Outlining and Summarizing Goes Digital

Outlining and Summarizing involves identifying the main ideas and rendering them in one’s own words. Concept Mapping is also similar. Both strategies have the potential accelerate academic growth in one year by 1.5 years.

Come along and learn a few ways you can use these two powerful instructional strategies with students.

Topics

Strategies Overview and Phases of Learning

Meaningful learning “results when a person consciously and explicitly ties new knowledge to relevant concepts they already possess”
(Stoica, Moraru, and Miron, 2010, p. 568 as cited).

Phase of Learning: Surface Learning

Phase of Learning: Deep Learning

These strategies focus on drawing pictures to capture the firefly ephemerae of thought. What’s next?

Want to learn more about Vocabulary Programs? Grab these Jamboard Frayer Model Templates in One Place

1- Outlining and Summarization (d=0.62)

Outlining and Summarizing involves identifying the main ideas and rendering them in one’s own words. 

The core skill is being able to distinguish between  main ideas and supporting ideas. Or, main ideas and examples. 

"Memory is the residue of thought," says Professor Daniel Willingham. To remember something better:

Combine Outlining with Summarization, a surface learning strategy that promotes deeper semantic processing. 

That is, semantic processing occurs when you encode the meaning of a word, then relate it to words with a similar meaning.

Digital Tools

In Matching HES Strategies and Digital Tools, find other ed tech tools to pair with outlining and summarization:

Digital Paper Alternatives

Digital Only

Of course, you can simply use a nice journal and snap photos of it (or scan it) to digitize it for long-term storage. 

You can also reflect on your written notes, then type them up for publication in an online space (e.g. blog).

2- Concept Mapping (d=0.62)

Concept Mapping (d=0.62). The creation of graphic, hierarchical representations of course content. When students arrange new information, connecting it to what they know, they learn best.  

Semantic maps offer a visual way of viewing “meaning-based connections between a word or phrase and a set of related words or concepts” (source: Reading Rockets).

Try going from paper to digital and back to paper again, or different digital mediums (e.g. outline in word processor to slide deck to mind map to flow chart or diagram). 

This will result in greater brain engagement and long-term information retention. 

3- Activities Including These Strategies

Summarizing

Let's take a moment to explore activities that focus on these strategies. Here are some activities:

Note: If you like, you can participate and share creations with the group via a Padlet. You will also make some AI connections (read today's blog entry on AI).

Want some more activities for summarization? Read my blog entry: 

Three Empowering Activities for Summarization

Remember: These strategies work as a Deep Learning strategy. That is, it is intended to assist you in absorbing new information and making connections between concepts. 

When using them, the more you put words in your own words and move information around, the better. 

Consider doing this with paper and pencil first, even if it is time-consuming to ensure movement from working memory to long-term information retention. 

Another approach to try? Guided Notes. Read about it in this blog entry.

Dear TCEA Responds:

I don’t understand guided notes. It’s like fill in the blank notes with the answers given. Are there some digital tools that can help me make guided notes? I teach emergent language learners.

-Mario