Graphic Organizers - an effective learning tool

Graphic Organizers – an effective learning tool

A graphic Organizer is a visual display that is used to depict the relationship between facts, terms and/or ideas within a learning task. They form a powerful visual picture of the information and this allows the mind to discover patterns, relationships it otherwise may have missed. It uses visual symbols to convey meaning. Its purpose is to facilitate learning by presenting the most complete picture of all the available facts and the potential relationships that could develop among them.

Different structures or designs of a graphic organizer are :

·         Knowledge map

·         Concept map

·         Story map

·         Spider map

·         Cognitive organizer

·         Concept diagrams

·         Series of events

·         Calendar etc.

This makes the curriculum more supportive of students and teachers as it allows them to actually see rather than have to imagine the possibilities contained within.

These organizers make assignments easier for students, first by giving them a lot of information to work with, then by narrowing the focus.

Children can use graphic organizers to better understand how their ideas can be broken down and organized for easier communication.

The teacher can print an organizer with the goal of sequencing and the student can fill in the blanks with his story ideas.

Students can also use these organizers to compare and contrast study techniques to help them decide which one would be the most effective.

Concept mapping is an effective tool as it gives freedom to brainstorm and then it forces them to go back and make decision.

Graphic organizers clear out the clutter and effective use can result in cleaner, more readable writing.