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Concept Mapping: The Map that Leads to Effective Instruction

3/25/2019

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Gif of a variety of people viewing the same map
When thinking of concept mapping, graphic organizers often come to mind. But concept mapping is more than that. The graphic organizer is the tool for this strategy, but can often be confining to our students that see connections outside of the typical graphic organizer. Concept mapping has an effect size of .64. It is important to highlight that this is effective when students are making their own connections and not the connections predetermined by the teacher.

This instructional strategy is comprised of three specific steps.

Step 1. Predetermine the topic or question for the concept map. “A helpful way to determine the context of your concept map is to choose a focus question--something that needs to be solved or a conclusion that needs to be reached (Kieschnick, Bold School, pg. 124).” Teachers can help students focus their concept map by asking essential questions.
Step 2. Pull a list of key terms or ideas from the topic being addressed. Students should work to classify those key terms or ideas in some way. For example, they might identify the broadest ideas working down to the most specific details. Because students may visualize this in different ways, it is important they have the freedom to choose a tool that best supports their thinking.
Step 3. Connect concepts by creating linking concepts and words. In this step students might need language stems to support the connections they are making. For example, “is related to”, “as a result of”, “caused or causes”, “leds to”, etc.

Incorporating Digital Tools

It is important to provide kids with a variety of options for concept mapping, both digital and unplugged. For example, Mindy would rather create a sketchnote as a tool for concept mapping while Gina really likes being able to have a stack of manipulatives with a broad canvas to organize and connect. Online tools that support concept mapping might include Jamboard, Mindmup, Lucidchart , or Google Drawings. For kids who prefer an unplugged option, the Post-its App can allow students to start their work in an analogue environment and then move it and manipulate it online. Finally, for kids who prefer a drawing or sketching method for organizing their thoughts, consider using a camera to capture and share unplugged work.

Key Takeaways

  1. Concept maps are NOT graphic organizers. Instead, it is the process of organizing thoughts and key ideas.
  2. Concept mapping is a scaffolded process facilitated by the teacher. Teachers help students identify the relationship between key terms by asking probing questions and providing language stems.
  3. ​It is crucial to honor student voice and choice when concept mapping to support personal visualization of the connected concepts.

​~Gina Rogers
~Mindy Cairney
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Reciprocal Teaching, it’s Not Just for Literacy Teachers!

3/15/2019

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Chances are if you have heard of reciprocal teaching you have thought of it in the context of an English Language Arts class. Although reciprocal teaching is a text processing strategy, its application is further reaching than the English classroom. Reciprocal teaching has a .74 effect size making it a powerful instructional strategy for all content areas where text is being used.

What is Reciprocal Teaching?

​Reciprocal teaching includes four steps:

  1. Predict 
  2. Clarify 
  3. Question
  4. Summarize

​Reciprocal teaching is a process that best works in a collaborative environment so most commonly small groups will be used in this strategy. Additionally, the process helps students organize their thinking about text.  Creating a Doc or Slide Deck template for groups to use (see examples in Step 1) can be used to record ideas and provide links to additional tools used in the process.

Incorporating Digital Tools

Step 1 - Predict: The predict step can look different in different grade levels and content areas, however, no matter what grade level or what content area prediction involves previewing the text and connecting prior knowledge to what is seen. Additionally, students think a little bit about what the text might focus on based on the quick previewing that they did.  Collaborative conversations are imperative to the prediction process. Recording thoughts on a table in a Google Doc  or collaborative Google Slides can help classmates when returning to the conversation and for later evaluation of predictions.

Step 2 - Clarify: In this step students read through the text and note any areas that are unclear for them. One area that can be focused on is vocabulary. To clarify and further make meaning out of unknown terms, students can use an online dictionary tool (like the dictionary feature in Read & Write for Google or the Google Dictionary Chrome Extension) , but additional development of this new vocabulary might be needed. Vocabulary programs have an effect size of .62. One model that can support the explicit teaching of vocabulary is the Frayer Model. On a collaborative doc, students determine words needing clarification. Repeated words from the doc are collected and distributed to groups for further investigation. A shared Frayer Model tool can be used to further build the group’s understanding of their assigned words. Google Slides or Google Drawings fulfill the need to share and collaborate as a class.

