Helping Hands: Math Monsters
Senior Thesis Project | May, 2014
For my senior thesis, I chose to approach an information design problem, and created a set of learning materials for a 5th grade math curriculum. I became interested with the idea of instructional design and had a theory that well designed materials could help in the learning process, and could facilitate understanding of complex concepts, especially for those who are visual learners.
Developing the content
I began by using the online tutoring website, Khan Academy, to determine what content was appropriate for that age range, and began exploring different ways to represent these concepts visually.
Visual styling
I chose to use illustrations that would interest kids, but also act as visual anaolgies of the abstract concepts. The monsters were a great medium, since you could alter them any way you want! The final products were visual aids to be hung in classrooms or homes, as well as a workbook. I'd like to someday explore this concept further, diving deeper into education research to help inform the products.
