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)

This document argues that qualitative graphing is an effective introduction to mathematics as a construction for communication of ideas involving quantitative relationships. It is suggested that with little or no prior knowledge of Cartesian coordinates or analytic descriptions of graphs using equations students can successfully grasp concepts of…

A broad range of well-structured problems--embracing forms of diagnosis, catalog selection, and skeletal planning--are solved in expert computer systems by the method of heuristic classification. These programs have a characteristic inference structure that systematically relates data to a pre-enumerated set of solutions by abstraction, heuristic…

Various ways in which computers can be used in the classroom depending on the subject, students' background, and individual teaching style are discussed. A way to evaluate professional software packages for use in the classroom is included. (KR)

Discussion of graphing software for educational purposes focuses on a study in which three versions of an original computer graphing program were used by inner-city high school students to solve scientific data analysis problems. Variations in degrees of flexibility and feedback in the software are explored. (Contains 37 references.) (LRW)