Constructing a graphic organizer in the classroom. 6

ABSTRACT : Common examples of graphic organizers include flow diagrams, concept maps, and decision trees. The author has created a novel type of graphic organizer called a decision map. A decision map is a directional heuristic that helps learners solve problems within a generic framework. It incorporates questions that the user must answer and contains conceptual as well as methodological knowledge. The decision map that is presented was created to solve pH problems of varying difficulty that introductory college chemistry students encounter when studying acid-base equilibria. The acid-base decision map was created during an in-class workshop with approximately sixty students enrolled in the second semester of a two-semester introductory chemistry course for science and premedical majors. Questionnaires were used to measure students’ perceptions of achievement in regard to problem solving, understanding of concepts, and organization of information as it related to the decision map. Open-ended comments were also solicited to improve the design of the map. After the workshop, the majority of student responses to all of the questions indicated that the decision map helped them solve problems, understand concepts, and organize the material. Furthermore, 78% of the students indicated that they would use the map “sometimes†to “every time†when solving similar acid-base problems. Subsequent students also responded positively to the map when the author replicated the study two additional times and later when another instructor in the same chemistry department performed the workshop and constructed the map. 56

5

5