Jay McTighe suggested that when we teach students to use graphic organizers, we should do it a structured way. McTighe suggested that we first describe the concept of a graphic organizer. This must be discussed in the context of its importance in assisting to organize information, the benefits of using graphic organizers and the various ways that information can be organized through graphic organizers.

McTighe also proposed that we do a proper introduction to the students of the specific graphic organizer that we want the students to use. Graphic organizers can represent different thinking processes therefore we must make clear when we use a specific graphic organizer that the thinking process associated with it is explained. We need to explained to the students while the thinking process occurs in their minds, they can help to make it easier by putting it in a very visual form.

The next step is to explain and demonstrate the use of the selected graphic organizer. It is important that this is done with information that the students are already familiar with. In other words use the students’ prior knowledge. New information is used with the same graphic organizer only after they are comfortable using that specific graphic organizer with already familiar information. This bridging process is important to help the students move from what is already known to the new.

All too often, students do not see the connection between what they learn and their lives. It is only natural that students wonder why they are learning for example, the Periodic Table, or about states of matter, quadratic equations and so on. Students too often soon learn that in school, they are not to bother about why they are learning something. The learning is only for the school examinations at the end of a semester or year. Very often teachers do not give reasons or make connections about the relevance of the students’ learning to the rest of their latters’ lives. Yet, schools often claim to be preparing students for life. Teachers must make a more conscious effort to make these connections for their students or this claim is only a huge dishonest public relations exercise.

Making connections for students to see the relevance or significance of what they are learning, or teaching for transfer or bridging, is important. Teaching for transfer is important because it satisfies the innate curiosity of any child about why they are learning something. Satisfying this innate curiosity itself is a very important motivator for their continued interest in their learning. Nobody likes to feel that he is wasting time learning something, even if it has been justified in the name of high stakes examinations. Teaching for transfer will allow him to anticipate useful outcomes from their learning in the classroom. He will will be alerted to occasions when he would be able to apply what he has learned in different contexts. Learning, therefore, becomes more engaging.

Teaching for transfer also means that students will be able to build upon their understanding of concepts. Here again, I refer to my discussion about the need for deep thinking and understanding in my previous posts. For example, when teaching map reading, teachers should also make the connection between map reading and their students’ lives. The most obvious is of course in the actual use of maps like road maps for directions. However, if the teacher takes the time to discuss maps as representations of reality, it becomes a basis for further discussions on the concept of “representation”. It becomes a point of discussion when discussing the art works which are representations of what is in an artist’s mind. In fact, this concept can be used to discuss about the various media as representations. In the world of science, the student would be able to see that even in science, the world is ‘represented” differently. The Newtonian world view and the Einsteinian world view is definitely different.

If the teaching for transfer is done, students can take the ideas and concept beyond the confines of their classroom. This makes their learning in the classroom more akin to the beginnings of the threads of a giant web. They will be free to make the connections and explore concepts and ideas and reflect upon their relevance to their lives. Learning becomes organic and natural. Teaching for transfer will then end this phenomena where students leave behind whatever they have learnt in school, in the examination halls.