Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2015

Teaching Students to Focus on the Data in Data Visualization

Joanna Wolfe Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract

Although most technical communication pedagogy provides students with solid advice on how to visualize particular numerical representations, it underproblematizes the rhetorical decisions we make in choosing which numbers to display in the first place. This pedagogical reflection uses Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca’s concept of interpretative level to foreground the rhetorical choices that underlie our decisions on how to summarize, aggregate, and synthesize the data we visualize. It then describes two informal classroom activities that emphasize the importance of interpretative level and help students see the recursive nature of data visualization and invention.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2015-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651915573944
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Open Access
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Topics
rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy teacher development technical communication
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Citation Context

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