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.

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.