During one of our lectures/lab activities, I have my students organize their notes in certain steps and procedures for them to reference at a later time. This seems to greatly assist in learning of the material.
I have students create a graphic organizer as an assignment to list major steps and alternative routes to specific equipment use. This helps them to visualize and learn the process of troubleshooting.
In my classes I find that graphic organizers help to bring most slower learners up to the level of the faster learners quicker and easyer.
Graphic organizers can help a visual learner to see the information in isolated groups and better retain the information. I also use mnemonics to help students memorize lists and steps of intricate procedures.
I have some instances where my curriculum uses graphic representation of when certain internals of compnents operate and to what extent. It seems to help my student get a better grasp on how these componenets can function, mainly because there is no good way to view these componenets while operating and the graphics show what's happening. Otherwise the students would only have my verbal description of operation to go on, which I believe would result in more confusion than anything else.
I make my own powerpoints (and it is alot of work!!) because the powerpoints that come with the books are sometimes not consistent with the book or they just have too much text. Information that could take a page or two to explain in the book, can simply be described best with a simple graphic.
Using graphic organizers can help students organize their notes and help them to better retain the subject matter.
For visual learners (such as myself) graphic organizers helps to accentuate the important points to learn. These items are also isolated away from the text that a student would read in the textbooks and makes these necessary "bullet points" stand out. Memorization in long term memory is a lot easier in this situation.
Jeb,
Thank you for sharing this caution with us. We instructors need to make sure that there is value associated with the use of graphic organizers or they will be perceived as a waste of time.
Gary
Graphic organizers are great if the students are taught to use them properly. If the teacher thinks it's a nead idea, but does not how to teach it properly, the student produces a fancy art project rivaling a 2d grader.
Rick,
This format helps to create a connection between the mind of students and their abilities to internalize the content that is being shared with them.
Gary
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I use graphic organizers in my courses to visually demonstrate relationships primarily between organizations.
Using Graphic Organizers helps the student(s)break the information down into smaller parts which in turn can help them from becoming overwhelmed with new information.
Tracy,
Thanks for sharing the Chef picture. I have a clear picture of how it is used in my mind and I don't know anything about your field other than to like what you all produce. I know this is going to be of help to other instructors.
Gary
Graphic organizers help students to break down information or course content into more manageable parts. Graphic organizers can help a student to isolate certain information, as well as create a structural way to organize the knowledge they have acquired. Organizers can also integrate information with the content so the student is better able to apply the knowledge.
For example: In my baking class, students need to memorize weights and measures. We use a graphic organizing tool to learn volume measurements for mathematical applications. The graphic we use is a picture of a male "untrained Chef", his torso is labeled "gallon", each arm and leg are labeled "quart". In the picture the Chef has only four fingers and four toes (a bad accident with his Chef's knife reduced his digits to 16 instead of 20; hence the untrained part of his Chefdom). Each finger and toe is labeled "cup" representing that there are four cups in a quart. This visual learning tool helps the student to memorize that there are four cups in a quart, because they can visually count up the number of fingers attached to the arm (the arm representing the quart). If they want to know how many cups are in a gallon (answer: 16) they have to add up all the fingers and toes attached to the torso (all 4 limbs x 4 digits= 16). Later in the course they have to apply this knowledge by converting math problems such as 25 gallons equals ______ number of quarts. The graphic helps them to recall that there are four quarts in a gallon, therefore 4 x 25 gallons = 100 quarts.
Christina,
Thank you for sharing this perspective. It is critical that adult learners have some format and/or strategy through which they can capture and then retain new information. The more accurately they can do this the greater their success is going to be which in turn generates increased satisfaction as learners.
Gary
Much like outlines (but way more friendly!) the visual appeal and ease of which one can quickly surmise relationships between ideas makes graphic organizers another useful tool for teachers to employ. I think this is especially true with adult learners who may not have had positive prior experiences with school. David Ausubel is my hero. His notion of using advanced organizers to assist in initially orienting a learner to material is critical. I have found that advanced organizers, in whatever form, allow students to make the "little file cabinets" necessary for them to later receive, and know how to categorize, copious amounts of material.
Kerry,
You might want to look at them and how they can be used to assist students in organization and note taking. They are simple to use with a high return rate of retention for students.
Gary
I use powerpoints animation features a lot. By using color and animation and minimizing the concepts shown on the screen at any given time, I can try to keep the students focused and keep them from getting overwhelmed.
not sure I don't use them
