Matrix for diverse learners - Essay Example

1. Childrens USA Wall Map (Available at http://www.maps.com/): This well designed map combines geography with state by state information in both pictures and words. What is best about its design is that some pictures may be familiar to the student and some may not. This prompts the children to ask questions of each other and the teacher or parent about them. All of the items are numbered so that you can look up the unfamiliar objects and then go to other resources to find out even more information.

For instance if you look towards Memphis you see some strange man with big hair and a red suit singing into a microphone, when you look him up you are introduced to Elvis Presley. All the pictures are cartoon-like and humorous to attract more interest and attention, also adding to the creative nature of the map. The map is best for Early Childhood, as it is informative and entertaining, hearing impaired since it is completely visual, and gifted as it is full of knowledge presented in a very creative fashion.

The pictorial representations are also appropriate for the multicultural student. The only flaw that keeps it from being useful in all categories is that it is rather crowded with information and may seem daunting to the learning disabled and certainly to the limited sight children who would surely have difficulty discerning the smaller features. It also may by too busy and distracting for those with Behavior Challenges like Attention Deficit Disorder and the like. There may be too many follow up questions asked to make it a worthwhile map for those children.

In fact this company also produces a World Map that is even more crowded and condensed and would be even more inappropriate for these three categories. 2. Eyewitness Dinosaur (Produced by Dorling Kindersley / DK 1997): This Video has cross applicability to all of the seven categories. It describes in simple language, narrated by Martin