Graphic Organizers Applied to Secondary Algebra Instruction for Students with Learning Disorders

Abstract

Students who have particular difficulty in mathematics are a growing concern for educators. Graphic organizers have been shown to improve reading comprehension and may be applied to upper level secondary mathematics content. In two systematic replications, one randomly assigned group was taught to solve systems of linear equations through direct instruction and strategy instruction. The other group was taught with the same methods with the addition of a graphic organizer. Students who received instruction with the graphic organizers outperformed those who received instruction without the organizers. They also better understood the related concepts as measured by immediate posttests in both replications. The difference in understanding concepts was maintained on a 2–3 week posttest.

Effects of GO FASTER on Morpheme Definition Fluency for High School Students with High‐Incidence Disabilities

“…Graphic organizers are visual displays (Wolgemuth, Trujillo, Cobb, and Alwell, 2007) or “graphic arrangements of words, phrases, and sentences that can include graphic elements such as arrows and boxes” (Ives, 2007, p. 111) and are often used in classrooms to supplement various types of instruction. Wolgemuth et al (2007) found that visual displays were effective for improving comprehension, content learning, and problem solving of youth with disabilities, especially when the students completed them and when accompanied by other effective strategies, such as direct instruction, praise, and guided practice.…”

Accessing the General Education Math Curriculum for Secondary Students With High-Incidence Disabilities

“…Research has documented the positive effects' of selfmonitoring and cue cards or graphic organizers (Ives, 2007;Joseph & Hunter, 2001;Shimabukuro et al, 1999) in math with middle and high school students with LD. Researchers have evaluated the effects of these approaches within public and private school self-contained classrooms.…”

“…The cue card strategy consisted of (a) the teacher modeling use of the cue card and the associated steps; (b) guided practice of the use of the cue card with sample problems and feedback; ( c) independent practice; and (d) students graphing daily performance on a progress chart. In a more recent study focusing on algebra content, Ives (2007) determined that graphic organizers helped students with language difficulties to solve systems of linear equations and to maintain their performance over time. The use of the structured formats helped students to understand the procedures necessary for solving the systems of equations, as well as to organize and solve the problems using math terms (i.e., symbols, expressions, equations) instead of words.…”

A Group Contingency Plus Self-Management Intervention Targeting At-Risk Secondary Students’ Class-Work and Active Engagement

“…For example, the use of worksheets with visual prompts (e.g., asking questions directly linked to what was read) has been used to increase written output and improve academic skills (Ives, 2007; Ives & Hoy, 2003). Crabtree, Alber-Morgan, and Konrad (2010) similarly used visual supports in the form of a three-prompt self-management strategy to increase the reading performance of three at-risk high school seniors.…”