ALM is pleased to announce that following the success of the Virtual Seminar Series in 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 we continued with a series in 2023/24.
Seminar Title: Difference in adults’ interpretations of visual media sources: the what, how, and why
Date December 6th. Time: 2pm Eastern Standard Time, 7 pm in the UK
Register here:
- Unraveling Graphical Literacy: Investigating Students’ : Interpretations of Visual Data in Print and Digital Media’ – Debasmita Basu
- ‘Teaching data visualization and text analysis to fight anti-trans legislation’ – Victor Piercey
- ‘Why people misinterpret visuals’- Charlotte Arkenback
About Debasmita Basu and her presentation
Debasmita Basu is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning, and the Director of Quantitative Reasoning Program at The New School. Born and brought up in India, Debasmita came to the United States to pursue her doctoral studies in 2014 at Montclair State University, New Jersey. Before that, she was a high school mathematics teacher in India for four years. During her time teaching there, she was dismayed that her students tended to consider mathematics as a set of rules and formulas with little to no connection to their lives. Hence, with the greater goal of changing the nature of school mathematics, Debasmita started her doctoral studies. Her research agenda focuses on designing mathematical activities that aim to cultivate students’ critical consciousness towards various social and environmental justice issues and help them realize the power and value of mathematics. Such activities develop within students an appreciation towards the utilitarian value of mathematics in their daily lives and use mathematics literacy to understand social and environmental phenomena relevant to their lives.
Abstract: Today, most newspapers, and television employ various forms of visualizations to present complex information in simple and accessible ways. Visual representations can highlight important numerical information in an article that might otherwise be overlooked or difficult to comprehend. Although graphical representations of data are prevalent in news media, misleading graphs are equally widespread, making readers vulnerable to false information. Under such circumstances, it is crucial to reimagine graphical literacy and provide students with ample opportunities to engage with and interpret graphs on real-life data. Consequently, in this project, we worked with undergraduate students to study their graphical comprehension when they encounter graphs published in print and digital media and governmental websites. Inspired by Curcio’s (1987) seminal work on students’ graphical comprehension through reading the data, reading between the data, and reading beyond the data, we focused on students’ ability to extract data from graphs (reading the data), identify relationships between variables presented in graphs (reading between the data), and make inferences about underlying structures of information displayed (reading beyond the data). In this presentation, we will present the findings of our study, and will identify various causes that influence students’ graphical interpretations.
About Victor Piercey and his presentation
Victor Piercey is the Honors Program Director and Professor of Mathematics at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. His teaching and work surrounds intersections of quantitative reasoning, data science, and social justice. He holds a B.A. in Humanities from Michigan State University, a J.D. from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Arizona.
Abstract: Was 2023 the year of anti-trans legislation? We examine visual representations of data tracking anti-trans legislation introduced, passed, and signed across the states over the last several years in order to assess this question, ask other questions, and identify challenges in reading graphs and charts. We will also examine frequent word distributions in the text of sample bills to identify what we can learn from text visualizations.
About Charlotte Arkenback
Charlotte Arkenback is a Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy and a Postdoctoral Researcher in Applied IT at the Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Her current research project, funded by the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council, aims to explore the potential of digitalisation and immersive technologies in designing continuous skill development programs for salespeople working in physical retail. As a senior lecturer, Charlotte’s primary responsibility is to oversee the mathematical courses offered in the Special Education Teacher Program. This is an advanced-level supplementary education program designed for individuals who already hold a teaching degree and have at least three years of teaching experience. The program covers mathematical learning and difficulties experienced by children, students, and adult learners in formal education. The main focus of the math courses is to develop knowledge and skills to conduct pedagogical mapping and assessment in mathematics for learners who have difficulties with math. The courses also aim to help identify the need for pedagogical development in schools, with a focus on math teaching, and suggest development projects to support students’ math development. Charlotte lectures on various topics in the math courses, including the relationship between neuropsychiatric disabilities (NPF), visuospatial abilities, and mathematical difficulties. Charlotte is one of the trustees of ALM for the years 2023-2024.
You can watch previous webinars on our YouTube channel
ALM Virtual Seminar Organising Committee
- Charlotte Arkenback (Sweden)
- Catherine Byrne (Ireland)
- Kees Hoogland (The Netherlands)
- Linda Jarlskog (Sweden)
- Beth Kelly (UK)
- Judy Larsen (Canada)