Cues,+Questions,+and+Advance+Organizers

Educational Strategy: Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

__Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers__

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Do you remember the scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where Ben Stein is teaching? Anyone? His style is a somewhat bizarre version of **cueing and questioning,** like we have been studying in this project. His "wait" time for questions is hysterical. And his cues!!!....Just watch the video for a laugh and see how it compares to what we have been talking about in this section.

There are 4 main types of advance organizers: 1. expository—a clear description of the information that will be taught. 2. narrative—telling a story that is related to the information in a lesson. 3. skimming—a brief surveying of the text and information before the actual lesson. Should be teacher-directed and modeled. 4. graphic—visual representation of the information students are about to learn. They help students to visually understand confusing concepts or relationships.
 * Cues and Questions** are strategies used by teachers to connect what students already know to new concepts or ideas. It is often how they set up a lesson. According to Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001, it is used in approximately 80% of student-teacher interactions. They are tools that help students focus on what they are about to learn. Research has shown that cues and questions should focus on what is important and not what is interesting. Analytical and inferential types of questions should be used to raise the level of questioning to achieve deeper understanding of the material.
 * Advance Organizers** will use familiar terms and concepts to connect what students already know to new information to be presented in a lesson. This process helps students commit this new information to long term memory. They are best used to give structure to information that is not well organized. Again, higher level advance organizers elicit deeper learning than lower level ones.

Technology Resources: **Graphic organizers, games, and presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint** Microsoft and many other online sites have numerous PowerPoint templates for use by teachers and students. Graphic organizers convert complex and confusing information into organized displays that make sense to students. There are even templates for games such as Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and many others. Teachers can use a PowerPoint slide presentation as an Advance Organizer for a unit of study. Students can also make their own PowerPoint presentation either individually or as a collaborative project with other students. Brainstorming on information to put in the PowerPoint is another way to make it relevant to the student and develop a deeper understanding of the material.



Resources needed: • computers (school supplied) • Microsoft PowerPoint (on school computers) GL – k-adult

[|http://.webquest.org] Webquests are question based lessons where almost all of the information that students gather is from the world wide web. It is an interesting way of getting students engaged in their own learning and higher level thinking. They are more often than not, group projects. Students learn to give and take feedback in a positive way.
 * WebQuest.org**

A **__webquest__** usually follows these general steps: 1. An //introduction// that sets it up and provides background information. 2. A //task// that is interesting, understandable and doable. 3. //Information sources// to complete the task. 4. A //step-by-step// description of the //process// of completing the webquest and accomplishing the task. 5. Guidance on how to organize the information found. This could be guided questions, directions to complete or finish things like timelines, cause and effect diagrams, concept maps, etc.

Resources needed: • Computers (school provides) • [|http://webquest.org--free] website

http://www.freedomscientific.com/lsg/products/wynn.asp
 * WYNN Literacy Software**


 * WYNN (What You Need Now)** is assistive technology that was intended for use by students with reading and writing difficulties. It uses what is called a **bi-modal approach**—simultaneous highlighting of the text as it is spoken. Research has shown this approach to benefit students significantly in terms of reading concentration and retention However, the program can be used with any uploaded text and can also scan information and retain the original form. Because of this feature, it is used by all levels of students, including gifted.

Below is one of several graphic tool bars on **WYNN**. This one is the **study tool bar.** Once a page is scanned in and saved to a file, students can open it up and, using these buttons, can alter how it is presented on screen and how it is read aloud.

There are 3 other tool bars in the program: >**Visual Presentation Bar**--lets you control how WYNN presents a document, from text size, spacing, margins, fonts and colors. >**Reading Options Bar**--for adjusting style and size of spotlighted section, select how fast or slow selection is read and at what volume. It can also 'mask out' everything on the document page except the part you wish to read. WYNN software is based on extensive field research and developed with many suggestions from special education teachers and individuals with learning difficulties.
 * >File Management Bar** --for scanning, printing, saving and copying.

Resources needed: • computers (school provides) • WYNN software 2 versions: WYNN Wizard and WYNN Reader Prices range from $249.00 for Reader to $1250.00 for Wizard per license.

The population of the **English language learner (ELL)** student population is an ever growing statistic; even more so than the student population as a whole. The ELL student population now accounts for 10% of all students. Without knowing the English language, these students face many challenges in school from reading, writing, math and other content areas. Wynn (What You Need Now) is a computer software that highlights and reads text aloud with clear natural sounding voice, simultaneously. ELL students can scan or download text and the WYNN program will read it to them while the student reads it. Using headphones will make it easier to use and less distractable for other students. Studies show that ELL students need many opportunities to read and write in their own and the English language.
 * Educational Challenge**