Adapts a metaphor to draw attention to four aspects of the relationship between originator and user, and the communication medium: the problem of encoding information in graphic form, diagrams as tools for enquiry and thought, illustrations as aids to learning, and illustrations as aids to problem solving. (Author)

Proposes a categorization scheme based on instructional design theory and empirical findings for employing various types of graphic/visual displays under specified conditions. (Author/CHC)

Describes a speech-interactive graphics microworld in which learners speak problem-solving directions to an animated agent and in which new scenarios can be authored. A proof-of-concept application is illustrated for sustaining basic speaking skill in Modern Standard Arabic. (Author/VWL)

Reasons for poor performance in mathematics by students in the United States are discussed. According to the authors, too many students never experience arithmetic at a physical, concrete level. Students are drilled in arithmetic facts without any meaningful context and are given few opportunities to use numerical concepts in real-life…