Using Graphic Organizers
How can the use of graphic organizers help students to organize their learning efforts?
I try to provide context for each class I teach by showing at the beginning a graphical representation of the assignments that are due for the class. This kind of shows what is done all in one place so that students not only see what needs to be done in the class but also how the assignments tie together.
@gmeers
I beleive that graphic organizers can be great tools for helping students to break complex information into more "bite-sized chunks." By categorizing information it becomes more manageable. Relationships can also be shown which can help students to scaffold or build on other learned concepts.
I believe that the use of Graphic Organizers helps the students back away from the "big" picture and see all of the little parts that make it up.
Students are able to itemize the information they are learning and are able to see its relation to other data.
Graphic organizers can help studetns quickly see the important information. It can give them a visual cue of what is needed and where they should focus their attention. As an instructor I also use then to help me organize what I want to cover and not forget an important point.
One my favorite movies is Into the Wild, a true story about a young adult abandoning all material life and setting out to his adventure to Alaska. However, young Alexander ventures into the Alaskan wilderness with no map! Needless to say this decision did not turn out well. Graphic organizers are aids that keep students on the correct course like a map and knowing were you are going and how long it will take helps maintain student morale and motivation.
I use graphic organizers and find they really do help my students focus and retain knowledge, along with guided notes. Gives them the "big idea/concept and helps them break information down to integrate in other areas of business/management classes they have.
Graphic organizers are guides to follow which help students to become better as problem solvers. I also try to use mnemonics in my classroom often, they are always a big hit in remembering something.
Bradley,
This is such a good approach because it helps students to see both application and relevancy in what is being taught. The more comparisons that can be made between the goad and failed parts the better because this gives them more experience is analysis and trouble shooting.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree, I use actual parts that are still working and parts that have failed. It really helps to clarify what is happening when they can see it...
Brandon,
Thank you for the support of the use of graphic organizers. They do make a major difference in helping learners get organized and securing the key points needed for course success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Graphic organizers help students to pull out the main ideas to organize content in a graphic form. It's great for those students who cannot organize their thoughts in their mind.
Graphic organizers guide learners’ thinking as they fill in and build upon a visual map or diagram. Graphic organizers are some of the most effective visual learning strategies for students and are applied across the curriculum to enhance learning and understanding of subject matter content. In a variety of formats dependent upon the task, graphic organizers facilitate students’ learning by helping them identify areas of focus within a broad topic, such as a novel or article. Because they help the learner make connections and structure thinking, students often turn to graphic organizers for writing projects
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I teach Automotive classes and I use graphic organizers all the time. I find it helps put what the students just learned in more of an order. It works like a road map. This really works when I teach the students about how to diagnose drivability concerns, it gives them a starting point and something to follow when they are going through the steps so they don't just end up going in circles.
Graphic organizers are an excellent way to help students learn and decode information. As a practicing graphic designer and an instructor in the graphic design department, I find many of my students very receptive to graphic organizers as a means of learning new information, as many of them are strong creative thinkers. Seeing information laid out and organized in various visual formats helps them to process and make connections and see the bigger picture. For example, when I am teaching the basic process of the "Creative Brief", I like to visually depict how the questions and answers come full circle to create a product or design for a client. Also, since many of students are so visually inclined, breaking apart lectures and presentations into graphic organizers helps them to decode and retain the information presented. Further more, in the graphic design profession, it is a major role/responsibility of designers and art directors to visually display and graphically layout complex information for clients and/or employers. Constantly showing my students new and different ways to accomplish this is essential to their career development and success.
I have found fill-in-the-blank worksheets effective, as long as they are no more than two pages. Sometimes these worksheets are the only way to get students into the textbook/ebook.
Russell,
Thank you for sharing this example of how you have been using graphic organizers with your students. You are right on with this approach and you are giving your students plenty of opportunities to have "ah-ha" moments as a result.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have apparently been using graphic organizers all along. An example would be: making cookies from scratch. First you must properly cream the butter and sugar. So after the students have scaled/weighed out all of their ingredients, we move to the first step, creaming. If not properly creamed, then when we move to the next step, adding the eggs, we may run into a problem. The emulsification of the fat/sugar mixture and the water from the eggs will not happen. So I show the students a properly creamed mixture vs an improperly creamed mixture. I continually use improper methods with the one batter and compare to the properly made batter. After baking off, the students really get to see the difference. I always enjoy the "ah ha" moment. Then I get a slew of questions that all start the same "Is that why when I/whomever make cookies..."
A lot of my students are visual learners and kinesthetic so making a graphic organizer can cater to both of those qualities if they actually make the graphic organized themselves.
