Graphic Organizers

Graphic Organizers Presented by: Daniel’ Richard

Cognitive learning theorists: Jean Piaget Lev Vygotsky David Ausubel

Jean Piaget • His major contribution to the cognitive learning approach was his theory of cognitive development. This theory describes 4 levels of intellectual growth that humans progress through including sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. IRA Professional Standard : 1.6

Implications of Piaget’s research • One important idea is that any given group of students can display a wide variety of cognitive abilities. Teachers must therefore be aware of the cognitive abilities of their students and plan instruction accordingly. • Educators must promote more concrete experiences in the classroom and encourage students to search for meaning and relationships when confronted with apparently contradictory or difficult information. IRA Professional Standard : 12.2

Two important features of Lev Vygotsky’s research • Private speech • Involves a learner’s internal thought processes used to regulate problem solving skills. • Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) • Describes the level between the learner’s knowledge and the learner’s capabilities where instruction is most beneficial • These two concepts work together when a teacher assists a student to solve a problem by providing him or her with structure and encouragement and then gradually backing off to allow the student to rely on his or her own private speech to complete the task.

Meaningful learning contrasted with Rote learning In Ausubel’s view, to learn meaningfully, students must relate new knowledge (concepts) to what they already know. He proposed the notion of an advance organizer as a way to help students link their ideas with new material or concepts. IRA Professional Standards : 7.3, 8.4

Ausubel believed that learning proceeds in a top-down, or deductive manner. This theory consists of three phases, presentation of an advance organizer, presentation of learning task or material, and strengthening the cognitive organization

Meaningful learning entails new knowledge that relates to what one already knows and that can easily be retained and applied. (Ausubel)

Advance Organizers • An Advance organizer entails the use of introductory materials with a high level of generality that introduce new material and facilitate learning by providing an “anchoring idea” to which the new idea can be attached. • Teachers can facilitate learning by organizing information presented so that new concepts are easily relatable to concepts already learned. • Examples of devices that may be used include: • Pictures, titles of stories, reviews of previously learned concepts, short video segments IRA Professional Standards : 8.1, 12.2

An advance organizer allows the learner to recall and transfer prior knowledge to the new information being presented. • This theory is based on the idea that learning is facilitated, if the learner can find meaning in the new information. • If a connection can be made between the new information and previous knowledge, the learning experience will become more meaningful to the learner. • Therefore, the new information will be learned.

The advance organizer is not a strategy used by the learner, but rather an instructional strategy used by the teacher. In essence the advance organizer is a brief, general speech prepared by the teacher, before presenting the new material, to introduce the new lesson. • There are seven features of an advance organizer: • 1. It is a brief, abstract prose. • 2. It is a bridge that links between similarities of the unknown with the known. • 3. It is used as a introduction the the new material. • 4. It is an abstract outline of new information and a restatement of old knowledge. • 5. It helps to structure the new information. • 6. It encourages students to transfer and apply old knowledge. • 7. It consists of concrete intellectual information. IRA Professional Standards : 8.4, 7.3, 7.5

Schema • Schema theory extends Ausubel’s theory of meaningful learning by identifying other types of relationships which help lend meaning to new knowledge. • But the same two processes remain, only with different names: • Assimilation & Restructuring IRA Professional Standard : 7.3

Assimilation occurs when you plug new knowledge into an existing schema, whereas • Restructuring occurs when the new knowledge results in your reconceptualizing (significantly modifying a schema) in order to understand (reconcile conflicts with your prior knowledge).

Using Graphic Organizers for Prewriting and Writing Assessment • From helping students generate writing topics to organizing the details of a written piece, graphic organizers are important tools for students to use during prewriting, or the planning stages of writing. Simple, visual planning tools, like graphic organizers, can help students think and plan before attempting to map out complex sentences, comprehensive paragraphs, and longer written pieces.

Story Web • Help students brain storm before writing. • Have the children identify a topic and main areas they want to share about the topic. • Have them record details about each on the branches. • Each subtopic circle and its branches represent the main idea of a paragraph and the supporting details. • Have students number the circles to reflect the order in which they plan to organize their written paragraphs. • This exercise will allow students to get a jump start on their writing.

Story Map • Help students get their creative juices flowing. • In the writing center, place several partially completed story maps with a variety of titles, characters, and settings. • At the center, let each student choose a map to complete. • Then, have each student practice his/her creative writing skills by using the elements presented in the story map to write a creative piece.

K W L Chart • Make a class book to review and assess what students have learned. • Have students choose information from the L column on a class KWL chart and write one or more informative sentences about what they learned from a topic or unit of study. • Ask students to include an illustration showing what they have learned.

Comparison Map & Venn Diagram • Typically used when writing descriptive pieces. • Have students list two topics, events, characters, etc., to be compared. • Comparing helps students to better understand the topics, and make connections between them.

Time Line • Have each student create a book about a story they read. • Fold 8 ½ X 11 paper in half horizontally. Layer papers and staple along the fold to create a book. • Have each student refer to the completed time line, then write a sentence and create an illustration on each page of the book.

Chain Reaction • 1. Guide students to make predictions about a story, helping them to visualize events which affect each other. • 2. Students may also use the organizer to brainstorm What might happen if…during discussions about conflict resolution. (Character education)

Paragraph Frame • This is a great tool to reinforce the concept of writing summaries. • Paragraph frames are useful tools for recalling information.

Gifted and TalentedModifications • Posing open-ended questions that require higher-level thinking • Modeling thinking strategies, such as decision making and evaluation • Accepting ideas and suggestions from students and expanding on them • Facilitating original and independent problems and solutions • Helping students identify rules, principles, and relationships • Taking time to explain the nature of errors

English Language LearnerModifications • Provide them with a taped reading prior to the lesson. • Partner them with an English-speaking child. • Do picture sorts with them to build their sight vocabulary, then do word sorts. • Have them do the job of illustrator at first, then move them into story dictation. The child could incorporate his language in by telling the word as he knows it. • Give them a vocabulary notebook of important words in the book. • If possible, get a copy of the book in their language. • Find websites that they could use to translate words.

Works Cited http://tip.psychology.org/ausubel.html Ausubel, D. (1963). The Psychology of Meaningful Verbal Learning. New York: Grune & Stratton. Ausubel, D. (1978). In defense of advance organizers: A reply to the critics. Review of Educational Research, 48, 251-257. Ausubel, D., Novak, J., & Hanesian, H. (1978). Educational Psychology: A cognitive view (2nd Ed.). New York: Holt, Reinhart & Winston. http://www.indiana.edu/~idtheory/methods/m6c.html http://web.csuchico.edu/~ah24/ausubel.htm http://www.coe.ufl.edu/webtech/GreatIdeas/pages/peoplepages/ausabe http://scied.gsu/Hassard/mos/2.10.html http://www.geocities.com/jjmohn/research.htm Holmes, E. (2003). Graphic Organizers. North Carolina: Carson-Dellosa

Thank You!Questions or Comments? Daniel’ Richard 

Graphic Organizers