Using visual representations to support all students: Snippets and resources from NCTM presentation

Hee-Joon Kim | May 2, 2018

Last week at NCTM’s annual conference, Harriette Stevens and Hee-Joon Kim presented on using visual representations to engage all students in the mathematical practices—with a focus on argumentation. They discussed how both familiar representations (e.g. diagrams, graphs) and less familiar representations (e.g. gestures) can help students make sense of complex ideas. Also, they emphasized that making various visual tools available created opportunities for all students to be able to express their arguments without solely relying on words and symbols.

The group had fun doing math together. Participants got a chance to play with GeoGebra activities designed by the team and think about how multiple representations such as gestures, drawings and dynamic representations could be used to support students in creating and communicating arguments.  One participant said the workshop made her realize she should encourage the teachers with whom she worked to use visual representations regularly in every lesson.

You can download the presentation and the handout (with QR codes to the activities) for your own use.

Try out one of our activities and let us know how it goes!

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