Step 3 - Question:  After all of the predictions have been made and all unknown terms have been clarified, groups begin in-depth reading of the text. Each group will record three questions they have as they read. Groups are encouraged to come up with a ‘right there’ question, a ‘between the lines’ question, and a critical thinking question (Kieschnick, Bold School). Teachers will need to model the question generation process prior to turning kids loose with this responsibility in addition to providing language scaffolds to help students generate questions. To learn more about question generation check out some of the resources in our Riddle Me This blog post.

Step 4 - Summarize: The final step in reciprocal teaching is summarizing. As a small group, students create a summary of what they just read and come to consensus on how they will show what they know about the text. There are a variety of different ways that students might share their summary of the text. With the time constraints of a classroom, this strategy might not be completed in one day. Flipgrid allows students to share their summary in the moment, with the ability to view with the class at a later time as they evaluate their summaries against previous predictions. This could also be great for students to reflect and review before an assessment.

Key Takeaways

  1. Organization and planning for this strategy is essential. Use collaborative tools to keep groups organized.
  2. Digital tools should not replace collaborative conversations, but instead help collect and record the ideas shared in small groups and provide an artifact to return to throughout the process.

~Gina Rogers
~Mindy Cairney
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Putting it all together: Using the Jigsaw Method with Instructional Technology

3/11/2019

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Gif of puzzle pieces sliding together
If you have ever attended PD at Grant Wood AEA chances are you have been exposed to the obligatory Jigsaw Method for processing learning. Although this is said with a hint of sarcasm, the Jigsaw Method ranks as a 1.2 high effect size instructional strategy.  Originally the Jigsaw Method was implemented in Austin, Texas as a way to diffuse racial tensions in a recently desegregated school. In order to get the students to work together and learn from one another’s diverse perspectives, researchers devised a method that focused on cooperative learning. The history of the Jigsaw Method is quite fascinating and can be read about here.  

What is the Jigsaw Method?

The Jigsaw Method includes a few steps:
1.) Divide students into groups of 5 or 6 that include diverse representations. Appoint a group leader and, as a group, segment the learning into equal chunks (teacher should provide guidance in how to segment), each individual taking one chunk.
2.) Provide enough time for students to read and reread their material and become familiar with the content. Then, the students that have read the same chunks gather together to become experts, discussing main points and preparing a presentation to share with the original group.
3.) Students return to their original group to share the presentation that has been prepared, answering any clarifying questions. During this time, the teacher moves from group to group making observations and providing support where needed.
4.) Finally, students should be formatively assessed to check for understanding and to guide future instruction.

Google for the Win!

We have to admit, it’s Google for the win when it comes to the Jigsaw Method! Google Slides provides an excellent opportunity for student collaboration while working within expert and ‘home’ groups. As a teacher, create a collaborative slide deck for the whole class (Alice Keeler example here), with each group assigned one slide in the deck. Allow expert groups to collaboratively add notes, main ideas, talking points, or even images. When students return to home groups, each student, not just the expert, will be able to access the notes digitally. Pro tip: View all the Slides at once by clicking on ‘Grid View’ in the View Menu.

This same idea is possible within Google Docs, as well. Creating a table in Google Docs allows for the same collaborative power, just with a different feel. As a teacher, create a template for your students. Each home group should have one template. Use ‘Force Make a Copy’ with the group leader. The group leader will share the template with the rest of the group. Pro tip: Thirty kids in one doc is usually frustrating! This idea works best in smaller groups.

Modifications

One concern that we have when looking at the Jigsaw Method is that it places a high level of independent learning on students who might need support in order to fully participate in the learning. We recommended supporting learning objects (texts) be digital in nature and accessible to a screen reader so students who need the decoding support of a screen reader will be able to fully participate. Additionally, we feel that allowing students to record the summary of the learning from the expert group with something like Screencastify or another recording tool might help ease the anxiety of students who are quieter and don’t like to share even in the smaller group.

