Cognitive Learning

Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

This chapter has a variety of ideas to help with the organization and retrieval of information. An advance organizer helps with focusing on the learning process. The use of cues questions and advance organizers promotes higher level of thinking skills.

Word Processing Applications can be used for:
Advanced organizers, T-charts, rubric, brochures, definitions, stories, articles, artistic works, tables and charts

The book mentioned ideas for using a word processing program for organizers and advanced organizers. One idea they failed to mention is using the Drawing Toolbar to create shapes which students can insert their thoughts and ideas. This can also be done in Power Point. Many school districts spend money on software like Kidspiration when they fail to think about the capabilities of programs that they may already own.

Spreadsheet Applications:
Rubric, T-Charts, advance organizers, table,

I like the idea of having the rubric set up to tabulate the sum.

My students set up a personal grade sheet on Excel. The assignments, number of points the assignment is worth and how many points they have achieved are entered. I colored coded key is set up to help students keep track of their progress. If an assignment is completed and the student and or teacher is pleased with the cell is left white. But if the assignment is not done the cell is red, yellow means the assignment is being worked on and blue represents the assignment has been turned in and is waiting for a grade. Upon reflection I realize I need to monitor the grade sheet weekly and encourage students to be accountable for their grades.


Multimedia Applications:
Advance organizers, charts, tables

My district has not invested in purchasing any Organizing and Brainstorming Software. All of your classrooms have an interactive whiteboard. Smartboards have software that lends itself to easily creating organizers. Also there are many free tools on the web to help with creation of organizers.

Power Point is used in my classroom to create vocabulary books. I have not given much thought as to use it as a an organizer but since it has many of the same capabilities as a word processing it can be used as an organizer note taking tool.

Summarizing and Note Taking

This chapter is about tools students use to synthesize information into a concise new form. Summarizing and note taking are often not taught to students. Many teacher assume student know how to take notes or summarize.

Students need to be taught a variety of ways to take notes. Once they are introduced to note taking they should be allowed to take notes that is a best fit to their learning style. If we make them take notes a certain way the student will only do so to appease us. But we allow them to make notes that have meaning to them they are more likely to use the notes to refresh their memories and study for tests. Some students may take notes with a series of pictures this should be allowed as long as the students can explain how they relate to the information they are learning.

When students are given information this should be done in chunks. The students should be allowed to summarize the chunks of information every seven to fifteen minutes depending on the content.