Graphic organizers for the writing process

The weather here in Chicago  is cold with windy sleet and icy roads. All of my students are walking around with loud coughs, sore throats and bleary eyes.

It must be midterm season!

Students are exhausted from writing their papers and taking tests. Instructors are exhausted from grading said papers and tests. Sometimes it is a pleasant time of year when everyone is starting to get spring fever. However, this year, I’d say that it feels like spring is quite far away!

This academic year my department has been focusing on student writing as our departmental assessment activity. It has been a really interesting process and I’ll share more about that in future posts. I just wanted to share an article I found today about graphic organizers for the writing process. I wish I had seen this earlier in the semester, but I think I will use some of these tools to help students plan and work on their final projects.  It’s from a newsletter from Emerging Ed Tech: Engaging Students and Enhancing Learning Outcomes with Internet and Instructional Technologies, and the article is titled,

“Teaching Writing and Learning with Graphic Organizers”

Do you have tools and resources that you regularly use to support student writing? Please leave a comment and share what you use.

Happy grading everyone!

I’m continuing to explore the flipped classroom model in my own teaching and thought I would share this week’s reflections with the ACCESS community. What do you think of the Flip?

Carrie's Blog

With the flipped classroom model, the goal is to free up time during class sessions in order to provide active support to students when they need it. I like the idea of active support because this is how it feels to me during the class sessions.

Before our class, I had already sent out two video clips about the Teacher Research Project (data collection, Teacher Research Showcase) and a Prezi for this week’s lesson. During class time,  students began working on their quizzes, and I spent some of that time typing feedback on their quizzes from last week in Blackboard. As students transitioned from the quiz to their work, I began moving around the room and these are some of the things we worked on:

• A small group of students were concerned that they were not writing their field notes appropriately. I was able to talk with…

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Carrie's Blog

I have been moving in this direction for the past year, but after a discussion with my Saturday students this week, I’ve finally decided to more formally adopt a flipped classroom. For an overview of the flipped model, check out “The Flipped Classroom Infographic”.

The following definition is from Michigan State University’s Office of Faculty and Organizational Development:

In “flipped classes” students use technology at home to watch online video lectures, demonstrations, and explanations of assignments.  Class time is spent doing what is traditionally called “homework.”  The teacher in a flipped classroom is a learning facilitator, able to work one-to-one with students, clarify assignments, and offer help as needed.  Classmates can work together on in-class assignments, engage in discussions, or collaborate on projects.

A major benefit is that teachers spend more time working directly with students instead of lecturing to them.  The downside is the need for access to…

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