When thinking of concept mapping and/or graphic organizers, I know I could probably use them more. I use a mapping when summarizing the steps of factoring with my Algebra 1 students, but that is about the only time…. With my Algebra 1 students, getting them to take notes is like pulling teeth sometimes. In our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instructions that Works, the authors state that “although note taking is one of the most useful study skills a student can cultivate, teachers rarely teach it explicitly as a skill in itself.” Many of the Algebra 1 students I teach struggle with taking notes and this statement got me wondering is it because they are not sure how to take notes. I am new to concept mapping programs, but really liked the idea of how with some programs a mapping can be converted to an outline with a simple click as mentioned by Orey. I plan to find a program that will work well with my students and try my best to get some computer lab time for my students.
On the flip side, when I teach Geometry, I have a hard time keeping students from writing everything down. In Geometry, I stress Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski’s ideas of summarizing and using visuals when taking notes. With Geometry, students often get lost in the words of theorems and definitions, summarizing and putting things in their own words often increases their understanding. Concept mapping is something I would like to try with this group all.
In exploring some of the virtual field trip sites, I think I was a little confused in what I was going to find. I was looking more for the type in our video when you could ‘travel’ around a room or landscape, kind of like the virtual tours I take when looking at some houses online. . Most of what I found was like navigating a detailed webpage with imbedded information. I found very few dealing with high school math, but I plan to continue to explore. The idea of traveling through time and countries is certainly intriguing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Leilani,
ReplyDeleteI was discussing this in the class discussion this week and I wanted to get your thoughts on it. What if students started a concept map as freshmen in math classes and they put notes into a concept map that they carried with them from year to year. That way, students might ee they connections in math not only through one course, but through the 4 years. This way they would have to rewrite notes in their own words which is somethings the resources really pushed this week.
Let me know what you think.
Tyler
Leilani,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up the thought of students dreading to take notes possibly being related to the fact that they never learned how to good notes in the first place. I believe very strongly that has a lot to do with it. I remember being a senior in high school and our teacher being so frustrated because there were only a handful of students who actually knew how to take notes in an outline format. The rest just scribbled down random sentences word for word from text. We cannot expect our students to know how to do take effective notes if we do not teach them. One of the things I did with my 4th graders last year was slowly progress with their note taking. At the beginning of the year I would have notes prepared ahead of time but I would write them out on the board as we went through the content. It was a good way to model to the students how notes should be formatted to have the greatest impact and make the best connections. Later on in the year then, note taking consisted of much more input from the class. I would put up the main topic, and then they would tell me information that they saw important to include. I would still guide them along to make sure they hit on all the key points, but it was great practice for them. I hope that now when those students reach middle school and their teachers expect them to take their notes, that they will not look as lost as some of my classmates in my senior english class!
Magan
Tyler,
ReplyDeleteYour idea does sound like a good one. The main problems I could see are getting the students to actually keep up with the information through the different classes and getting other teachers “on board” with the idea. Although a lot of my colleagues work well together, there are still a few who like to keep all things good to themselves. Also concept mapping seems to be an acquired skill, what about the teachers who do not embrace the idea of completed them. I think for me, starting a concept map to build upon throughout the semester would be a good way for my students to see the connections within the class. I normally teach Algebra 1 Honors and work closely with the teacher who has the Algebra 2 Honors; your idea may be one we could work on together. Thanks!
~Leilani
Magan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea! Although I teach high school, some students have trouble taking notes. Your idea of giving the notes and eventually moving to an outline format as students become better at taking notes could really work well for my lower level students.
Thanks!
~Leilani
Incorporating the technology resources to our classroom to get a better understanding of the material is an important aspect. If we are honest to ourselves, we can not take our students on field trips all the time, but with technology, we can have a virtual field trip every week if we want to. As a particular experience, students learn better with this approach because their imagination allows them to be at the place while there are watching. Therefore, let’s use that powerful instrument as their imagination and creativity to boost their learning process by making it more dynamic.
ReplyDeleteOur textbook refers to concept mapping as an opportunity for collaboration. Perhaps your students can work in groups or pairs and create a concept map using a deck of cards (with geometry facts). In this way, they can put to order a large body of facts and see a visual representation of the logical ordering of as many relationship of geometric shapes as possible.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link with a graphic example. http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/RR/database/RR.09.97/bracken1.html
I have to agree that I shared your thoughts about virtual field trips. I think there need to be more resources like the one provided in the video. Perhaps in time...
-Nanci
Nanci,
ReplyDeleteSeeing the possibilities virtual field trips offer, then seeing the lack of field trips in my area was disappointing. However, my interest is still peaked and when I find the time I would like to try my hand at creating one (or two) for my classes. I guess I will see where the idea leads me…..
Thanks for the website, I will definitely check it out!
~Leilani