Chapter Ten - Reflecting on What I Know

A sandwich map :]

1) How do you know that students understand a concept?
One way to make sure that your student's understand a concept is to use a graphic organizer. Graphic organizers help to visually display key thoughts and ideas in a way that is understandable. There are several different types of graphic organizers so it is important to choose one that reinforces the concepts that you are trying to teach.


2) How can you depict student misconceptions of key information?
Graphic organizers are just that- GRAPHIC! You can visually see the direction in which an idea is going. When using a graphic organizer students are able to easily see mistakes and misconceptions as they assemble their organizer. So, for example, if you are creating a timeline example you can easily see when an event has fallen out of it's time period. Students can then correct their mistake and continue on with their work, all the while gaining a better understanding of the material.


3) How can students capture and transfer brainstorming ideas into written thoughts?
Students can capture and transfer brainstorming ideas into written thoughts by using a graphic organizer. As I have mentioned, there are several different types of graphic organizers and, since we all think differently, each different organizer can be used in several ways. You can organize thoughts with flow charts, venn diagrams, and bubble/double bubble maps. (As well as a multitude of other organizers.)


References
Lowther, D. & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom: Skills for the 21st Century. Pearson Education. Inc. Boston, MA, USA.