Discover Kensington Market
A map-reading exercise
A map-reading exercise
Discover Kensington Market is a proposed map reading and navigating exercise for adult literacy learners. The exercise is designed to encourage students to practice using maps to navigate through new surroundings. Layers of information varying in degree of complexity are built into the map to accommodate students with a wide range of reading skills without overwhelming or intimidating anyone.
The map organizes information according to general proximity, since the exact addresses of stores are an unnecessary detail for students: simply knowing the vicinity of things to each intersection (node) is sufficient. Colour was identified as the most straightforward organizing tool and is used to help students distinguish between different nodes and make connections between parts of the map and elements in the legend.
This design helps people who tend to think in very concrete terms develop the confidence to read a map, a typically abstract activity. While taking care to manage students’ ease of use and self-confidence, the map still uses standard conventions from other maps to help students develop the skills they will need to read other maps with similar ease.
The map organizes information according to general proximity, since the exact addresses of stores are an unnecessary detail for students: simply knowing the vicinity of things to each intersection (node) is sufficient. Colour was identified as the most straightforward organizing tool and is used to help students distinguish between different nodes and make connections between parts of the map and elements in the legend.
This design helps people who tend to think in very concrete terms develop the confidence to read a map, a typically abstract activity. While taking care to manage students’ ease of use and self-confidence, the map still uses standard conventions from other maps to help students develop the skills they will need to read other maps with similar ease.
