Teachers, media specialists, and educators of all kinds know that using visuals is one of the most effective learning aids they can use with students.
No matter how old students are or what individual skills they have, visuals drive the point home and make ideas easier to remember.
Read on to understand why infographics and visual aids remain as powerful learning aids in the classroom!
Why infographics matter in the classroom
Humans are visual creatures
Did you know that visuals – compared to written or oral instruction – support the brain in processing information?
According to several studies:
- Creating visual explanations improve learning
- The average person can recall 65 percent of visual information ten days later (only 10% of what they heard)
It’s easy to see why more and more teachers are seeking ways to incorporate visual elements into their units and lessons.
A study on the impact of visual aids on the learning process of students revealed that visual aids help students in the following areas:
- Student’s motivation to learn
- Clarification of content
- Vocabulary enhancement
- Saves time with lesson preparation
- Avoid dullness during class
- Provide direct experience as sensory objects which initiate or stimulate learning
How infographics help students learn
Making infographics from scratch is one of the essential learning tools to promote and broaden visual literacy.
It helps us communicate with one another, infer meaning, and seek multiple perspectives.
Here are just some of its specific benefits when used inside the classroom
- It helps students think critically about a subject, data set, or complex ideas.
- It aids students in organizing information in a logical way.
- Infographic creation helps meet tech literacy standards.
- The process of making infographics helps students improve their research chops and find trustworthy sources of information.
- It helps students exhibit their understanding of a subject in different ways. In short, it makes them more creative by shifting their perspectives.
- It helps teachers save time in creating visual aids, particularly if they use infographic templates.
- It’s also a great opportunity for teachers to learn something new!
And because visuals help students remember more than before, infographics are a great way to make sure kids really pay attention to important things, like rubrics for their project!
Infographic rubric by Teacher Sonia Guilana
Visuals make it fun!
Teachers and other educators who use infographics also find that their students are more engaged with the “hands-on” element of infographic creation. Easelly’s infographic maker tool allows kids to:
- Express themselves
- Keep their hands busy
- Highlight their learning style
- Iterate information in multiple formats or mediums
Infographics combine written, visual, digital and tactile elements of learning; not only does this show a student’s deeper learning, but it also keeps them engaged. Plus, infographics can be used for almost any subject.
In a world of shortening attention spans, that’s good news for teachers!
Create infographics with your students
Teachers have been creating infographics for their classrooms for generations – think of that nitrogen cycle poster in every science class!
But today, teachers aren’t limited to creating and using infographics to teach students – students can create and share their own infographics to demonstrate their learning and skills.
Make an infographic with your students instead of creating it for them.
After all, students have access to more technology than ever and they usually pick up on learning new tech tools quickly.
Not only will you be filling the digital learning gap for students, but you’ll be keeping them entertained.
Who knows – your students might even teach you a thing or two!
If you’re wondering how you can start using infographics in your classroom or media studies class, get the Infographic Activity Book for Students.
It’s free and no need to enter your email address.
Finally, try out Easelly for free today! You can also ask our infographic design team to make an infographic for your class if you’re pressed for time.
Recommended resources:
- 5 Presentation Tips for Students (video tutorial)
- How to Use Infographics for eLearning + Downloadable Templates
- Deliver the Perfect Presentation with Visual Aids
- How Two Educational Specialists Use Infographics to Empower English Language Learners
- 10 Tips to Jazz Up Your Science Classroom with Infographics
*Editor’s Note: This blog post was updated on March 27, 2019 for accuracy and comprehensiveness. It was originally published on December 22, 2017