Using Graphic Organizers to Promote Strategic Learners Dr. Latricia Trites Academic Advisor Fulbright Yilan Project

What Are Graphic Organizers? Communication tools that express ideas and represent connections or relationships between these ideas or concepts. Often called concept maps, mind maps, advanced organizers, etc.

Why Should We Use Them? They encourage students to think about the information presented in a different way. They help students identify main concepts and supporting details. They remove linguistic load of texts. They help students become more strategic learners.

When Should We Use Them? Use before instruction to prime students’ background knowledge of information to be presented. Use during instruction to isolate critical information. Use after instruction to construct students’ understanding of information, represent relationships among concepts, and encourage elaboration.

Which Graphic Organizer Should Be Used? Choose a graphic organizer that best represents the relationship among the information presented. –Hierarchical –Linear –Cause/Effect –Sequential

Examples of Common Graphic Organizers es g/lr1grorg.htm anizers/index.html zers.htm zers/ corg/index.html

Subject Related Graphic Organizers Textual Organizers – g.htmlwww.englishcompanion.com/Tools/notemakin g.html Math Organizers – Science Organizers –

Essential Issues about Graphic Organizers No ONE organizer suits all learners Learning curve for using organizers can be large. Students must be explicitly taught how to use organizers effectively. Graphic organizers allow you to teach more than just content – processing skills, patterns of information, analytical & critical thinking skills, etc.

Who Should Create Them? Both Teachers & Students –Teachers design them first, use with content –Teachers & students co-construct graphic organizers. –Groups of students construct graphic organizers. –Individual students construct graphic organizers. (

Additional Resources Amin, A.B.M. (2004). Using graphic organizers. Paper presented at the ITE Teachers’ Conference Institute of Technical Education, Singapore. Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from Ellis, E. (2004). Q&A: What’s the big deal with graphic organizers? Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from “Graphic organizers.” Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from “CAST: Graphic organizers.” Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from “Guidelines for designing graphic organizers.” Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from “Lesson: Using graphic organizers for sensemaking” Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from “What is mind mapping?” Retrieved, March 1, 2008 from software.htm software.htm “Tools for Reading, Writing, & Thinking” Retrieved March 22, 2009 from