Julie Mcgill

Kelly Murphy

Kim Freeman

 

Introduction

Theoretical Base

Relationship with Schema Theory

Studies Show

Types of Graphic Organizers

Instructional Suggestions

Summary

 

Introduction

A majority of students are known to be visual learners. Since learning is enhanced through visualization, Graphic organizers are valuable tools to enhance student learning. Graphic organizers are known by many different names. You may have probably heard them referred to as mind maps, visual organizers, or visual maps. They are excellent tools for visual learners to map out their thoughts and/or new learning. Graphic organizers can be used at all grade levels (from kindergarden kindergarten to adult learners). They are often used before, during, and after learning.

 

Theoretical Base

There are two types of knowledge that humans process: declarative and procedural. Having an understanding of how we process this knowledge helps teachers plan their teaching. Gil-Garcia and Villegas (2003) explain how declarative knowledge is knowledge that is facts and concepts that must be learned before moving into a higher level of knowledge known as procedural knowledge. To make this move, a knowledge bridge is formed, known as structural knowledge. This bridge allows the students to mentally apply their facts and concepts to the procedural knowledge, or critical thinking.

 

Graphic organizers are wonderful tools to help students transition from the knowing what to knowing why. They provide the structual knowledge needed to bridge the gap between the two, thus allowing the students to move the information from their working memory to their long term memory. For information to be successfully stored into long term memory, we need to be able to eleborate elaborate, classify, and organize the information. This is the main idea and purpose of graphic organizers.

 

There are several types of graphic organizers. One aspect that is important when chosing choosing graphic organizers is to connect the type of knowledge they intend to address in the students' reasoning, either declarative (knowledge about things) or procedural (knowledge about how to do things), with the common patterns of the expository texts.

Table (Gil-Garcia)

 

Type of Knowledge	Common Organization Patterns
Declarative	Description, Simple listing, Definitions, Examples, Comparison and Contrast, Cause and Effect
Procedural	Time/Temporal Sequence, Problem Solution

 

 

Relationship with Schema Theory

Graphic organizers are often used to activate preexisting knowledge. In schema theory it is noted that knew new information must be connected to prior knowledge. Once a student has activated his or her prior knowledge he or she will use that knowledge to help increase the comprehension of new knowledge. Many researchers believe that information that is stored in the students' existing schema is more easily understood, learned, and retained than information that is not. Teachers can help students learn more information if he or she can help the student link new information to background knowledge. Using graphic organizers is a benficial beneficial way to help student make the connection between prior knowledge and new knowledge. (Dye, 2000)

 

Studies Show

In a study conducted by C.S. Doyle two methods of teaching were compared. One form of teaching (the traditional form) where the teacher lectures and the students take notes was compared to the same form of teaching with the addition of graphic organizers in a social studies class. The results from a post assessment proved that the students who were taught with graphic organizers scored higher.

 

S.V. Horton, T.C. Lovitt, and D. Bergerund performed a study to determine the effectiveness of using grpahic graphic organizers in mainstream classrooms. They also wanted to know if graphic organizers were effective with low--acheiving- achieving and learning disabled students. Results from this study proved than the use of graphic organizers was a more effective strategy that self studying. It is important to note that these results remained consistent throughout the content areas.

 

V.M. Dicecco and M. M. Gleason also researched the effectiveness of graphic organizers. At the end of this student who were in the treatment group (the group that used graphic organizers) and the control group were given a multiple choice post assessment on content knowledge. Once agian, the treatment group out scored the control group. Both groups were also given a written post test. On this assessment, the students in the treatment group significantly outperformed the students in the control group. (Anderson et al, 2004)

 

Types of Graphic Organizers

Different types of graphic organizers can be used for many kinds of instructions. However, graphic organizers are generally labeled as conceptual, hierarchical, cyclical, and sequential.

 

Conceptual organizers help students show their learning or knowledge of a central idea. Concept maps, KWL charts, and venn diagrams are only a few conceptual graphic organizers. KWL charts will help the student organize his or her prior knowledge and the information that he or she wants to learn before new learning begins. Then, after learning has taken place the student will chart what he or she has learned. Venn diagrams are used to compare and contrast two objects, topics, characters, etc.

 

A hierachical organizers is used when a student needs to break down broad concept into subconcepts. Some of these organizers include the branching diagram, classifying chart, and topic/subtopic web. Students could use this type of graphic organizer to explain the food chain.

 

The student will use a sequential graphic organizer when he or she needs to explain the sequence of events. Storyboards, T-charts, and cause and effect organizers are all sequential. This type of organizer could be used when telling the beginning, middle, and end of a story.

 

There are times when it would be best to use a cyclical organizer. These organizers may be better known as the circle organizer or the circle diagram. These could be used to show life cycles or the water cycle. (Struble, 2007)

 

Instructional Suggestions

When implementing graphic organizers it is important to model the use of the tool. Then students should be given the chance to use the organizers with guided help. Finally the student should be given the opportunity to use the graphic organizer independently. Of course, the teacher should provide feedback to the student on how they are using the tool to improve comprehension or what they need to do in order to get the most effectiveness out of it.

 

There are hundreds of websites where teachers may print free graphic organizers. A few of these links are listed below. However, it is not difficult to make your own graphic organizers. The first step to creating a customized organizer is to pinpoint the information that you intend to present during the lesson or unit. Then, decide the most important components the lesson will target. Third, create a visual representation of those targets and show a connection to the key elements of components. Lastly, examine the information and help the students understand the connections.