Key Takeaways

  1. The Jigsaw Method has a rich history of enhancing cooperative learning in diverse learning environments.
  2. Students are responsible for becoming experts in the room and sharing their learning with one another.
  3. Digital tools enhance the collaborative nature of the Jigsaw method, as well as providing accessibility supports to all learners.
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Riddle Me This? Incorporating Questioning into Instructional Technology

3/4/2019

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Gif of The Riddler
Questioning as an instructional factor weighs in at a .68 effect size, demonstrating the capacity to have a significant impact on student growth. Teachers ask anywhere between 300 and 400 questions a day, with the vast majority of those questions being lower level questions - recalling facts, demonstrating knowledge of procedures, etc) (Wilen, 1991). The researchers suggest that since these questions are lower in their cognitive level, teachers need to use many of them to get students to recall concepts (Wilen, 1991).

Effective questioning is a complex teaching task and should be planned for. Scripting out questions and evaluating them for their complexity has a significant effect on student’s ability to more deeply understand and evaluate concepts. According to Weston Kieschink, “What gets scripted gets asked”, and spontaneous questions are often low-level questions (Bold School).  Additionally, supporting students in developing their own questions about concepts can lead them to deeper levels of conceptual understanding (Hattie, 1998).

​Using a resource to develop and evaluate teacher and/or student questions is key in this process. Here are a few tools that we use at GWAEA:
  • Grant Wood AEA’s Critical Thinking Flipbook
  • Text-Dependent Questions (ELA)
  • 8 Ways to Pose Better Questions in Math Class

Looking to get your students to ask more questions?
  • Questioning Formulation Technique for Science
  • QFT - Question Formulation Technique​

Incorporating Digital Tools

So, what does this look like in practice in a tech-rich environment? Pre-planned scripted questions can be loaded into a variety of different tech options. Poll Everywhere lays the foundation for high-level, pre-planned questions. With one click, teachers can display responses or additional questions for a deeper classroom discussion around misconceptions or opinions. Additionally, teachers could also structure a series of higher order questions into Socrative or Nearpod. These could be used to launch into a longer discussion of a concept or as an exit ticket to help plan for further discussion and instruction. Teachers can display student answers anonymously for further consideration by the class.
With regards to soliciting student questions and structuring student-led discussions, a few approaches and tools come to mind. Students can contribute their questions to an online board like Padlet. The ‘Shelf’ feature in Padlet can be used to model, organize, and scaffold student questions from recall to analysis/evaluative questions. This online question board may also serve as a spot for students to begin to prepare for a Socratic Seminar.
As students are engaged in discussion, Google Slides Q&A option allows students to pose questions in real-time and additionally upvote questions they find intriguing. Teachers or student moderators are able to choose and present any question to the whole class to build-up the discussion or introduce a new thought.

Key Takeaways

  1. Research suggests effective questioning by teachers and students has a positive effect on student achievement.
  2. Effective Questioning is a skill. It should be planned for using a tool to develop and evaluate rigorous questions. Students also need tools/scaffolds to develop their own questions.
  3. Well chosen technology can amplify teacher’s and student’s ability to pose and respond to thoughtful questions. 

~Gina Rogers
~Mindy Cairney
​Digital Learning Consultants
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March Toward Effective Instructional Practices with Technology

3/1/2019

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Gif of feet marching
​
​Have you ever wondered what really makes a difference in student learning? Over a decade ago John Hattie released Visible Learning, as an attempt to get at educational efficacy. Hattie looked at factors from student home life to teacher preparation programs and developed an effect size for each of these factors. The effect size can be calculated as such:
Picture

​The meta-analysis showed that the average effect size was .4, so, thus, anything with an effect size of over .4 is considered to be positively contributing to student growth in the zone of desired effects - the “hinge point”.
​
But how do these instructional practices translate to a tech-rich classroom environment? This month we will be exploring high effect size instructional strategies and how to incorporate technology into those high effect size instructional strategies. The strategies that we will be featuring this month include:

  • March 4th: Questioning (.68 effect size)
  • March 11th: Jigsaw Method (1.2 effect size)
  • March 18th: Reciprocal Teaching (.74 effect size)
  • March 25th: Concept Mapping (.64 effect size)

So flip that calendar and get ready to get your March on!

