This week's learning resources basically described for us how to help students recall, use, and organize the information that they learned about a specific topic. This is bridged with being able to take successful notes based on relative information.
Different cues, questions, and organizers are used in relationship with a teaching point. What is the teacher trying to focus on? What does he or she want their students to learn? This is where David Ausubel's (1960) technique of advanced organizers come into play. It helps organize this new and useful information for the students. With so many 21st century skills being taught in the classroom, graphic organizers and aids can be created by students using their own laptops or computer stations. There is now even much more "higher-level" questioning involved which motivates active learning and student engagement. Procedures such as the use of these digital graphic organizers and making inferences and judgments put more focus on working the brain to be thinkers rather than try to just soak up as much information is possible.
A huge part of being able to process all of this information is the ability to take notes. Note taking becomes much easier with the help of graphic organizers. It also helps if the students have learned how to take meaningful, relative notes. There is a lot of information that is presented, but nothing is saying that all of it is relative. A skill such as summarizing helps students eliminate the irrelevant information. They can use aids such as high lighters if they are using paper. In my class, I high light with them using a document camera so that we can read and underline together what is relevant. If students do not have this skill, then they can become very frustrated and lose focus (Dr. Orey, 2007).
Understanding and organization helps anyone focus on what is important and what is not; not just children. If I can teach my students how to organize themselves based on the teaching point for the lesson, then that can help set them up to concentrate on what is relevant. It will allow them not to become overwhelmed and will create an environment where active thinking and engagement take place.
I agree that using technology to create advanced organizers allows an easier, more interesting way of note taking. You make a good point that understanding and organization helps anyone focus on what is important and what is not; not just children. Effective note taking is an important skill for everyone to have. I have found that even at the high school level students have difficulty summarizing information and recording those points which are most important. I think it’s great that you are teaching your students this strategy so that they may apply it to focus on the information which is most relevant, which will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the material.
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Elementary teaching goals have not only become preparing children for middle school and high school, but also for college and the work place. Children need to learn these skills and have them reinforced so that they are successful. When they reach the high school level, they should be able to use their skills, such as summarizing, and just apply to different topics that are relative to their grade level. We're building for a better tomorrow by making sure that students understand how to be successful throughout their entire educational career.
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