Robert,
This is a great example of how to use graphic organizers. Creating visualizations of concepts really helps the students to "see" what is being taught. I know your students enjoy a lot success under your guidance and educational strategies.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that a great benefit of various graphic organizers is that it sometimes makes the material seem less intimidating. When you present material as a bunch of notes to be taken, that can seem very "academic" and therefore boring. But when you present information with a small (or large) graphic component, it can seem like information that is important but not "academic."
I could lecture about "Rhetorical Triangle - Subject, Audience, and Purpose" and use guided notes where the terms are there and just need a definition inserted (or vice versa). Or I could draw an equilateral triangle on the board, label each corner of the triangle with one of those three terms, and discuss how the three elements are equally important for a writer to focus his/her efforts.
The first method might make the material sound like just standard college classroom material - notes to be taken, blanks to be filled in, ho hum. The second method, the triangle, can make the information simple to remember and the importance of the information simpler to communicate.
When I use graphic organizers, such as pictures on my powerpoints, usually keeps my students attentive and engaged in the lesson taught.
Cynthia,
They really help to show students how the parts of the different study areas come together to complete a concept, activity or skill area. As a result they are able to stay engaged during the learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Graphic organizers is an additional tool that can help students see an order to events or procedures. It can also show students how individual items are related to the whole concept.
Dawn,
Thanks for these comments about how to use graphic organizers and the value you see from providing guided notes. I know this information will be valuable to other instructors as they select strategies to expand their instructional expertise.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think graphic organizers are a great idea. Students can make something almost like a map that will help them to make links between information that they have broken down from a lecture topic and put it together in a logical way. It makes the abstract a little more concrete. I also liked the idea of guided lecture notes in this module. I teach math so I am always telling students to write things down and to draw pictures, whatever helps them to make sense of the problems.
David,
These are the students that I have as well so I follow your approach. The more use of the senses I can incorporate into my teaching the more engaged my students are.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Since most of our students are visual learners, We have them fill in flow charts and diagrams to help them visualize the components, what they do, and understand their relationships to each other.
Chemo,
Great strategy! Thanks for sharing it with us. This is a great use of a graphic organizer and how it can help students acquire needed content when they can't seem to organize the information in a way that will help them learn it. You are giving them a learning tool that they will be able to use throughout their lives.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am a visual learner so graphic organizers are a given, however not everyone is a visual learner.
I do think graphic organizers are great tools and there is something to be said when you write your goals or objectives in a graphic organzier.
One example I often use when students are still baffled or stuck on medical terminology. I create an graphic organizer. In the center a box could say itis. Along the side of the center box I find everyday medical words that end with itis.
Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Dermatitis and more. Then I go further and break down the body organ each belongs to and then finally what will you remember about this graphic organizer, inflammation or infection of the tonsils, inflammation or infection of the bronchi signifiant to our lungs and inflammation or infection of the skin. This works.
Marshall,
Like the way you think and connect your content. This is a fun way to get your point across while also reinforcing the content in the minds of your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Graphic Organizers can be a fantastic means of recall for students when recoding field specific vocabular. For instance, when discussing ciguatera- a food poisoning caused by tropical reef fish such as barracuda, snapper, and grouper which have contracted a toxin, it can be difficult for students to recode the proper vocabular with the illness. To assist the recoding process I illustrate the "Tropical Reef Fish Illness CIGuatera" with the Tropical association of CIGar" as cigars come from tropical warm water locations like Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Ciguatera/Cigar- an illness from tropical reef fish.
Consuala,
Right you are. These strategies and supports are how the students are able to learn the needed concepts that build into a full understanding of the content that is being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Graphic organizers,and segmental instruction have been found to be very useful tools in helping students retain information.
Robert,
Like the way you are teaching these concepts to your students. Your method gets them comfortable because they can see and understand the segments. They are not overwhelmed so they can focus on each step and acquire the knowledge and skills needed and then move to the next step.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Arturo,
You are providing a great resource to your students. These handouts lets the students review what has been covered and then take them home for review and study later.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my class on Residential Electrical Wiring, I teach my students to use a method I call "Bite Sizing" to enable them to read and understand schematic diagrams. First we isolate the number of cables needed per the diagram and what type they are. Next we determine where these cables are to be installed. Then we start making connections at the junction boxes one at a time. Last we make the final power connections. I have found that using this method enables the students to take even the most complicated schematic diagram and be able to read and understand what needs to be done.
In my course I give handouts at the end of my lectures with key points,terms and componants with enough room for thier notes.
Vanessa,
Well said about how to use graphic organizers. They help the students to see the segments as well as the whole when learning new information and skills.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