~Gina Rogers
~Mindy Cairney
Digital Learning Consultants
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Getting Started With Tour Creator

3/1/2019

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An night scene of Big Ben and the houses of parliament in London, England
If you've been mesmerized by the virtual tours in Google Expeditions and have wondered about creating your own, then Google's Tour Creator is exactly what you need. Tour Creator makes it easy to build immersive 360 degree tours on the web with a Mac, PC, Chromebook or iOS device. Viewers can watch your tour on the web, on a mobile device, or in a VR headset, and if you sign in to Tour Creator with the same account you use for Google Expeditions, you can even lead your students through your VR tour via the Expeditions app!

From Consumer to Creator

When Google Expeditions first came out, it wowed us with its immersive views of locations all around the world. Well crafted tours that include multimedia elements and good probing questions help involve students in the learning, but the logical next step was to move from consuming tours to creating tours.

Tour Creator is a web-based VR tool that gives you that ability. You can access it by visiting, vr.google.com/tourcreator. Teachers can log in with their school Google accounts, however, it is not part of the core tools provided by G Suite for Education, so when creating tours with students, it is probably best used with kids aged 13 or over.

How to Create with Tour Creator

Once you login you can choose to create a new tour from scratch, or to build a tour from one of Google's template tours. The templates give you a better idea of what a finished tour looks like, but if you've used Google Expeditions before, you will already have a good sense of what a completed tour looks like, so don't be afraid of starting from scratch. Here's how it works.
  1. Upload a cover image, and add a title, description and category for your tour.
  2. Add a scene. Search Google Maps for a Street View image or upload a 360 image of your own. Add a title and add any notes, questions or talking points to the description box.
  3. Include Audio. If you want you can upload an ambient audio track to help people experience your scene as if they were there. You can also add an audio narration to help describe the scene. Both are optional, but if you are interested, simply upload an MP3 file as required.
  4. Points of Interest. You can add additional information to a scene with points of interest. All you do is click the points of interest button on the right-hand sidebar and then add a title and a description. You can add an image overlay and/or an audio description for each one you add.
  5. Publish. When you are done, hit the Publish button and choose whether you want your tour to be public on the web, or unlisted (anyone with the link can access). Tours are published to Google Poly where you can view your tour or share to social media, grab an embed code, or use in Google Expeditions.
Screenshot of the Tour Creator editor showing a scene at the Google Campus in California

5 Top Tips for Tour Creator

  1. To use a Tour Creator tour on Google Expeditions, connect your Android guide device to Wi-Fi and the tour will automatically appear in your My Tours Library on the latest version of the Expeditions app. Hopefully this feature will come to iOS too, but right now it is Android only.
  2. Set a starting view for each scene by clicking the button in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Click and drag around the image to choose what you want students to see when they first view each scene, and think about ways to use this to your advantage!
  3. Use a 360 camera like the Ricoh Theta to capture your own images for use in Tour Creator. If you are a school in the Grant Wood area, you can borrow one of our cameras. Contact us!
  4. Joli Boucher recommends using the YouTube Audio Library to find ambient music for your tour. Grant Wood AEA schools can also use Soundzabound. You can see more royalty free music options are here.
  5. To edit a tour after you have published it, log in to Tour Creator and click on the tour to open it. Next, choose the scene you want to edit and click Publish to update and save your changes.
If you are interested in learning more about Tour Creator or want to explore different ways on how to involve your students in virtual or augmented reality experiences, please get in touch!
Jonathan Wylie | Digital Learning Consultant | Grant Wood AEA | @jonathanwylie
More in this series:
  • Getting Started With Merge Cubes
  • Getting Started With Google Expeditions AR Tours
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