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• Elona Hartjes, MEd (Candidate), Ontario Certified Teacher

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Graphic organizers are one of the most useful tools students or teachers for that matter can use in the classroom.  Many graphic organizers are available free on-line. Strong visual learners usually love using graphic organizers to organize their thinking when doing assignments. Of course, not everyone of my students are visual learners and take to graphic organizers like the proverbial duck to water. But, that doesn’t stop me from encouraging students in my learning strategies classes to use graphic organizers when appropriate.

I tell my students that although they may have a preferred learning style, they need to do all they can to develop their less preferred learning styles as well so that learning becomes easier. I have found from personal experience with students and as a learner myself  as all three learning modalities, visual, auditory and hands-on  strengthened because of practice using them learning  became easier.

I recently came across this great site that has  free graphic organizers galore I can download and  use.  The site is a real time saver because I don’t have to create my own graphic organizers like I used to do.  I’m sure  you find graphic organizers you can download and use.

One of my friends at work found this site useful. The graphic organizers are also free. Thanks for sharing, Jenn. There are also suggestions for when to use the specific graphic organizers.

There are any number of reasons why students don’t get their homework done. Some students have part time jobs after school or have to take care of siblings. Others play sports, take music lessons, just hang with friends or spend time online doing whatever. There’s lots to distract kids from doing homework, especially some of the more reluctant or struggling students I support who welcome the distractions that take them away from doing homework. I’ve found that telling these students that doing homework should come first before anything else is really counterproductive. So I don’t. I surprise them my telling them I can help them work homework into their schedule so that they can do the other things they want to do as well as homework the need to do to be more successful in school.

I start by giving them a chart that lists the days of the week and the different times of the day and then ask them to record all their activities and the times they would do them. I just have them do it for one week. Then I help them schedule their homework into the open time slots. Amazingly, this works. I help them “see” the available time slots. Sometimes this involves a bit of rearranging of activities on the part of the student, but usually by the time we’re finished the student is satisfied with the homework schedule. They think it reasonable, and that’s half the battle. They don’t feel homework interferes with their life or that life interferes with their homework.

I suggest that the students tell their friends that they’re busy during the time allotted to do homework so they won’t be disturbed at that time. That shouldn’t be a big deal because they already have scheduled time to talk to friends anyway. I also suggest they don’t do any homework after 10 pm.

Some students schedule homework the same day everyday. Others schedule homework a different time every day. I leave it up to them. It has to be their plan for it to work. Of course we revisit the schedule after the first few weeks and rejig it where necessary.

The point I am trying to make here for my students is that homework can be worked into their lives. Homework doesn’t mean they have to give up the things they like or have to do. I talk about doing things in moderation- homework included. I tell them I try to achieve a balance in my life, and I think they should strive to do the same. Being a student is only part of their lives. Being a teacher is only part of mine. I think we understand one another.

When I talk to my students about goals,  many of them tell me that they don’t have any goals.  I tell them they actually do,  but they don’t realize  it.  They call their goals  plans.  The  plans that they make for later in the day ,  later in week or later in the year are really goals.   Then we discuss the characteristics of good goals.  I try to lead the discussion so that we conclude that good goals are  SMART goals and  show  the slide show below to illustrate the idea of SMART goals.   If you’d like a copy,  I’d be delighted to send you one.  Just leave a request in the comment box.

After we watch the slide show,  I have my students set their own short term, medium term and long term goals using the graphic organizer below.

Smart Goal Setting Organizer

If you’d like this as well,  just ask and I’ll send it to you as an attachment.

I’ve always had good results with this activity.  We will revisit their goals during the semester to see how things are going and to set more goals.

In September, I’m going to be teaching a grade 9 applied math class, and I’ve been thinking of ways to engage my students.  See the problem is for the last few years I’ve been in a classroom with computers.  I love using computers to teach, and my students love using computers to learn. There are no computers in the  new  classroom where I’ll be teaching this grade nine class so except for the odd time that I’ll be able to book the class into the computer lab, we’re out of luck. That’s why I’m planning to introduce interactive student math notebooks in my math classes.  I’m hoping that the interactive student math notebooks will engage the students like the class blog did and  make them accountable for their own learning. A tall order, I know.

I just discovered interactive student notebooks myself this summer as I was surfing the web some what desperately.These interactive notebooks are regular spiral notebooks, not the fancy digital Smart Boards. I don’t remember how I found Mrs. Gannon’s site explaining all about interactive notebooks,  but I’m sure glad I did. Many of you  are familiar with the concept, but I wasn’t- life long learning in action. Then I found this by Kimberly Riggins about interactive math notebooks, and I was good to go. I’m not going to explain interactive student notebooks here because both Mrs. Gannon and Kimbely Riggins have done an excellent job of that,  much better than I could. I’m just going to comment on why I think they’ll work with my grade nine students.

I like interactive notebooks because they  encourage students to get involved in their own learning.  I find that my students  will let the lessons I teach just wash over them and not put too much effort into learning  if I don’t get them involved in some way.  Just sitting and listening to me lecture just doesn’t work.  My students are engaged by graphic organizers and I use  them a lot.  I also use group activities a lot.  I got the activities and graphic organizers  from  a series of  Barry Bennett workshops that I attended a few years back.   His  book Beyond Monet that he co-wrote with Carol Rolheiser is a great resource.  I use  it all the time.  If you ever get a chance to attend his workshops, go.  You won’t regret it.

Many of my students are visual learners and so really like graphic organizers and using colour to highlight certain things. Other students enjoy writing math journals and poems.  Still others like to draw.  All of these activities are part of interactive notebooks.  So I’m thinking that this strategy will work.  I’m going to have the kids use spiral notebooks so there’ll be no loose pages or fewer loose pages on the floor under their seats as they rush to the door when the bell rings.  What do you think?  Any suggestions. I need all the help I can get.  Thanks.

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  These are my personal views and not those of my employer.