The Use of Graphic Organizers

Hello group members,

Yesterday, there was a LINCS webinar delivered by Dr. Patty Graner entitled  "Integrating Graphic Organizers into Reading Vocabulary Instruction."    Quite a bit of the presentation including participants' questions,and the speaker's answers pertained to Adult English Language Learners.  Today, Dr. Graner has started a follow-up discussion on the Disabilities Group and Reading/Writing Group.  Because of that, I wanted to share this resource with you.

I am copying the first three messages that have already been posted below for your information:

 

Hello Dr. Graner,

Thank you for your webinar.  Can you please respond to the questions that I asked yesterday during the webinar?  In your opinion, why is the use of graphic organizers an effective strategy for adult students with disabilities?

Thanks, in advance, for your response.

Rochelle Kenyon, SME

 

Hello Rochelle, Thank you for asking your question again. First, my experience in teaching young adults who are challenged with the requirement to learn a large number of vocabulary in their education, has been very positive. The recommendations listed for effective vocabulary learning are especially useful for older students who arrive in school or in their job training with limited vocabulary background, and these may be students with disabilities.  Putting many of these pieces together into a cohesive study routine or study strategy can make adults (young and older) more successful in their schooling and in their job pursuits.

In the webinar, I listed five features for direct vocabulary instruction based on recommendations by many experts in vocabulary.

1.Teachers should explain meaning. This should happen multiple times and be connected to the content and in context.
2.Various contexts for particularly vocabulary requires sufficient examples – playing with language for instance.
  •  An example of a word with many meanings that are useful to know, consider the many meanings of the word reconcile:
    • To agree or become friendly again  - She hoped to reconcile with her mother after not speaking for a long time.
    • To make sure numbers or facts match – You should reconcile your checkbook with your bank statement.
    • To Accept a fact or idea – I am reconciled to the fact that I need to work hard to earn my GED.
3.Generating your own examples and practicing on one’s own is important to becoming efficient
4.Being able to surface one’s thinking about vocabulary by using words in sentences demonstrates their thinking. Surfacing their approach so teacher can provide feedback. The example of Reconcile, above, illustrates this as well.
5.Drawing a picture is a way of visually connecting a word to its meaning and use.
      When a strategy for studying vocabulary facilitates auditory and visual memory devices to learn and remember complex terms, power is added by employing these paths in tandem even when students prefer one over the other. Additionally, as Ellis (2001) points out, these are useful for recalling definitions for tests, actually 'constructing the devices adds even more power because the process focuses students' attention on understanding the critical features of the term and its meaning' (p. 2) enhancing their learning.
Does this information help?
 
 
 

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response. Yes, your information was very helpful.

During our follow-up discussion, I want to expand the discussion beyond vocabulary, especially for Disability Group members who were not able to attend your webinar or ask any questions yet.  

In my experience, I have found that the use of graphic organizers ("structured overviews") is an effective reading comprehension tool especially for students with Learning Disability, English language learners, and all other learners as well.  The strategy allows students to visually access and understand information.  You can think of them as visual maps; "visual representations of information from a text that depict the relationships between concepts, the text structure, and/or key concepts of the text."  

For our group members in the Disabilities and English Language groups, I can recommend a research study by Jessica Lynn Wells Miranda at the University of Hawaii at Manoa entitled "Effect of Graphic Organizers on the Reading Comprehension of an English Language Learner with a Learning Disability."  It will go more deeply into the use of graphic organizers within the components of reading.  It is online and can be accessed for free at  http://www.hawaii.edu/sls/sls/wp-content/uploads/Miranda-Jessica.pdf >

I hope that our group members take the opportunity to ask questions of our expert, Dr. Patty Graner.

Has anyone used graphic organizers with adult education students that have LD?

Thanks so much,

Rochelle Kenyon, SME

 

I invite you to join the LINCS Disabilities in Adult Education Group if you are not already a member to read the continuing discussion.

 

Thanks,

Rochelle Kenyon, SME

Disabilities in Adult Education

 

Comments

Rochelle,

Thanks so much for the link to the article about graphic organizers and their use with middle school English learners with learning disabilities. (What gorgeous materials were used, by the way!)  I would like to echo your question about using graphic organizers with adults learning English: Is there research on this?

Miriam Burt,

SME, Adult ELL CoP

 

 

Hi Miriam,

My best suggestion is to review the LINCS Learning to Achieve at  https://lincs.ed.gov/programs/learningtoachieve/materials.html >   Some of the resources include:

Learning to Achieve: A Review of the Research Literature on Serving Adults with Learning Disabilities An extensive literature review serves as a foundational document reflecting the current knowledge base in assessment, English language learners, accommodations, teaching methods, transition, and impact of LD. 

Learning to Achieve: A Review of the Research Literature on Employment Experiences and Outcomes for Youth and Adults with Learning Disabilities This review specifically targets research on adults in the areas of employment, adult education, and career development.

Learning to Achieve: A Professional’s Guide to Educating Adults with Learning Disabilities This companion guide is a stand-alone resource for professionals who work with adults with LD. The chapters cover relevant characteristics of adults with LD, matched with descriptions and examples of practical intervention strategies. A major theme in research and practice is that effective interventions are appropriate and effective for all adult learners—good instruction is good instruction.

 

Practitioners can also access the Learning to Achieve professional development in several ways. Certified trainers may deliver local level training sessions or blended experiences that coordinate with self-paced  online learning modules. Any practitioner may access the online modules on-demand.  All of the options use the same set of rigorously reviewed materials covering core concepts such as the definition of LD, reading disabilities, and explicit instruction techniques. 

For more specific question about Learning to Achieve, go to  https://lincs.ed.gov/programs/learningtoachieve/training#online >

 

Rochelle Kenyon, SME