Using Advanced Organizers

Posted by Dorit Sasson Jan 5, 2008

Have you entered January's Giveaway for Teachers? The deadline is January 28th and this month's theme is about 'successes'.

Since January is all about getting organized and setting goals, here are a few tips for using the advanced organizers in class.

I have been using advanced organizers for some years now. All of the teachers I have met over the years have committed themselves to it and agreed on its usefulness. They are effective in organizing what it is I would like to focus on. The students have a feeling of accomplishment while I can already prepare myself for the next lesson.

What is the advanced organizer?

Advanced organizers are useful for heterogenous classes. After teaching a text, teachers can present in a table form all different types of tasks depending on the text type. You can use some of the textbook's activities and/or supplement your own. There are different tasks for different students.There is room for a date, teacher's signature (for accountability purposes) and for pupils' comments.

How can you use it in your classes?

Once you are satisfied with teaching the text, it's time for students to work independently. Advanced organizers cater to various abilities especially with lower performing students who need that little extra bit of reinforcement.

Some teachers decide to give students a grade for finishing 80% of the tasks of the advanced organizers, but it really depends on the nature of your class and what you believe should go into a grade.