I WROTE THE ENTIRE WORKSHEET LIKE THIS. It would be just as hard if I wrote the paper like this. This is the best way to write on printed material. SOLVING SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS 2x + 3y = 10 y = 2x + 3 2x + 3(2x + 3) = 10
Printed Materials • Spacing • Must have spacing between words. • Separate sections with a space. • Use of Justified or Unjustified HowhardisittoreadthissentenceifIdon’tusespacingbetweenmyletters? Or Quadrilaterals Kite Trapezoid Isosceles Trapezoid Parallelogram Rhombus Rectangle Square How hard is it to read this sentence if I don’t use spacing between my letters? Or Quadrilaterals KiteParallelogram Rhombus Trapezoid Rectangle Isosceles Trapezoid Square
Electronic Material • Type Size • Size 32 font or larger is recommended • Typeface • Similar to Printed Material • Color • Color and background need to be contrasting • Capital Letters • Should not be used for the entire material • Italics • Use for emphasizing words and variables only • Spacing • Same as printed materials
Section 2-4: Deductive Reasoning VOCABULARY: Deductive Reasoning – the process of reasoning logically from given statements or facts to a conclusion LAW OF DETACHMENT Step 1: Identify the hypothesis of the given true conditional Step 2: Check that the second given statement matches the hypothesis Step 3: Make a conclusion EXAMPLE
Summary Suggestions • Use consistent spacing • Beware of nonstandard typefaces, capitals, italics and underlining that impair reading flow • Be cautious with the use of color • Keep tables and graphs simple • Use signaling strategies • Remember to K.I.S.S.
References • Chapter 17 in Anglin’s BOOK 2nd EDITION: Message Design-Issues & Trends by Grabowski • Hartley, J. (2004). Designing instructional and informational text. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.) Handbook of Research in Educational Communications and Technology (2nd edition). Mahwah, N.J: Erlbaum. ISBN 0 8058 4145 8. Retrieved August, 28, from http://www.aect.org/edtech/34.pdf