This document discusses best practices for visual design of classroom materials. It recommends using fonts with good legibility like Georgia and Verdana that are set at a larger size, like 14 point, for easier readability. It also recommends increasing line spacing and white space for easier reading. Other tips include using lines and shapes to organize the page and only including graphics that serve an instructional purpose to avoid distraction. The document provides research and theories to support these practices and concludes with an example of applying the recommendations in a before and after page layout comparison.

1. Visual design for
classroom materials
Cameron Romney
Center for Foreign Language Education
Momoyama Gakuin University
(St. Andrew‟s University)
February 24, 2013

2. Agenda
• Introduction • Page Layout
• Typography • Graphics

3. Connect
Theory and Practice
with
„Best Practices‟

4. Visual design effects
on readers
• Motivation
Smiley (2004); Misanchuk (1992); Bell & Sullivan (1981)
• Comprehension
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Romney (2004); Smiley (2004); Walker (2001), Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997);
Garofalo (1988), Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Recall
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Smiley (2004); Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Efficiency/Speed
Smiley (2004); Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

5. “...more easily perceiving ... text on a
page ... less attentional resources are
required for the process of reading.
More attentional resources can then
be devoted to attending to the
message in the text, which results in
deeper processing and an easier
recall of the information presented.” (p.
185)
Gasser, Boek, Haffernan & Tan (2005)

6. “Unfortunately, most of the materials made
at home, no matter how good in content,
are atrocious in terms of layout. In my
experiences with both publishers and
students, I have come to the conclusion that
layout is just as important
as...no, even
more important than...content”
Curtis Kelly, 1998

7. Typeface
i.e. font

8. Common Problems
for
L2 Learners

9. Lowercase l and
Uppercase I

10. Lowercase d, b, q
and p

11. Lowercase i and j

12. Lowercase f and t

13. Lowercase c and o

14. Double story
minuscules

15. Best Practice #1
Use the font with
good LEGIBILITY

16. Recommended
Typefaces
Georgia Verdana

17. Recommended
Typefaces
Bembo Schoolbook Plantin Schoolbook

18. Best Practice #2
set the typeface at a
LARGER size

19. Less skilled readers benefit from larger
text
Carter, Day & Meggs (2006); Petterson (1989)
9-12 pt is standard for adults
Carter, Day & Meggs (2006)
18 pt for 1st grade, 14 pt for 3rd grade
Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

20. Page Layout

21. Best Practice #3
Use INCREASED
line spacing
and
white space

22. Theory
“...the reader has an effortless
return path to the left edge ...
for the next line.” (p. 115)
White
(2002)

24. Theory
“Space attracts readers by
making the page look
accessible, unthreatening, and
manageable”
(p. 7)
White
(2002)

26. Best Practice #4
Use lines & shapes to
ORGANIZE the page

27. Theory
“...directing the readers eye
around the page, drawing
attention to specific parts...
breaking copy into sections” (p.86)
Dabner (2004)

30. Graphics

31. Only use graphics
Best Practice #5
with
INSTRUCTIONAL
purpose

32. “If instructional facilitation is not
highly probable, then ...
graphics should not be used in
instructional material.” (p. 239)
Misanchuk (1992)

33. Theory
Graphics can be a
distraction
Evans, Watson and Willows (1987); Peeck (1987)
Clark & Lyons (2011); Romney & Bell (2012)

34. Putting it all together
A Before and After

37. Thank You
E-mail:
romney.cameron@gmail.com
Twitter:
@CameronRomney
Website:
CameronRomney.com