Graphic Organizers in the Classroom

Presenting Content Like it’s Not 1999

History can be heavily lecture-based. The stories are rich with fascinating details, insight, consequences, and heroics. I think so because I loved history so much I majored in it. However, that same deep interest in the subject might not transfer to students who are fascinated with building technology, focused on a career in healthcare or becoming a future titan of industry. On the other hand, I believe that not understanding history or other social sciences is like you are a leaf but you don’t know you are part of a tree.

The question we now consider is how to convey historical information to students so they can retain important skills and knowledge and it might help them in a future business deal, interview or while they are traversing around the world. It’s definitely not just lecture-based, it’s through visual learning enhanced by auditory learning and written content. With multiple modes of presentation, students can retain important social science concepts that will aid them in the process of becoming responsible, global citizens. 

Furthermore, the way students absorb information now elicits a visual approach in the classroom. I’ve had many students ask me critical thinking issues that they observed in a Tik Tok video. A student came to me and asked about Emmitt Till and wanted to know who he was, she found out about him through a Tik Tok video, not through a past or present educator. She showed me the video she was referring to and it was a quick flash of images of civil rights movement pictures with questions posed on how those issues connect to problems today. I want my students to make those connections with me in the classroom. Making videos, infographics, and allowing them to study photographs and art helps the students understand and analyze information with more engagement compared to another lecture or another long chapter in a textbook. Lastly, students like to quickly google information or refer back to resources on various applications or websites, they can’t do that with your lecture. Students need to access a bank of information on their own time and convenience. They might have difficulty focusing in your classroom due to various reasons but they can certainly ruminate over the information at home or another safe study environment. 

These are hectic times where social distancing and remote learning are becoming lexicons of the present, not a dystopian future. As of right now, the College Board is planning on giving 45-minute exams to students in order for them to earn college credit. The test content has changed, the test requirements and rubric has changed as well. Plus, I cannot process this information and help my students in my regular work environment with all of my educational tools, my classroom. However, I am already compiling and constructing graphic organizers, review videos and an organized visual for the new rubric so my students can easily refer to it while studying in these daunting times. If I provide paragraphs of explanation or ask them to reread the textbook in my absence, it’s daunting and will not prove effective. However, if I present the most important information in an appealing format that will be engaging, effective and allow students to organize those thoughts on a summative assessment, we all win.