Question, Quote, Qonnection - Chapter 6

I'm going to start with my personal connection because my question is based on my connection. I absolutely hate graphic organizers. I realize I just said something very broad and to be fair some of the more linear, organized, clear charts aren't...horrible. It's the big sprawling mind maps with lines all over the place that just do absolutely nothing for me. I've had at least two (possibly more?) classes now where we had to make Inspiration-style mind maps for assignments and I could not stand doing it. They are a great big mess to me and I would much rather just make a nice, neat outline. My adviser likes the big mind maps with lots of connections and bubbles and stuff. She looks at them and suddenly understands all the information on the page. I just get overwhelmed. I skip those charts when they are featured in textbooks (you know, "figure 1.2 arranges the information into a chart" or whatever - when the text tells me to refer to a figure, I just skip it.)

So, how do you use graphic organizers with students who find them stressful? Do those kids get to organize their information in another way? How do you figure out what kids benefit from graphic organizers and which ones don't?

I did think the part about using graphic organizers as a metacomprehension tool was sort of interesting. I think maybe using one of those mind maps with information I already KNOW, things I just need to organize, might work. I've always used them to try to learn new information.

"It is more than just understanding -- it is being consciously aware of what needs to be done in order to support one's own learning, planning and executing the strategies, then reflecting on their effectiveness. The opportunities presented through graphic organizers activate these comprehension strategies and metacognitive skills." (103)

I chose that quote because it sounds great. If graphic organizers really do all those things -- support learning, planning and executing strategies as well as reflecting on the effectiveness on those strategies -- then they are very useful tools indeed. I have just not been exposed to many effective graphic organizers.

Another thing about them, and this might just be me not understanding subtleties, but how are these not just more worksheets?