Reflections:  Chapter 10


How do you know that students understand a concept?

Using a graphic organizer can help students go beyond memorization to deeper understanding and learning.  According to our text, graphic organizers support critical thinking.  A graphic organizer like a K-W-L chart can connect a student's prior knowledge to what they want to know which is what comprehension is all about.  A  K-W-L chart can also help students organize their ideas and information and help them generate questions.

How can you depict student misconceptions of key information?

A student-generated graphic organizer like a word map can identify whether or not the student understands the key concepts associated with that word.  Does the student understand the definition of the word?  Are the images or feelings associated with the word accurate descriptions.  Can the student give an example and a non-example of the word.

A student can also use a graphic organizer to identify their own misconceptions.  For example, a graphic organizer on controversial issues can enlighten a student by explicitly stating  the counterargument or the supporting argument.  Students may realize more about the issue by completing this kind of organizer.

How can students capture and transfer brainstorming ideas into written thought?

I would have students use graphic organizers that capture and transfer brainstorming ideas into written thought.  According to our text, many graphic organizers "let the recorder type in an idea of one student and then instantly create a link and new icon ready for the next idea with the press of the Enter/Return key.  This feature easily captures students thoughts as they are expressed and encourage students to add their ideas to the ideas of others.  These thoughts can be recorded without having to renter the information as would be the case if a whiteboard were used" (260).  This type of activity engages all the students and reinforces the lesson's objectives.