We have all been told that "A picture speaks a thousand words". Why should we let all those words go down the drain if there is a better way? When I was younger, I would be prone to dreaming that somebody would turn all those lines of words in my books into pictures. My teachers would often come to class with charts which they had painstakingly created the night before. These were simple enough for us to comprehend and very colorful. What I liked most about them, however, was that they made learning fun.
Today, my kids have finally begun reading long lines of words. I have been trying to teach them to use flowcharts and matrices and make their student lives just a little less difficult. They can't help but have a great time using their crayons and making their charts brighter and prettier.
Of course, more than being fun, graphic organizers of all kinds help boost learning. They put the accent on on the important notions in a particular subject of study. They reveal the patterns and associations that exist between a number of different aspects. If you are finding it difficult to grasp the elements of causality between a number of thoughts, a graphic organizer makes that easier to understand too.
Brainstorming is made a whole lot less difficult when one tries to use charts and diagrams to pictorially represent the various ideas that emerge at various points of time. Most of the ideas that emerge at brainstorming sessions tend to appear rather random. So, it is greatly recommended to graphically represent the various associations between concepts so as to avoid confusion. If one does this right from the beginning, as the volume of ideas grows, the element of confusion will not spiral out of control. So whether it is likeness or antagonism or causality, maintaining a graphic organizer will make life a whole lot less bewildering for you.
Today is a lot more different from the times when when we had to sit down with our pencils and erasers, rubbing out older lines as new developments emerged. These days both children and grown-ups can utilize computerized graphic organizers. A simple click of the mouse and a little dragging will allow you to make variations of all kind to your chart. So whether you are looking for an less bewildering way to study new concepts or are simply trying to look through the information that you have collected, graphic organizers are usually a great help.
Of course, for those of us that are not as familiar with the world of computers, it is a good idea to stick to the good old crayons and sticky notes. Make the best use of charts and diagrams to represent data graphically.
Ajeet Khurana recommends that you find out more by reading:
Graphic Organisers,
Graphic Organizer Tool, and
Software.
