Once the teacher has demonstrated the use of a specific graphic organizer through the use of familiar and later new information, McTighe proposed that the students should then try to use the graphic organizer on their own with assistance from the teacher. They go through the same steps as the teacher did during the teacher’s demonstration. They start with information which is familiar and then move on to using new information with the graphic organizer.

It is important for the students to then pause to reflect on their use of the graphic organizer. This metacognition stage is important so that the learning becomes embedded in their minds. The teacher assists in this metacognition process by getting students to share some examples of the students efforts at using the graphic organizer. The teacher would also get them to evaluate the effectiveness of the graphic organizer as a tool in their learning. This is to drive home the purpose of the graphic organizer and its usefulness.

The last stage is to ensue student mastery in the use of the specific organizer is to give them more opportunities to use the same graphic organizer in other lessons or situations. Do not move onto another type of graphic organizer that reflects another thinking process until the students have mastered the first. Only then is a new graphic organizer introduced to the students in the same manner that was done for the first.