 

Graphic organizers can be used by teachers and students at all age levels. They can also be used in all content areas. An early childhood educator may use graphic organizers to classify animals or connect storybook characters. An elementary school teacher may use them to help students understand the different parts of a story or to compare and contrast people and plants. Teachers of middle school students may choose to use graphic organizers to illustrate and define science vocabulary, understand history concepts, or to sort different orchestra instruments into specific instrument sections (such as wind instruments). High school teachers can use graphic organizers to compare two stories or to explain the key points of their history or science text. (Dye, 2000)

 

Summary

Graphic organizers are a great tool teachers and students can use to promote comprehension. This is an excellent strategy that can be implemented to encourage the organization of thoughts. It also enables students to make connections to existing schema. It also gives students reinforcement in making linking key concepts to deepen comprehension. Teachers can use graphic organizers to examine the students' thinking and learning.

 

Graphic organizers are relatively simple for teacher to make. They can also easily be found on the Internet or in resource books that can be found at any educational supply store. Graphic organizers can be used before, during, and/or after learning. They are often used across the curriclum curriculum and across all grades to improve instructtion instruction.

 

Research shows that using graphic organizers is an effective way to enhance learning. So, find an organizer that compliments your teaching and get started. See what they can do your students!

 

References:

 

Anderson, S, Yilmaz, O, & Wasburn-Moses, L (2004). Middle and high school students with learning disabilities: Practical academic interventions for general education teachers - A review of the literature. American Secondary Education. 32: 2, 29-39.

 

 

Dye, G.A (2000).Graphic organizers to rescue. Teaching Exceptional

Children. 32:3, 72-77

 

Gil-Garcia, A. & Villegas, J. (Eds.). (2003). Engaging minds, Enhancing Comprehension and Constructing Knowledge Through Visual Representations. World Association for Case Method Research and Application. Bordeaus, France June 29 - July 02, 2003

 

Struble, J. (2007). Using graphic organizers as formative assessment. Science Scope. 30, 69-71.

 

 

External Links

teAchnology Easily create your own graphic organizers.

 

Education Oasis Here you'll find 58 graphic organizers. Some can even be filled out on the computer.

 

The Graphic Organizer It's hard to believe, but there's a graphic organizer of graphic organizers. Some completed forms are also included to help get an idea of what they should look like.

 

 

 

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Comment by: Annette Gebhardt

 

You did a great job of establishing why graphic organizers are useful and how they are to be used. Your information on when and in what circumstances each graphic organizer should be used would be very helpful to readers. The links would also assist the reader who is looking for more organizers than the three that you mentioned.

 

A few things were mistyped or left out, but the information was very thorough.

 

Results from this study proved than the use of graphic organizers was a more effective strategy that self studying. Did you mean "that" the use...and "than" self studying?

 

See what they can do your students! Did you mean "for" your students?

 

I noticed a few typos and used the strikethrough procedure to correct them.

 

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Commentary by Clark E. Barrow

 

Tony and Barry Buzan wrote a book on mind maps and the concepts in their book strongly agree with the information here. As the authors of this article acknowledge, moving knowledge from temporary to long-term memory is augmented by graphic organizers that place information in chuncks of knowledge, instead of requiring the learner to process information in a linear fashion. Tony and Barry Buzan claim the mind does not operate in a linear fashion as how much text presents the information.

 

McGill, Murphy, and Freeman state, "For information to be successfully stored into long term memory, we need to be able to eleborate, classify, and organize the information. This is the main idea and purpose of graphic organizers." I agree with the classification and organizational part, however, the elaboration part seems to be stimulated from prior knowledge, which seems to not be a part of the graphic organization by itself. However, prior knowledge is tapped by the organization of what one knows. One can use a Know, Want to Know, and Learned (KWL) chart to provide the learner with a method of recording information that he or she knows and wants to learn.

 

The authors state, "In schema theory it is noted that knew information" and in this statement the word "knew" should be "new."

 

"In a study conducted by C.S. Doyle" In this statement, Doyle should be cited. In addition, it should appear in the reference list.

 

"S.V. Horton, T.C. Lovitt, and D. Bergerund" This citation should be reworded as "Horton, Lovitt, and Bergerud (year of publication)" and it should be included in the reference list.

 

"V.M. Dicecco and M. M. Gleason also researched the effectiveness of graphic organizers." In this statement, I can see where the authors of this article cite Anderson et al. at the end of the paragraph. I am wondering if Dicecco and Gleason are a secondary source or primary source. In either case, I think the citation should come before the end of the paragraph. I think the statement, "the treatment group our scored the control group" could be strengthened by some statistic which shows the alpha level, t-value, or F-value, depending on which statistic was used.

 

"Using graphic organizers is a benficial beneficial way to help students make the connection between prior knowledge and new knowledge. (Dye, 2000)" I think this is a powerful statement and could be a wonderful lead in to a couple of paragraphs expanding this thought.

 

"Venn diagrams are used to compare and contrast two objects, topics, characters, etc." I like Venn diagrams. I think they are a great way to show where information overlaps. It is my understanding now that teachers are using Venn diagrams less and less. I don't know why this is but I seem to be hearing this from many different sources. I think it is good that you included it in your article.

 

In your second paragraph under "Instructional Suggestions," you give a sequence of information. You start it with "The first step ..." and then you go to "Then," and then you go to "Third," and then you go to "Lastly, ". I think it would sound better to go, "First," "Second," "Third," and "Fourth." This way, the reader sees a clear numbering sequence.

 

The information you presented seems very useful to teachers. I should use more graphic organizers in my classes.

 

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