Create your own graphic organizers!

Inspiration 8© is software that is designed to let you create your own graphic organizers.

To view an interactive demonstration, go to: www.inspiration.com/productinfo/
inspiration/interactive_demo/index.cfm.

To download a free trial version, go to: www.inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Lauren Ellington is the Learning Disabilities Specialist for the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center.

If you have any questions about learning disabilities, please contact her by email at: leellington@vcu.edu or by phone at 1-804-828-6158 or
1-800-237-0178.

She will be happy to answer your learning disabilities-related questions or find an answer for you.

Book Blurbs

With each issue of Update on LD, books on learning disabilities or related issues that are available in the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center's library will be highlighted.

If any of the books are of interest to you, you may contact the Resource Center to borrow the books. Go to www.aelweb.vcu.edu/library to find out more about borrowing from our library.

Learning Strategies for Adults: Compensations for Learning Disabilities by Sandra C. Crux. Toronto: Wall & Emerson, Inc., 1991.

An invaluable handbook of concise and detailed learning strategies intended both for teachers of adults and for adult or young adult students to help achieve more effective instruction and/or learning. Of special interest is HELP (Holistic Educational Literacy Process), an informal assessment tool designed to improve ability to diagnose and program for problems. Whether you are a lecturer in a college or university, a trainer in a factory, a manager of an office, or a teacher of general interest classes, the learning strategies outlined in this book will improve your practice. Techniques are provided to improve skills in diagnosis and programming, goal setting, time management, reading comprehension and fluency, note taking, written language, and library and study skills.

Understanding and Managing Learning Disabilities in Adults by Dale R. Jordan. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company, 2000.

In Dr. Jordan's words: "This book is about replacing crushed spirits with cheerful hearts." It first explains how the brain functions in learning and remembering throughout one's lifespan. Individual chapters then describe the types of learning disabilities (LD) that exist throughout adulthood: dyslexia, attention deficit disorders, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, Nonverbal LD, Social-Emotional LD, and mental health factors that frequently accompany learning disabilities. The discussion is two-fold. First, each type of LD is described and explained. Then management strategies are presented for helping learning-disabled adults of all ages. The Jordan Index for Asperger's Syndrome is published here for the first time.

Graphic Organizers

"Graphic organizers are visual and spatial displays designed to facilitate the teaching and learning of textual material..." according to A. Kim, S. Vaughan, J. Wanzek, and S. Wei in their article entitled "Graphic Organizers and Their Effects on the Reading Comprehension of Students with LD: A Synthesis of Research" published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities (March/April 2004, p. 105-118). They go on to explain that, "by using graphic organizers, educators hope to facilitate the readers' understanding of the text through visual depictions of key terms and concepts and the relationships among them."

The above graphic organizer, known as a KWL chart, is a sample of a graphic organizer that can be used in a variety of subject areas. This sort of graphic organizer helps students to access their prior knowledge, ready themselves for learning by creating a purpose for the activity, and then reviewing what they learned about the subject.

The fact and opinion chart is helpful for students to visually separate fact from fiction. This sort of graphic organizer could be used while reading both fiction and non-fiction texts.

The Venn diagram displayed above can be used to help students see similarities and differences between topics, objects, or ideas.

There are many more graphic organizers available, however, the three illustrated are among the most popular and widely used. You or your learners can create your own graphic organizers to fit your needs.

So go ahead, get graphic!